Atrial Tachycardia Masquerading as Atrial Fibrillation Following Bi-Atrial MAZE Procedure

Abstract

A 34-year-old woman presented with palpitations and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Workup revealed anterior mitral valve prolapse with severe mitral regurgitation. She was referred for surgical repair and underwent a mitral valve replacement, tricuspid valve repair, and bi-atrial cryoMAZE procedure with left atrial appendage ligation. Her postoperative course was complicated by inferior wall myocardial infarction. She subsequently presented with palpitations and underwent electrophysiology study and ablation. This case illustrates pitfalls associated with the surgical MAZE procedure and highlights the challenges in postoperative atrial arrhythmias diagnosis and management.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Atrial tachycardia; Catheter ablation; MAZE procedure; Premtaure atrial contractions (PACs).