Methods of cardiac ablation in the vicinity of the right inferior pulmonary vein

摘要

The present invention provides devices and methods for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. In one embodiment a method for ablating tissue about an ostium of a right inferior vein of a heart includes positioning a sheath catheter having a deflectable distal end segment with a bent tip element in the left atrium of a heart, causing the distal end segment to deflect in a compound curve as the catheter is advanced towards an ostium of a right inferior vein, orienting said sheath catheter such that an ablation instrument can be delivered through the sheath catheter to a position proximal to the right inferior vein, and activating the ablation instrument to form at least one lesion about the right inferior vein.