Patent ID: 8454593

Claim:
A method for ablating heart tissue on a heart of a patient to treat a cardiac arrhythmia, the method comprising: providing an introducer having a distal end and a proximal end and also comprising a tube with a pre-bent shape and comprising an obturator positioned within the introducer; advancing the introducer through a first incision into the transverse sinus cavity of a patient; removing the obturator from the introducer, allowing the introducer to conform to the pre-bent shape partially encircling the pulmonary veins; coupling a distal end of an ablation device to the proximal end of the introducer; inserting an instrument to grasp the distal end of the introducer and to move the distal end of the introducer until the ablation device is in position at least partially encircling the pulmonary veins; contacting heart tissue with at least one tissue contacting member of the ablation device; applying sufficient suction force through the tissue contacting member to secure the contacting member to the tissue; applying ablation energy to at least a portion of the heart tissue in contact with the ablation device.