1.1
There is evidence of efficacy for thoracoscopic epicardial radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in the short term and in small numbers of patients. The assessment of cardiac rhythm during follow-up varied between studies, and some patients were concomitantly treated with anti-arrhythmic medication. Evidence on safety shows a low incidence of serious complications but this is also based on a limited number of patients. Therefore, the procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent and audit or research.