On June 21, the Cardiovascular Surgery Department of West China Hospital performed the first non-extracorporeal circulation minimally invasive BOX-LESION atrial fibrillation surgery in the hospital and the first in Asia for a patient who had been suffering from atrial fibrillation for a long time. The procedure took less than two and a half hours and was performed with the aid of a thoracoscopic system through three small holes made between the patient’s left and right ribs, and on June 22, two other patients were successfully treated. This procedure is different from internal catheter ablation therapy and previous surgical small-incision minimally invasive radiofrequency therapy, which can form a continuous closed “box” ablation line around the four pulmonary vein openings and the entire posterior wall of the left atrium, thus blocking the ectopic pacing points and microfold pathways more effectively. This is not only effective for patients with paroxysmal AF, but also for patients with chronic (persistent and permanent) AF. The results of studies in the United States have shown that this method has a long-term sinus rhythm maintenance rate of 85% in the treatment of isolated AF, especially in paroxysmal AF, with a sinus maintenance rate of 90% at 12-month follow-up. It is well known that atrial fibrillation is one of the most common clinical arrhythmias, and the incidence of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is usually three to five times higher than that of normal people. Last year, President Shi Yingkang of West China Hospital launched a combined medical-surgical treatment program for atrial fibrillation, and sent an associate professor of cardiovascular surgery and an internist to the Eisenhower Heart Center in California, USA, to study the micro-innovative therapy for pure atrial fibrillation with Dr. Mitruka. In June, Dr. Mitruka and his team were invited by West China Hospital to return to the hospital for a visit and surgical instruction, as the accompanying surgical instruments were officially certified by the State Food and Drug Administration and launched in China. Finally, three patients were selected among the many patients who came to the surgical clinic for consultation on the new treatment, including one patient with paroxysmal simple atrial fibrillation and two patients with chronic isolated atrial fibrillation. The successful implementation of the fully thoracoscopic minimally invasive BOX-LESION atrial fibrillation treatment surgery, especially for patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, is not only the first of its kind in China, but also the first of its kind in Asia. It provides an effective and minimally invasive treatment alternative to traditional methods for many patients suffering from atrial fibrillation disease.