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US 7,597,698 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for endoscopic encirclement of pulmonary veins for epicardial ablation
AssigneeMaquet Cardiovascular LLC
InventorAlbert K. Chin
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Abstract
Surgical instruments and procedures promote placement of a tissue-ablating probe surrounding the left and right pulmonary veins within the intrapericardial space of a patient's heart via access through a subxiphoid or subcostal entry incision. An opening is formed in the pericardium near the apex region of the heart to facilitate formation of openings through three pericardial reflections by which a tissue-ablating probe is positioned around the pulmonary veins.
Claims9
A surgical procedure performed on the heart of a patient, comprising the steps for:
- forming an entry incision on the patient;
- dissecting tissue along a tract from the entry incision toward the patient's heart;
- forming an opening in the pericardium near the apex region and into the intrapericardial space of the patient's heart through the entry incision;
- advancing a surgical instrument through the opening in the pericardium near the apex region and along a path lateral to the left pulmonary veins into the transverse pericardial sinus;
- forming an opening in a first reflection diposed between the left and right superior pulmonary veins;
- entering through the opening formed in the first reflection to form an opening in a second reflection disposed between the superior vena cava and the right superior pulmonary vein;
- advancing the surgical instrument through the opening formed in the second reflection;
- forming an opening in a third reflection disposed between the inferior vena cava and the right inferior pulmonary vein;
- advancing the surgical instrument through the opening formed in the third reflection into the oblique pericardial sinus to substantially surround the left and right pulmonary veins with the surgical instrument.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.