Apparatus and method for the ligation of tissue
AssigneeSentreHEART, Inc.
InventorsJohn R. LIDDICOAT, William E. COHN, Roger LAHAM
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A novel catheter-based system which ligates the left atrial appendage (LAA) on the outside of the heart, preferably using a combination of catheters and/or instruments, e.g., a guide catheter positioned inside the left atrial appendage which may assist in locating the left atrial appendage and/or assist in the optimal placement of a ligature on the outside of the appendage, and a ligating catheter and/or instrument outside the heart in the pericardial space to set a ligating element at the neck of the left atrial appendage.
Claims21
1-62. (canceled)
A method of closing a left atrial appendage comprising:
- pericardially advancing a positioning tool to contact the left atrial appendage via a sub-xyphoid approach;
- pericardially advancing a ligating assembly to the left atrial appendage, wherein the ligating assembly comprises a support and a loop releasably coupled to the support;
- opening the ligating assembly;
- advancing the ligating assembly over the positioning tool to place the loop around a neck of the left atrial appendage;
- releasing the loop to close the left atrial appendage.
A method of closing the left atrial appendage comprising:
- introducing a wire into a pericardial space thereby creating a pericardial access;
- grasping the left atrial appendage from outside a patient's heart via the pericardial access using a tissue grasper;
- advancing a ligating assembly over the tissue grasper, the ligating assembly comprising a support and a loop releasably coupled thereto;
- opening the ligating assembly and encircling the left atrial appendage with the loop;
- closing the left atrial appendage with the loop;
- releasing the loop from the support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.