Subxiphoid Surgical Approach for Epicardial Catheter-Based Mapping and Ablation in Patients With Prior Cardiac Surgery or Difficult Pericardial Access

Percutaneous epicardial mapping and ablation are successful in some patients with ventricular epicardial reentry circuits but may be impossible when pericardial adhesions are present, such as from prior cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of direct surgical exposure of the pericardial space to allow catheter epicardial mapping and ablation in the electrophysiology laboratory when percutaneous access is not...