Patent ID: 8241304

Claim:
A method of repairing a heart valve of a heart, the method comprising: providing a catheter having a proximal portion and a distal portion, wherein the distal portion comprises a distal portion main body and an extendable engagement tip, wherein the distal portion main body has a width, wherein the extendable engagement tip is telescopically connected to the distal portion main body by a sliding connecting rod, wherein the sliding connecting rod is connected to the distal portion main body at a first side of the distal portion main body and wherein the sliding connecting rod is radially displaced away from a central longitudinal axis of the main body, wherein the extendable tip is configured to be telescopically and distally extended away from and retracted back towards the distal portion main body, and wherein the distal portion has an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein in the closed configuration the extendable tip is positioned against the distal portion main body, and in the open configuration the extendable tip is telescopically extended distally away from the distal portion main body to create a tissue-receiving opening bordered by the extendable tip, connecting rod, and distal portion main body, wherein the tissue-receiving opening is open on a second side of the elongate body distal portion and closed on the first side of the distal portion, wherein the second side of the elongate body distal portion is generally opposite to the first side of the distal portion, and the tissue-receiving opening extends across most of the width of the distal portion, across the central longitudinal axis of the main body, and from the second side of the distal portion main body to the connecting rod, wherein the catheter distal portion further comprises a first tissue fastener; advancing the catheter distal portion into the heart; positioning the catheter distal portion at a position adjacent a first tissue portion, wherein the first tissue portion comprises a portion of a first heart valve leaflet; extending the extendable engagement tip away from the distal portion main body to thereby form the tissue-receiving opening; positioning the first tissue portion within the tissue-receiving opening; retracting the extendable engagement tip toward the distal portion main body to thereby grasp the first tissue portion between the extendable engagement tip and the distal portion main body; deploying the first tissue fastener into the first tissue portion; and re-extending the extendable engagement tip away from the distal portion main body to thereby release the first tissue portion, wherein said re-extending the extendable engagement tip away from the distal portion main body occurs after advancing the first suture line through deployment of the first tissue fastener into the first tissue portion.