Mini-Maze

Mini-Maze is a new technique that enables surgeons to leave the sternum intact and use minimally invasive methods to reach and operate on the heart.

During the Mini-Maze procedure, small incisions are made between the ribs and on the side of the chest. A tiny camera and small device are threaded through the incision to the heart. The device then heats the heart tissue and creates a lesion that prevents the erratic electrical impulses that causes the heart to beat abnormally. This process is called ablation.

After the procedure is done on one side of the heart, incisions are made on the chest and between the ribs on the other side of the patient’s body. The procedure is then repeated on the other side of the heart.

Mini-Maze may be an option for patients who cannot be successfully treated through Electrophysiology Studies or ablations performed in the cardiac catheterization lab. Whether a patient is a candidate for the Mini-Maze depends on the type of atrial fibrillation the patient has, their age and other health history factors.