What is atrial fibrillation? More than 60% of patients with rheumatic heart disease, especially mitral valve disease, will have complications with atrial fibrillation. Some patients with a normal rhythm before surgery may also develop permanent atrial fibrillation after surgery, mainly due to the long-term effects of the valve disease itself on the heart. Atrial fibrillation is also known as atrial fibrillation, where the normal heartbeat is sinus rhythm and the heart beats in a regular state, that is, it beats in unison. In atrial fibrillation, the atria are irregularly beating, and the patient may feel panic or an irregular heartbeat (self-measurement of the pulse will have the feeling of jumping and stopping, irregular). Valve replacement surgery itself does not solve the problem of atrial fibrillation, and will not eliminate atrial fibrillation because of valve replacement, so the majority of patients will still have atrial fibrillation rhythm after surgery. If you want to solve it, you need to do radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation, which we will describe in detail in the following. What are the effects of atrial fibrillation on the human body? The main effects of atrial fibrillation on the human body are as follows: 1. In atrial fibrillation, the patient will have an irregular heartbeat and an uncomfortable heartbeat; 2. Atrial fibrillation will mildly reduce heart function; 3. Atrial fibrillation has an increased risk of thrombosis; 4. If the ventricular rhythm is relatively low in atrial fibrillation, for example, below 40 beats per minute, and there are manifestations such as syncope, a pacemaker will be required. The majority of patients with long-term atrial fibrillation have tolerated and adapted to atrial rhythm without discomfort or hypotension, and the risk of thrombosis can be reduced by taking strict warfarin anticoagulation. For patients who feel that they cannot tolerate a rapid atrial fibrillation rhythm, who wish to return to normal sinus rhythm, or who wish to replace their biological valve to avoid lifelong warfarin anticoagulation, they can communicate with their supervising physician prior to surgery to express this wish. Is atrial fibrillation treatable? At present, in addition to medication, the main treatment for atrial fibrillation is medical and surgical radiofrequency ablation, and some patients can regain normal sinus rhythm after surgery. However, the success rate of surgery is low, about 60-70%, and some patients may recur after surgery. At the same time, there are certain risks and complications associated with radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation, such as bleeding and the need for permanent pacemakers in the postoperative period when the heart rate is too slow (mostly caused by high atrioventricular block). At the same time, the treatment cost will increase due to the use of special medical equipment and expensive disposable surgical materials. Patients should consider all of these factors and decide whether they want to undergo radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation in conjunction with valve surgery, taking into account their specific situation.