UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Assistant Professor Panayotis Vardas, M.D., has co-authored the article, "The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2023 clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation,” in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

The publication co-authored by Vardas emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach to assessing, planning treatment, and providing long-term follow-up for patients with atrial fibrillation. It also advocates for performing surgical ablation in all first-time, non-emergent cardiac surgery patients with atrial fibrillation.

The STS recommendations offers guidance for patients with structural heart disease and atrial fibrillation who are being considered for transcatheter valve repair or replacement and endorses strongly concomitant left atrial appendage occlusion during cardiac surgery for patients with history of atrial fibrillation. This study sets a new standard of care for patients across the United States and is expected to influence how cardiac surgeons manage their patients with atrial fibrillation who are undergoing first-time surgery.

The publication was co-authored by several specialists in cardiothoracic surgery, including Moritz C. Wyler von Ballmoos, MD, PhD, Dawn S. Hui, MD, J. Hunter Mehaffey, MD, MSc, S. Chris Malaisrie, MD, A. Marc Gillinov, MD, Thoralf M. Sundt, MD, and Vinay Badhwar, MD.

Vardas specializes in valve reconstructive surgery and arrhythmia surgery and is actively engaged in cardiac surgery research.