Patient Success Stories

David Burn
For triathlete David Burn, 50, of New Canaan, his October 2008 surgery provided an option that would allow him to maintain his active lifestyle. After having always kept up a rigorous exercise routine, Burn was experiencing unusual fatigue and then the first bout of a racing heart. Once it was determined he was experiencing A Fib, Burn learned about his options from Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Rafael Squitieri, MD.  “ I hoped to avoid taking blood thinning medications and as an active guy, also wanted to avoid a defribillator implant, so I opted for the surgery,” said Burn. The statistician, who was back to work within three months, is now exercising as part of his cardiac rehab and is on his way to achieving his goal of returning to competitive sports. “I couldn’t have had a better doctor or finer care anywhere.”

John Peterson
Before entering the operating room at St. Vincent’s Medical Center’s for minimally invasive surgery to correct his Atrial fibrillation (“A-fib”), 71 year-old Norwalk resident John (“Jack”) Peterson’s condition had limited his activity and caused him more than 20 years of constant worry. “It would start with a missed beat, then speed up. I’d get weak and have to stop whatever I was doing,” Peterson said.

He knew his condition was serious. “I have friends who had the big, crack-your-chest-open surgery and spent a year recuperating,” he explained. “I didn’t want that. So I went on taking medication, which didn’t cure anything, until I heard about this new procedure at St. Vincent’s.”

“Jack understood we could perform his surgery with very small incisions and without stopping his heart or the loss of blood,” explained St. Vincent’s Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Dr. Rafael Squitieri, who performed the operation. “Prior to the mini-maze, patients with isolated A-fib didn’t have a promising minimally invasive surgical option. Jack wanted the opportunity to have a heart that wouldn’t go into A-fib every time his favorite team made an exciting touchdown. Regaining that quality-of-life is what drives most A-fib patients to have their Mini-Maze operation.”

“No operation is a walk in the park,” said Peterson. “But I went in on a Wednesday and was home by Saturday morning. Thanks to Dr. Squitieri and the whole team at St. Vincent’s, I’ve had no more incidents of A-fib. Not even one.”