Patent ID: 8663245

Claim:
A system for occluding a left atrial appendage of a patient, the system comprising: a ring applicator including: a shaft having a handle on a proximal end and a distal end, and a tool channel extending open and along at least a portion of a surface of the shaft from the handle to the distal end of the shaft, a ring spreader assembly including a plurality of movable ring-expanding members, each ring-expanding member having a proximal end pivotally coupled to the distal end of the shaft and a distal end capable of releasably coupling to a ring occluder, the ring spreader assembly further including the distal end of the shaft capable of releasably coupling to the ring occluder, and an actuator coupled to the handle and capable of pivoting the ring-expanding members between a collapsed position in which each of the ring-expanding members are arranged to define a direction of extension from the distal end of the ring-expanding member to the corresponding proximal end of the ring-expanding member that points in a proximal direction toward the handle to allow insertion into the patient and an extended position to allow the ring occluder to be manipulated over tissue to be occluded; and a tissue-grasping tool that is slidably and releasably positioned within the tool channel of the shaft so as to be separable from the ring applicator along the tool channel of the ring applicator and so that the tissue-grasping tool and the ring applicator can be positioned together and separated from one another while each are positioned within a body cavity, the tissue-grasping tool comprising at least one tissue engaging element that is moveable between a distal position and a proximal position with respect to the expanding members of the ring applicator.