VACUUM ASSISTED OCCLUSION OF THE LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE

Original (Chinese)

An aspiration catheter and method of use for inverting the left atrial appendage (LAA) of a patient's heart. The aspiration catheter can include a proximal portion for attachment to a negative pressure source, and a distal portion for making suction contact with the interior wall of the LAA. The distal portion is preferably in the form of a self-expanding suction cup adapted to transition between a collapsed state and an expanded state. The proximal and distal portions share a common internal lumen for transmitting externally applied negative pressure therethrough, and the suction contact created by the negative pressure can adhere the suction cup portion of the catheter to the interior LAA wall for pulling or inverting the LAA into the left atrium.