Method and system for treatment of atrial tachyarrhythmias

摘要

A method and system for ablating tissue to provide a desired set of lesions. The system includes an ablation apparatus having an elongated shapeable section carrying a mechanism such as an electrode for applying ablation energy along the shapeable section. The shapeable section includes a member of shape memory material having a memorized configuration. The shapeable section is shaped manually or using fixtures to display a configuration corresponding to one of the desired lesions and is then employed to create the desired lesion. Thereafter the shapeable section is heated to cause it to resume its memorized configuration. Shaping, heating and ablating to create lesions are continued as necessary provide the desired set of lesions. In some embodiments of the invention, heating may be accomplished using heating elements built into the shapeable section.