Navigating the Maze

Program overview

4 December

Surgical Concomitant AF

08:30 - What’s New in Atrial Fibrillation Care
(Jose Luis Merino)
09:00 - Tachycardiomyopaty. Diagnosis and Treatment
(Carlo de Asmundis)
09:30 - Video: Maze IV and Box Lesion Through Sternotomy
(Filip Rega)
09:50 - Video: Minimally Invasive cryoMAZE
(Stefano Benussi)
10:40 - Post-op Atrial Fibrillation: Incidence, Consequences, Possible Prevention
(Manuel Carnero)
11:10 - Atrial Functional Mitral Regurgitation
(Michael A. Borger)
11:40 - Robotic AF Ablation
(Husam H. Balkhy)
12:10 - PFA Energy in Concommitent AF Surgery
(Gan Dunnington)
12:30 - Case-Based Roundtable
(Stefano Benussi, Manuel Castella, Filip Rega, Jose Luis Merino, Manuel Carnero Alcazar, Husam H. Balkhy, Carlo de Asmundis, Michael A. Borger, Gan Dunnington)
13:15 - Lunch

Hybrid AF™ Therapies

14:30 - Boundaries of Catheter Ablation
(Andreu Porta-Sánchez)
14:50 - Types of Hybrid Ablation I: Thoracoscopic Bipolar RF Ablation
(Gan Dunnington)
15:10 - Types of Hybrid Ablation II: Thoracoscopic Monopolar RF Ablation
(Jorge Alcocer Dieguez, Jean-Baptiste Guichard)
15:40 - Robotic Monopolar RF Ablation
(Yasir Abu-Omar)
16:40 - Case-Based Roundtable
(Andreu Porta-Sánchez, James Cox, Mark La Meir, Manuel Castella, Gan Dunnington, Jorge Alcocer Dieguez, Jean-Baptiste Guichard, Yasir Abu-Omar, Riyaz Kaba)
16:50 - Expanding the Hybrid Ablation Frontier
(Mark La Meir)
17:45 - Finish

5 December

LAA Exclusion

09:00 - AF, LAA and Its Neurological Implications
(David Z. Rose)
09:30 - Percutaneous LAA Closure
(David Holmes)
10:00 - LAA Closure in Cardiac Surgery
(Richard Whitlock)
10:30 - Video: How to Close the LAA
(Bart van Putte)
11:20 - ESC/EACTS Guidelines in Stroke Prevention
(Thorsten Hanke)
12:10 - Case-Based Roundtable
(Bart van Putte, David Z. Rose, Richard Whitlock, Manuel Castella, Thorsten Hanke, Syed Ahsan, David Holmes, John Yap)
12:30 - Finish

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Welcome to Navigating the Maze

We are delighted to present the 21^st edition of Navigating the Maze, taking place once more in Barcelona, Spain, on Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5, 2026. This year’s program, led by an international, multidisciplinary faculty, will comprehensively cover surgical AF ablation management, Hybrid AF™ Therapies, and left atrial appendage exclusion.

We are honored to partner with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) for this educational event. This collaboration ensures an enriched program featuring expert insights on AF ablation techniques and outcomes delivered by distinguished international faculty.

This 1.5-day international AF program is designed for physicians with an interest in concomitant ablation and minimally invasive Hybrid AF Therapies. The event will cover patient selection, the latest clinical evidence, and detailed techniques and outcomes for catheter and surgical ablations. Renowned experts will demonstrate cardiac surgery and minimally invasive Hybrid AF procedures through live surgeries and interactive presentations.

Our goal is to create a platform for exchanging knowledge on AF management. The program includes case-based learning, sharing best practices, updates on current clinical evidence, procedural techniques, and discussions on new developments in clinical practice.

For those unable to attend in person, the sessions will be available for live streaming, with recordings accessible on-demand shortly after the event.

We look forward to welcoming you and fostering insightful discussions!

With kind regards,

Dr. Manuel Castellà

Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Spain