Patent ID: 8603139

Claim:
A method of closing a patent foramen ovale by bringing septum primum and septum secundum of a heart having right and left atriums into contact with each other and joining them together, the method comprising: introducing a needle part and a clamping member into one of the atriums of the heart; positioning a deformable first elastic wire member in the patent foramen ovale and applying a force to the first elastic wire member causing the first elastic wire member to expand radially outwardly and contact an inner edge of the patent foramen ovale to position the needle part relative to the patent foramen ovale; moving the needle part in a first direction towards the septum primum; puncturing the septum primum with the needle part while moving the needle part in the first direction and while holding the septum primum from a direction opposite the first direction, the septum primum being held from the direction opposite the first direction by a second elastic wire member which is distal of the first wire member and which is curved; clamping tissue of both the septum primum and the septum secundum between the needle and the clamping member while the septum primum is punctured with the needle; and applying energy to at least one of the needle part and the clamping member to join together the tissue clamped between the needle part and the clamping member.