Device and method for forming a circumferential conduction block in a pulmonary vein
First Claim
1. A method for treating arrhythmia, comprising:
- positioning a radially extendable member at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium;
the extendable member having a longitudinal axis and being radially collapsed along the longitudinal axis;
radially extending the extendable member transverse to the longitudinal axis such that the extendable member in the radially extended condition substantially contacts a circumferential region of tissue at the location and that substantially circumscribes the longitudinal axis; and
ablating a region of tissue at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium so as to block electrical communication between cardiac tissue in the pulmonary vein and a region of the atrium that includes other pulmonary veins.
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Abstract
This invention is a method for treating a patient diagnosed with atrial arrhythmia by forming a circumferential conduction block along a circumferential path of tissue in a pulmonary vein wall that circumscribes the pulmonary vein lumen and transects the electrical conductivity of the pulmonary vein such that conduction is blocked along the longitudinal axis of the vein wall and into the left atrial wall. The method is performed to treat a patient with a focal arrythmogenic origin along the pulmonary vein wall by either ablating the focal origin or by isolating the focal origin from the atrial wall with the circumferential conduction block. The circumferential conduction block is also formed in a pulmonary vein in order to bridge the adjacent ends of two linear lesions, wherein each linear lesion is formed to extend between the pulmonary vein and another adjacent pulmonary vein in a less-invasive “maze”-type procedure. A circumferential ablation element in a circumferential ablation device assembly is used in a percutaneous translumenal catheter technique in order to form the circumferential conduction block in the pulmonary vein wall.
425 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for treating arrhythmia, comprising:
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positioning a radially extendable member at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium; the extendable member having a longitudinal axis and being radially collapsed along the longitudinal axis; radially extending the extendable member transverse to the longitudinal axis such that the extendable member in the radially extended condition substantially contacts a circumferential region of tissue at the location and that substantially circumscribes the longitudinal axis; and ablating a region of tissue at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium so as to block electrical communication between cardiac tissue in the pulmonary vein and a region of the atrium that includes other pulmonary veins. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 30, 31, 32)
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14. A method for treating atrial arrhythmia, comprising:
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positioning a radially extendable member at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium; the extendable member having a longitudinal axis and being radially collapsed along the longitudinal axis; radially extending the extendable member transverse to the longitudinal axis; engaging a pulmonary vein with a radially extendable member on a distal end portion of an ablation device assembly such that the extendable member in the radially extended condition substantially contacts a circumferential region of tissue at the location and that substantially circumscribes the longitudinal axis; and ablating a region of cardiac tissue with said ablation device assembly. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for treating atrial arrhythmia in a heart of a patient, wherein the patient includes a plurality of pulmonary veins and each pulmonary vein extends from a unique location in an atrium of the heart, the method comprising:
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positioning a radially extendable member at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium; the extendable member having a longitudinal axis and being radially collapsed along the longitudinal axis; radially extending the extendable member transverse to the longitudinal axis such that the extendable member in the radially extended condition substantially contacts a circumferential region of tissue at the location and that substantially circumscribes the longitudinal axis; and ablating a first ablation lesion that substantially circumscribes only one of the locations. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification