From St. Louis to Bogotá: The Early Global Dissemination of the Maze Procedure

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The early international dissemination of the Maze procedure has received little historical attention. This article describes the collaboration between Dr. James L. Cox and Dr. Nestor Sandoval during the development of the Maze procedure, drawing upon original correspondence, unpublished surgical illustrations, and early publications. Following his fellowship, Dr. Sandoval introduced the procedure in Colombia, contributed technical innovations, and promoted its dissemination throughout Latin America. This historical perspective highlights the lasting impact of mentorship, international collaboration, and knowledge transfer on the global evolution of arrhythmia surgery.