Patent ID: 7758580

Claim:
An ablation device for ablating target tissue adjacent pulmonary veins of a patient, the ablation device comprising: a first jaw assembly including a proximal jaw having a proximal electrode and a distal jaw having a distal electrode; a second jaw assembly movably connected with the first jaw assembly and including an upper jaw having an upper electrode; a proximal actuator movable between a first position in which the proximal jaw is open and a second position in which the proximal jaw is positioned in a tissue clamping position with respect to a first portion of the upper jaw; and a distal actuator independently movable with respect to the proximal actuator and movable between a first position in which the distal jaw is open and a second position in which the distal jaw is positioned in a tissue clamping position with respect to a second more distal portion of the upper jaw wherein at least a portion of the proximal electrode of the proximal jaw when in the tissue clamping position is spaced proximally from the distal electrode of the distal jaw when also in the tissue clamping position for ablating target tissue over a length greater than each of the proximal electrode and the distal electrode alone.