Patent ID: 8000807

Claim:
A method of transvenously accessing the pericardial space between a heart and its pericardium, the method comprising the steps of: passing a fixation catheter having a fixation catheter lumen extending between proximal and distal fixation catheter end openings and a distal tissue fixation mechanism through a venous pathway into the right atrium, the fixation catheter further comprising a penetrable seal closing the distal fixation catheter lumen end opening; deflecting a distal segment of the fixation catheter within the right atrium to dispose the distal fixation mechanism and distal fixation catheter lumen opening proximate the atrial wall; fixing the distal fixation mechanism to the atrial wall to engage and stabilize the atrial wall; and advancing a distal segment of an elongated medical device through the fixation catheter lumen, the penetrable seal, the atrial wall, and into the pericardial space.