Patent ID: 6652517
Filing Date: 2003-11-25
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A cardiac ablation apparatus for producing a circumferential ablation that electrically isolates a chamber wall portion of a heart from a vessel extending into said wall portion, said apparatus comprising:(a) an elongate centering catheter having a distal end portion; (b) a guide wire, wherein said centering catheter is slidably received on said guide wire; (c) an expandable centering element connected to said centering catheter distal end portion and configured for positioning within said vessel when in a retracted configuration, and for securing said elongate centering catheter in a substantially axially aligned position with respect to said vessel when said centering element is in an expanded configuration; (d) an ablation catheter slidably received on said centering catheter, said ablation catheter having a distal end portion, and (e) an expandable ablation element connected to said ablation catheter distal end portion, said ablation element configured to form a circumferential ablation on said wall portion around said elongate centering catheter when said centering catheter is axially aligned with respect to said vessel.