Patent ID: 7468061

Claim:
A device for clamping and ablating cardiac tissue comprising: a handle member; first and second jaw members, selected one of the jaw members being associated with the handle member and being movable by the handle member between a first open position and a second clamped position, the jaw members each having a distal tip, the jaw members having an opposed clamping surfaces; a first elongated ablation member carried by the first jaw member; a second elongated ablation member carried by the second jaw member; the first and second ablation members being adapted to be connected to an ablation energy source; and at least one of said first and second jaw members including at least one dedicated EKG monitoring sensor on the respective tip spaced distally from its associated ablation member for contacting cardiac tissue and being adapted to be connected to an EKG monitor, so that when cardiac tissue is grasped between the first and second jaws, the at least one dedicated EKG sensor contacts the cardiac tissue and transmits the signals generated by the tissue to the EKG monitor.