Full Disclosure Observational Cardiac Rhythm Documentation Follow-up After Surgical Atrial Fibrillation Therapy

24 hour Holter monitoring (24HM) is commonly used to assess cardiac rhythm after surgical therapy of atrial fibrillation. This "snapshot" rhythm documentation leaves a large diagnostic window of non recorded atrial arrhythmias and as such a large amount of uncertainty in follow-up result assessment. To improve accuracy of rhythm surveillance thus gaining a more "real-life" scenario of post surgical ablation therapy cardiac rhythm a new insertable cardiac rhythm monitor device (Reveal® XT 9525, Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) with full observational continuous heart rhythm documentation is implanted.

In order to verify different follow-up strategies after surgical atrial fibrillation therapy, a comparison of different follow-up scenarios (symptoms, different cardiac documentation devices i.e. ECG and 24 hour Holter monitor, at different follow-up time points) is performed intraindividually. Thus the reliability of these devices and follow-up strategies to define success after ablation therapy is evaluated.