Patent ID: 8142427

Claim:
A medical device for the delivery of energy to body tissue, comprising: an elongate delivery cannula having a lumen in communication with a distal opening; a deployment member longitudinally movable in the lumen; an array of electrode elements secured to a distal end of the deployment member, the deployment member movable from a delivery position, in which the electrode elements are positioned within the lumen, to a deployed position, in which the electrode elements extend distally out of the cannula distal opening; and a sealing member comprising a tissue-penetrating distal tip and fixedly carried on a distal end of the deployment member and distal to the electrode elements, the sealing member at least partially extending from, and substantially sealing, the distal cannula opening when the deployment member is in the delivery position, wherein movement of the deployment member to the deployed position moves the sealing member distal to the distal cannula opening, thereby allowing the electrode elements to be extended therefrom without obstruction from the sealing member, wherein the sealing member comprises one or more of an electrode and a temperature sensor, wherein, when the deployment member is in the deployed position, distal ends of the electrode elements evert away from the sealing member.