What clinical evidence exists to support the use of surgical cryoablation?
The SurgiFrost cryoablation has been shown to be highly successful in clinical applications. In 2005, Gammie, et al report a freedom from atrial fibrillation at one year of 95% stating, “Our preliminary experience has shown that the classic Cox-Maze III lesion set with a flexible metal cryoprobe is simple, rapid, reproducible, and safe while proving to be equally effective as the traditional cut-and-sew Maze procedure in curing atrial fibrillation.” Dr. Robert Hebeler of the Baylor College of Medicine, reports freedom from atrial fibrillation at 1.5 years of 98% using the Cox Maze III lesion set. Even when the entire Cox Maze III lesion set is not completed, the SurgiFrost system results in a freedom from atrial fibrillation at 1 year of 88.5% (Mack, 2005). Other heat-based technologies report freedom from atrial fibrillation using similar lesion sets of only 66% (Gillinov, 2005). 30.
