Patent ID: 7163534

Claim:
A method for treating a heart of a patient suffering from atrial fibrillation, said method comprising; a. identifying a patient with atrial fibrillation; b. accessing a surface of an atrium of the heart; c. positioning a lesion formation tool against said surface where said tool includes: i. an optical fiber for guiding a coherent waveform of a selected wavelength to a fiber tip for discharge of coherent light energy from said fiber tip in a direction of energy discharge; ii. said wavelength selected for said light energy to penetrate a thickness of said tissue to a form a volume of necrosed tissue through a thickness of said tissue, said wavelength selected to have a low absorption in water; d. moving said fiber tip over said surface in a pathway while maintaining a substantially constant spacing of said fiber tip from said tissue to form a transmural lesion in said tissue extending a length of said pathway; e. energizing said laser during said moving with an application of energy selected to form said lesion without perforation of said atrial tissue through a thickness of said atrial tissue.