Abstract
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is considered the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and it affects more than 2.2 million persons in the United States. Two options that can be pursued for invasive management of atrial fibrillation are cardiac catheter ablation and a Cox procedure.|Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to identify the differences in the outcomes of restoration of sinus rhythm, length of stay, complications, and costs in patients treated with one of the three treatments for atrial fibrillation: Cox II, Cox III, and catheter ablation.|Methods: Patients were included in this study if they underwent a Cox II, Cox III or catheter ablation from March, 2004 to October, 2010 at Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. Chart audits were performed to review the past medical history, operative notes, discharge summary, EKGs (electrocardiogram), and clinic office visits.|Results: A difference was found between the ablation and Cox II procedure with the ablation group having restoration of sinus by 20.04% more than Cox II prior to discharge (p=.0266). The Cox II group had 11.4 days longer length of stay than the ablation group (p<.0001). The difference in mean between the ablation group and the Cox III group was statistically significant at 10.98 days (p=0.0015). The Cox II procedure was more expensive by $13,516.12 when compared to an ablation (p<.0001). The Cox III procedure had a mean cost of $13,570.06 more than an ablation (p = .0297).|Conclusions: The results of this study could lead to improved patient care and improved patient outcomes. Advanced practice nurses and staff nurses would be able to utilize the results to educate patients and family members about the various procedures as well as the expected outcomes.