Patent ID: 8221415

Claim:
A method of ablating tissue, the method comprising: selecting a hemostat having a pair of jaws pivotably coupled together and moveable with respect to each other, wherein one of the jaws includes a first elongated ablation component and the other of the jaws includes a second elongated ablation component, wherein the first elongated ablation component includes a length and is configured to perform a linear ablation along the length, and wherein the first elongated ablation component is coupled to a longitudinally extending first means for delivery of ablation energy, wherein the second elongated ablation component is also configured to perform a linear ablation along the length, wherein the first and second elongated ablation components comprise means mounted to and extending substantially along the length for magnetically attracting the first and second elongated ablation components toward one another; placing one of the first and second elongated ablation components along a first portion of tissue of an atrium on an external portion of a heart of a patient adjacent one or more pulmonary veins; placing the other of the first and second elongated ablation components along a second portion of tissue of the atrium on an external portion of the heart adjacent the one or more pulmonary veins to allow the magnetically attracting means to draw the first and second elongated ablation components toward one another to compress the first and second portions of tissue therebetween along the length of the first and second elongated ablation components; and applying ablation energy configured to create a linear ablation while the first and second elongated ablation components are relatively stationary with respect to the tissue therebetween, wherein the magnetically attracting means provides a force capable to yieldably clamp the first and second elongated ablation components against the tissue therebetween during the application of ablation energy.