Endoscopic subxiphoid surgical procedures
AssigneeOrigin Medsystems, Inc.
InventorAlbert K. Chin
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Abstract
Endoscopic subxiphoid surgical procedures and instruments facilitate translumination of tissue through the pericardium, and promote encircling an intrapericardial region with one or more tissue-ablating probes for ablating cardiac tissue substantially encircling the left and right pulmonary veins as a treatment for chronic atrial fibrillation. Such endoscopic subxiphoid surgical procedures and instruments also facilitate placement of epicardial tacks about the annulus of the mitral valve for supporting a tensioned suture or band that decreases the size of the mitral annulus to repair a regurgitant valve. Suction-oriented instruments facilitate temporary attachment to an organ to establish precise positioning on the organ during a surgical procedure.
Claims11
A surgical procedure comprising:
- forming an incision;
- advancing an endoscopic cannula through the incision toward a target location on a patient's pericardium;
- introducing a pericardium-penetrating instrument through the endoscopic cannula into contact with the pericardium at the target location;
- forming an aperture through the pericardium at the target site to expose epicardial tissue;
- introducing a tacking instrument through the endoscopic cannula through the aperture in the pericardium for installing a plural number of tacks at selected locations in the epicardial tissue;
- and
- installing an element in contact with at least a pair of the plural number of tacks to exert tension thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.