Impact of Clinical Presentation and Surgeon Experience on the Decision to Perform Surgical Ablation

We demonstrated that patient acuity and surgeon experience are significantly associated with the decision to perform concomitant SA for AF. Only the most experienced surgeons performed SA in patients with more complex clinical presentation. These findings, together with the negative impact of AF on patient outcomes, should prompt a comprehensive approach to educate and train surgeons in the performance of SA for AF when clinically justified.