Patent ID: 8529443

Claim:
A nasogastric tube for deflecting an esophagus during an ablation procedure comprising: a flexible tube comprising at least one lumen having proximal and distal ends; and an esophageal deflector positioned within the at least one lumen, the esophageal deflector comprising an angulated distal tip configured to engage the tube proximate to the distal end of the flexible tube and comprising a proximal end configured to be gripped by the user so as to transmit an axial force in a distal direction from the proximal end of the esophageal deflector towards the angulated distal tip, wherein the esophageal deflector defines a proximal portion, a distal portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the proximal and distal portions and spaced from the angulated distal tip and the proximal end of the deflector, wherein the esophageal deflector is configured to be mechanically actuated via application of the axial force in the distal direction to assume a curved profile so as to deflect a portion of the tube corresponding to the intermediate portion of the deflector and proximate to a retrocardiac portion of the esophagus such that the retrocardiac portion of the esophagus is deflected away from an ablation site.