Left atrial appendectomy combined with thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy

Although thoracoscopic left atrial appendectomy has been recently developed as an effective method for preventing cardiogenic thromboembolism,1 the application of this operation is still limited. In thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy, the surgical site is quite similar to that of thoracoscopic left atrial appendectomy, so combined surgery is feasible. When patients with indications for left upper lobectomy (eg, for lung cancer) have had the preoperative complication of atrial fibrillation, we have assumed that additional left atrial appendectomy is acceptable.
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Tags: Adult: Arrhythmias: Letter to the editor Source Type: research