Appeal No. 1999-2540
Application 08/770,411
excessive heating of the ablation electrode and in the wall of
the heart when the ablation electrode is in contact with the
wall of the heart.2
6. A method for performing ablation of tissue in the
wall of the heart of a patient utilizing a radio frequency
generator and a pump apparatus and an ablation catheter
comprising a flexible elongate member having proximal and
distal extremities, an ablation electrode carried by the
distal extremity, said electrode being formed of a conductive
material and having a cavity therein and an electrical
conductor carried by the flexible elongate member and coupled
to the ablation catheter in which the ablation catheter has
first and second lumens extending from the proximal to the
distal extremity and in communication with the cavity in the
electrode and a cooling liquid, the method comprising
introducing the ablation catheter into the heart and into
contact with the wall of the heart of the patient, supplying
radio frequency energy to the ablation electrode to ablate
tissue in the wall of the heart, terminating the application
of radio frequency energy to the ablation electrode and
operating the pump apparatus to supply continuously without
interruption a cooling liquid through said first lumen and to
the ablation electrode to pre-cool the ablation electrode
prior to the application of radio frequency energy, to cool
the electrode during the application of radio frequency energy
and to cool the electrode after the application of radio
frequency energy and removing the ablation catheter from the
2 The preambles of claim 1 and of claims 2 and 5 (see n.1,
supra) are somewhat garbled. Based on the underlying
specification and the bodies of these claims, we understand
the preambles as calling for the combination of a radio
frequency generator, a pump apparatus and an ablation
catheter. We also understand the references in claims 1, 2
and 5 to pre-cooling, cooling and post-cooling in light of the
specification (and also in light of the corresponding
limitations in claims 6, 10 and 13) as denoting cooling which
respectively takes place before, during and after the
application of the radio frequency energy.
4
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