Patent ID: 6955173
Filing Date: 2005-10-18
Classification: A61B,A61M,A61N

Abstract:
1. A method for treating arrhythmia in a patient, comprising: providing a medical device assembly having an elongate body with a distal end portion with a longitudinal axis, a distal tip, and a radially extendable member that is radially extendable from a radially collapsed condition relative to the longitudinal axis and a radially extended condition that is radially extended transverse to the longitudinal axis and relative to the radially collapsed condition, and the medical device assembly also having an ablation element that is adapted to be located along the distal end portion at least in part proximally of the distal tip along the longitudinal axis; positioning the distal end portion within the atrium with the radially extendable member in the radially collapsed condition: after positioning the distal end portion within the atrium with the radially extendable member in the radially collapsed condition, radially extending the radially extendable member from the radially collapsed condition to the radially extended condition; positioning the distal end portion at least in part at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium of the patient such that the radially 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 while the distal end portion is positioned at least in part at the location, and while the radially extendable member is radially extended to substantially contact the circumferential region of tissue, using the ablation element to ablate a region of tissue at the location so as to block electrical communication between cardiac tissue in the pulmonary vein and a region of the atrium that includes other pulmonary veins extending from the atrium.