Patent ID: 7758576

Claim:
A clamping ablation tool for ablating target tissue adjacent pulmonary veins of a patient, the clamping ablation tool comprising: an upper arm including an upper neck, a link assembly coupled to the upper neck at a first pivot point, and an upper actuator, the link assembly including a distal electrode and a proximal electrode, and the link assembly capable of being guided around the pulmonary veins, the upper actuator controlling movement of the link assembly; and a lower arm that mates with the upper arm, the lower arm including a lower neck, a distal jaw coupled to the lower neck at a second pivot point, and a lower actuator, the distal jaw including a jaw electrode, the lower actuator controlling movement of the distal jaw; the upper actuator and the lower actuator being independently operable in order to position the link assembly and the distal jaw independently; the first pivot point being spaced apart longitudinally along a length of the tool from the second pivot point; the distal electrode and the proximal electrode receiving energy independently of the jaw electrode in order to allow partial blood flow through the pulmonary veins and create a continuous lesion.