ABSTRACT
Although significant strides have been made in non-pharmacologic management of atrial fibrillation (AF), these treatments remain a work in progress. While catheter ablation is often effective for management of paroxysmal AF, it is less successful in patients with persistent or longstanding persistent AF. This review was undertaken to clarify the risks, benefits, and alternatives to catheter ablation for non-pharmacologic AF management. In order to clarify the roles of surgical and hybrid ablation, this narrative review was undertaken by searching MEDLINE to identify peer-reviewed clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, review articles, and other clinically relevant studies. The search was limited to English-language reports published between 1960 and 2023. Atrial fibrillation was searched using the terms surgical ablation, catheter ablation, hybrid ablation, stroke prevention, left atrial occlusion, and atrial excision. Google and Google Scholar, as well as bibliographies of identified articles, were also reviewed for additional references. The Cox-maze surgical approach is still the most efficacious non-pharmacological treatment for AF. Hybrid ablation, combining cardiac surgical and catheter ablation techniques, has become an attractive option for persistent or longstanding persistent AF.