Ablation method for creating elongate continuous lesions enclosing multiple vessel entries

A method of performing an ablation procedure in a heart cavity, the method comprising the steps of:

• advancing an ablation catheter into the heart cavity;
• navigating a treatment section of the ablation catheter to a first area of interest in the heart cavity;
• manipulating the treatment section to form a loop-like shape to encircle cardiac tissue in the first area of interest in the heart cavity and to contact the cardiac tissue in the first area of interest in the heart cavity, wherein the first area of interest comprises an inferior and superior vessel entries and the loop-like shape encircles both vessel entries at the same time;
• performing at least one ablation cycle from the treatment section to create a first continuous lesion that encircles the cardiac tissue in the first area of interest in the heart cavity;
• navigating the treatment section of the ablation catheter to a second area of interest in the heart cavity;
• manipulating the treatment section to encircle and contact cardiac tissue in the second area of interest in the heart cavity;
• and
• performing at least one ablation cycle from the treatment section to create a second continuous lesion that encircles the cardiac tissue in the second area of interest in the heart cavity.

A method of performing an ablation procedure in a heart, the method comprising the steps of:

• advancing an ablation catheter into a left atrium;
• navigating a treatment section of the ablation catheter to a first side of the left atrium to an antrum of a first side of superior pulmonary vein entry and a first side of inferior pulmonary vein entry;
• manipulating the treatment section to form a loop-like shape to simultaneously encircle the first side superior pulmonary vein entry and the first side inferior pulmonary vein entry and to contact cardiac tissue surrounding the first side superior pulmonary vein entry and the first side inferior pulmonary vein entry;
• performing at least one ablation cycle from the treatment section to create a first continuous lesion that encircles the first side superior pulmonary vein entry and the first side inferior pulmonary vein entry;
• navigating the treatment section of the ablation catheter to a second side of the left atrium to an antrum of a second side of superior pulmonary vein entry and a second side of inferior pulmonary vein entry;
• manipulating the treatment section to encircle the second side superior pulmonary vein entry and the second side inferior pulmonary vein entry and to contact cardiac tissue surrounding the second side superior pulmonary vein entry and the second side inferior pulmonary vein entry;
• performing at least one ablation cycle from the treatment section to create a second continuous lesion that encircles the second side superior pulmonary vein entry and the second side inferior pulmonary vein entry;
• navigating the treatment section of the ablation catheter to a posterior wall of the left atrium;
• manipulating the treatment section to form a loop that overlaps the first continuous lesion and the second continuous lesion and that contacts cardiac tissue at the posterior wall;
• and
• performing at least one ablation cycle from the treatment section to create a third continuous lesion that overlaps the first continuous lesion and the second continuous lesion, wherein the first continuous lesion, the second continuous lesion and the third continuous lesion form a composite continuous lesion that encircles the first side superior pulmonary vein entry, the first side inferior pulmonary vein entry, the second side superior pulmonary vein entry and the second side inferior pulmonary vein entry.