Patent ID: 7373207

Claim:
A minimally invasive method of treating a patient's heart, comprising: a. accessing an exterior region of the patient's heart wall which defines in part the left ventricle; b. providing a pacing lead which has an attached housing with opposed grasping surfaces and which has a tissue penetrating electrode extending distally from the housing in electrical conducting relationship with the pacing lead; c. advancing the pacing lead through a small opening in the patient's chest cavity to the accessed region of the patient's heart wall; d. providing a pair of rotatable tongs configured to grasp and rotate the pacing lead housing; e. grasping the opposed grasping surfaces of the housing with the pair of rotatable tongs; f. securing the pacing lead to the accessed region of the patient's heart wall by pressing the penetrating electrode of the pacing lead against the accessed exterior region of the patient's heart wall with the tongs and rotating the grasped pacing lead housing with the tongs while pressing the penetrating electrode against the accessed region to drive the penetrating electrode into the heart wall so as to remain therein when the tongs are released; and g. delivering electrical pulses through the pacing lead to the penetrating electrode of the pacing lead within the heart wall to control the contraction of the heart wall to which the pacing lead is secured.