Training opportunities

AtriCure continues to recruit physicians interested in becoming arrhythmia surgeons. Training opportunities are available for the AtriCure procedure using the Isolator™ Transpolar™ Ablation System. 

Become a Distributor

AtriCure is currently looking for Distributors to help expand our International business.  To see if you may qualify to be an official distributor of AtriCure products, please fill out this short questionnaire.



AtriCure® provides arrhythmia surgeons with ablation tools needed to perform concomitant and minimally invasive surgery to treat atrial fibrillation. Using lesion sets derived from the Cox-Maze III procedure and the latest in science and technology, the creation of transmural lesions are reproducible, reliable, and are created in a matter of seconds. 1

Open Heart Concomitant Procedures

During elective open heart surgical procedures such as bypass or valve surgery, cardiothoracic surgeons use the AtriCure bipolar ablation system to treat patients with atrial fibrillation. Surgeons use our system to create sets of lesions that may vary depending on the length of time a patient has been diagnosed with AF and the classification of the patient’s atrial fibrillation. Patients who have been diagnosed with AF for a longer duration and have more continuous AF generally receive more ablation treatment than patients who have been diagnosed with AF for a shorter duration or who have intermittent AF. Recent evidence supports that ablation techniques reduced the time required for the Cox-Maze III surgery without compromising the efficacy of the surgical procedure. This resulted in over 90% of patients from both surgical groups being free of atrial fibrillation recurrence after one year.2

Sole Therapy, Minimally Invasive Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation

For patients with atrial fibrillation who do not require an open heart surgical procedure, AtriCure has developed innovative products for a sole therapy, minimally invasive treatment for atrial fibrillation. In order to perform this minimally invasive treatment, surgeons insert a lighted scope and other instruments through small incisions in the patient’s chest. Surgeons report that the entire procedure takes approximately two to three hours and that the typical recovery time is approximately three to four days. 3 Clinical studies have been published citing the efficacy of the minimally invasive AtriCure procedure. With ECG monitoring, success from one study was presented at 100% freedom from AF in paroxysmal patients and 71.4% freedom from AF in permanent patients.4

The Minimally Invasive AtriCure Procedure consists of

Pulmonary Vein Isolation

AtriCure’s Isolator® ENDO Ablation clamps are specifically designed to electrically isolate the pulmonary veins to treat atrial fibrillation. Testing is routinely performed to confirm this electrical conduction block. Studies have shown that irregular electrical impulses originating from the pulmonary veins appear in 94% of all occurrences of atrial fibrillation. 5

Removal of the Left Atrial Appendage

One of the key potential advantages of our sole therapy, minimally invasive treatment is the excision/excising of the left atrial appendage. In patients with AF, 90% of all atrial thrombi occur in the left atrial appendage. 6

Dissection of the Ligament of Marshall

The Ligament of Marshall (LOM) is a remnant of a vein that was required during fetal development, but is no longer needed. Studies have shown that the LOM may trigger episodes of atrial fibrillation. 7 In the AtriCure Procedure, the ligament is dissected, removing a potential cause of atrial fibrillation.

 

Become an Arrhythmia Surgeon

AtriCure continues to recruit physicians interested in becoming arrhythmia surgeons. AtriCure is currently training physicians in the in the AtriCure procedure using the Isolator™ Transpolar™ Ablation System. If you are interested in becoming an arrhythmia surgeon, contact internationalsales@atricure.com or view current training opportunities.

 

1. Gaynor, SL., et al. A prospective, single-center clinical trial of a modified Cox maze procedure with bipolar radiofrequency ablation. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2004;128:535-42.

2. Lall, SC., et al. The Impact Of Ablation Technology On Surgical Outcomes Following The Cox Maze Procedure: A Propensity Analysis. Discussant: W. Randolph Chitwood; The American Association for Thoracic Surgeons, 86th Annual Meeting; St Louis, MO, Saturday, April 29, 2006.

3. Wolf, RK., et al. Video-assisted bilateral pulmonary vein isolation and left atrial appendage exclusion for atrial fibrillation. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2005;130:797-802

4. Edgerton, JR et al.  "Minimally Invasive Atrial Fibrillation Surgery: Six-month Results."  Retrieved from http://scientificsessions.americanheart.org, 09 March 2007.

5. Haissaguerre M, et al. Spontaneous initiation of atrial fibrillation by ectopic beats originating in the pulmonary veins. New England Journal of Medicine 1998; 659-666.

6. Johnson, WD, et al. The left atrial appendage: our most lethal human attachment! Surgical implications. European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2000;17:718-722

7. Makino, M. et al. Diverse Myocardial Extension and Autonomic Innervation on Ligament of Marshall in Humans. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology 2006;17 (6), 594–599.