METHOD AND TOOL FOR EPICARDIAL ABLATION AROUND PULMONARY VEIN

摘要

A method and device for treating atrial arrhythmia forms a conduction block along a circumferentially oriented path in myocardial tissue circumscribing one or more pulmonary veins at their juncture with the wall of the atrium to transect electrical conductivity of the vein and block conduction between the longitudinal portion of the vein wall and the wal of the left atrium. The method treats a patient with a focal arrythmogenic origin in the pulmonary vein, either ablating the focal origin or isolating the focal origin with an epicardially-formed circumferential conduction block. An ablation device (10) includes a curved or curveable lasso or hook, or a curved tip with an epicardial ablation mechanism that forms small diameter conduction blocks, preferably isolating individual pulmonary veins or a pair of veins while avoiding stenotic sequelae. The lesion sets advantageously reduce the central connecting mass of myocardial tissue at the ostia so it does not sustain a re-entrant signal.