Aortic valve replacement in patients with mild or moderate aortic stenosis and coronary bypass surgery.

Purpose: To assess whether there is survival benefit for patients with mild or moderate aortic stenosis if they undergo aortic valve replacement at the time of coronary artery bypass surgery.

Methods: From 1985 to 1995 we evaluated all patients at our institution who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery and who had the echocardiographic diagnosis of mild (mean gradient <0 mm Hg and/or valve area >1.5 cm(2)) or moderate (mean gradient > or =30 and < or =40 mm Hg and/or valve area >1.

Circular mapping and ablation of the pulmonary vein for treatment of atrial fibrillation: impact of different catheter technologies.

Objectives: We conducted this study to compare the efficacy and safety of different catheter ablation technologies and of distal versus ostial pulmonary veins (PV) isolation using the circular mapping technique.

Background: Electrical isolation of the PVs in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a technical challenge.

Methods: Two hundred eleven patients (163 men; mean age 53 +/- 11 years) with symptomatic AF were included in this study.