Electrocautery devices, systems and methods for transseptal access

An electrocautery system for transseptal access to a cardiac chamber of a patient, comprising:

• an energy source configured to provide electrical energy;
• an electrocautery device configured to receive the electrical energy from the energy source and convert the electrical energy to thermal energy, the electrocautery device comprising:
• a proximal end segment configured to remain external from the patient;
• an intermediate segment coupled to the proximal end segment, the intermediate segment configured to be at least partially disposed in the heart of the patient, a portion of the intermediate segment being reconfigurable from an axially elongated configuration to an axially shortened configuration;
• and
• a distal end segment coupled to the intermediate segment opposite the proximal end segment, the distal end segment configured to be disposed in the heart of the patient, and the distal end segment configured to deliver the thermal energy to a cardiac septum of the heart of the patient and form a perforation through the cardiac septum.

A method for transseptal access to a cardiac chamber of a patient, comprising the steps of:

• advancing a distal end segment of an electrocautery device from an access site on the patient to a first side of a cardiac septum in the heart of the patient;
• delivering thermal energy from the distal end segment of the electrocautery device to the cardiac septum;
• advancing the distal end segment and a portion of an intermediate segment of the electrocautery device, in an axially elongated configuration, from the first side of the cardiac septum to a second side of the cardiac septum, the electrocautery device thereby forming a perforation through the cardiac septum;
• and
• reconfiguring the portion of the intermediate segment of the electrocautery device from the axially elongated configuration to an axially shortened configuration on the second side of the cardiac septum.