WashU Medicine / Barnes-Jewish Hospital · Decision guide
St. Louis, Missouri, United States · Maze surgery with long-term rhythm follow-up
WashU’s cardiac service includes minimally invasive atrial-fibrillation and valve surgery. Its historical Cox-Maze IV cohort gives a view of recurrence over years, including patients with persistent AF and previous catheter-ablation failure.
Ali Khiabani’s current profile lists minimally invasive AF surgery and valve surgery at Barnes-Jewish.
The 2003–2018 series included 60% nonparoxysmal AF and 24% with previous catheter-ablation failure.
Sources: The long-term outcomes and durability of the Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation.
Freedom from atrial tachyarrhythmia was 84% of 253 assessed at five years and 77% of 87 assessed at ten years.
Sources: The long-term outcomes and durability of the Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation.
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Sources: Ali J. Khiabani, MD, MHA — physician profile · The long-term outcomes and durability of the Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation.
Sources: Ali J. Khiabani, MD, MHA — physician profile · The long-term outcomes and durability of the Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation.
St. Louis, Missouri · United States
cardiac surgeon
Ali Khiabani is a WashU cardiac surgeon whose practice includes minimally invasive atrial-fibrillation and valve surgery. His research examines how rhythm results change over time after Cox-Maze IV.
Sources: Ali J. Khiabani, MD, MHA — physician profile · The long-term outcomes and durability of the Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation.
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The study covers 853 operations from 2003–2018, with follow-up extending to ten years. Nonparoxysmal AF and larger left atrial size were among predictors of later recurrence.
How to interpret this: This is a historical WashU cohort, not 853 operations by Khiabani. His clinical fellowship finished in 2024. Follow-up denominators shrink and the paper does not randomize Maze against catheter ablation; it cannot establish comparative superiority.
Sources: The long-term outcomes and durability of the Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation.
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