Patent ID: 8500714

Claim:
A method of treating heart tissue during a cardiac surgery, comprising: prior to isolating a heart from a circulatory system in the body, advancing a distal tip portion of a coronary sinus occlusion catheter into the coronary sinus so that a stabilization balloon device of the coronary sinus occlusion catheter engages with an interior wall of the coronary sinus; preconditioning heart muscle tissue by intermittently occluding the coronary sinus using the coronary sinus occlusion catheter to redistribute venous blood flow into the heart muscle tissue while the stabilization balloon device continuously remains in an inflated condition in the coronary sinus; isolating the heart from the circulatory system; after isolating the heart from the circulatory system in the body, delivering a cardioplegia solution through a lumen of the coronary sinus occlusion catheter and into the coronary sinus while the stabilization balloon device continuously remains in an inflated condition in the coronary sinus; reconnecting the heart to the circulatory system; and after the heart is reconnected to the circulatory system in the body, intermittently occluding the coronary sinus using the coronary sinus occlusion catheter to redistribute venous blood flow into heart muscle tissue while the stabilization balloon device continuously remains in an inflated condition in the coronary sinus.