While surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been performed for over 20 years, virtually all of the historical series reported only the recurrence of symptomatic AF and have used only intermittent electrocardiogram (ECG) follow-up. This study compares the use of traditional arrhythmia assessment (ECG and 24-hour holter monitoring) with the use of the Medtronic Reveal XT device to continuously record heart rhythm to quantify postoperative arrhythmia burden following surgical treatment for AF in patients undergoing either lone or concomitant heart surgery.