Patent ID: 6226554
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: A61B,A61N

Abstract:
A method for operating a catheter system within a heart chamber, the catheter system having a distal tip section with a ball electrode inside an elongated hollow pocket, wherein the ball electrode is movable forwardly and backwardly within said hollow pocket;the method comprising:(a) percutaneously introducing the catheter system through a blood vessel to the heart chamber, wherein the distal tip section comprises a ball electrode;(b) deflecting the distal tip section of the catheter shaft about a transverse axis to position the electrode near a target on an interior wall of the heart chamber;(c) intimately contacting the electrode with the intracardiac tissue; and(d) applying RF energy to the ball electrode for ablation, wherein the ball electrode is movable forwardly and backwardly within said hollow pocket to create a long linear lesion.