LEXINGTON, Ky. — UK HealthCare has expanded treatment options for patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, or AFib, a condition that disrupts the heart's normal electrical rhythms. The expansion includes a hybrid ablation procedure that combines surgery and catheter-based treatment, offering significantly improved success rates compared to traditional approaches.

Atrial fibrillation causes irregular and often rapid heartbeats, leading to fatigue, palpitations, chest pain and shortness of breath. If untreated, AFib can lead to strokes, blood clots and heart failure. The condition becomes increasingly common with age, but left unmanaged it shortens life expectancy.

For patients with longstanding persistent AFib — the most difficult form to treat — standard catheter ablation offers only a 50 to 60 percent success rate. The new hybrid program at UK HealthCare's Gill Heart & Vascular Institute can raise that to approximately 80 percent, according to cardiologists at the facility.

The hybrid approach combines a minimally invasive surgical component performed by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Tessa London-Bounds with a catheter-based procedure led by electrophysiologist Dr. Kristin Ellison. London-Bounds completed specialized training in AFib surgery at Washington University in 2018.

The surgical portion addresses areas on the heart's exterior that are difficult to treat from inside. About a month later, after healing, patients return for the catheter-based completion procedure, where Ellison maps the heart's electrical activity and isolates the pulmonary veins to ensure durability of the treatment.

The staged approach differs from traditional methods. Standard catheter ablation works entirely from inside the heart, while maze surgery is more invasive. The hybrid model offers what specialists describe as the best of both approaches, reducing surgical complexity while improving long-term effectiveness.

The program also collaborates with weight loss and sleep study clinics to address factors that can worsen AFib, offering patients a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to their specific needs.