Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20050165392?oq=3798359
Timestamp: 2018-02-20 01:09:14
Document Index: 86660781

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70', 'art 70']

US20050165392A1 US11003451 US345104A US2005165392A1 US 20050165392 A1 US20050165392 A1 US 20050165392A1 US 11003451 US11003451 US 11003451 US 345104 A US345104 A US 345104A US 2005165392 A1 US2005165392 A1 US 2005165392A1
US11003451
US7364578B2 (en )
With the one preferred atrial application reflected in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a portion of a Maze procedure is performed. In particular, FIG. 5A includes a representation of a heart 70 with its left atrium 72 exposed. In this regard, step 100 of FIG. 4 delineates that access to a target site 74 is gained. Relative to the one exemplary procedure of FIG. 5A, the target site 74 is accessed by splitting the patient's sternum (not shown) and opening the patient's rib cage (not shown) with a retractor. Various incision are then made into the heart 70 to expose an interior of the left atrium 72. Of course, other techniques are available for accessing the target site 74. Further, access to a particular target site 74 could be gained, for example, via a thoractomy, sternotomy, percutaneously, transveneously, arthroscopically, endoscopically, for example through a percutaneous port, stab wound or puncture through a small incision (e.g., in the chest, groin, abdomen, neck, or knee), etc. In addition, it is possible to gain access to the outside of the heart 70 from within the heart 70. For example, a catheter device may be passed from an interior of the heart 70, through an appendage wall of the heart 70, to an exterior of the heart 70. As described below, the electrosurgical instrument 12 may then be manipulated to contact an epicardial
of the particular electrosurgical procedure being performed. For example, in an electrosurgical procedure to correct atrial fibrillation, such as a Maze procedure, a transmural lesion is required, and consequently, the desired lesion depth will be equal to the thickness of the target site tissue 74. Of course, other electrosurgical procedures may entail a desired lesion depth that is less than the evaluated thickness of the target site 74, for example, by a prescribed percentage (e.g., 50% of the target site 74 thickness).
US11003451 2002-01-25 2004-12-03 System and method of performing an electrosurgical procedure Active 2023-02-16 US7364578B2 (en)
US20050165392A1 true true US20050165392A1 (en) 2005-07-28
US6827715B2 (en) 2004-12-07 grant