Patent ID: 9155588
Filing Date: 2015-10-13
Classification: A61B,A61M,A61N

Abstract:
1. A method of ablating an anatomic structure in a patient as a treatment for atrial fibrillation, said method comprising: providing an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; locating the anatomic structure with a positioning mechanism disposed adjacent the distal end of the shaft; anchoring the shaft with the positioning mechanism adjacent the anatomic structure; electrically stimulating or sensing electrical signals from the anatomic structure with an electrode disposed adjacent a distal portion of the positioning mechanism; delivering energy to the anatomic structure with an energy delivery element housed within an energy delivery structure disposed near a distal end of the shaft, and without contacting the anatomic structure with the energy delivery structure and the energy delivery element disposed therein, thereby creating a zone of ablation having a plurality of tissue points, that blocks abnormal electrical activity in order to reduce or eliminate atrial fibrillation in the patient; and moving the energy delivery structure along an ablation path while delivering energy with the energy delivery element, without contacting the anatomic structure with the energy delivery structure and the energy delivery element disposed therein; wherein the step of delivering energy further comprises modulating frequency, bandwidth, or amplitude of the energy delivered to the anatomic structure to compensate for known differences in distances between each of the plurality of tissue points in the zone of ablation and the energy delivery element, and wherein the energy is ultrasound energy.