Atrial stretch measurement for atrial fibrillation prevention

A method of monitoring stretching of an organ, the method comprising:

• suturing an outer sleeve of a stretch-measurement probe to a surface of an atrium of a heart of a patient at a first attachment point of the outer sleeve, the stretch-measurement probe comprising an inner rod disposed at least partially within the outer sleeve and fixed to the outer sleeve at a distal portion of the stretch-measurement probe;
• suturing the outer sleeve to the surface of the atrium at a second attachment point of the outer sleeve, the second attachment point being longitudinally spaced from the first attachment point by a first distance;
• and
• when the surface of the atrium has stretched, thereby causing an expansion means of the stretch-measurement probe to expand between the first and second attachment points such that the second attachment point becomes longitudinally spaced from the first attachment point by a second distance that is greater than the first distance, determining an amount of stretch associated with the surface of the atrium based at least in part on a relative movement of a proximal portion of the outer sleeve with respect to a proximal portion of the inner rod.