The invention is devices and techniques which use a negative (suction) pressure or vacuum, applied through a surgical instrument, to fix the position of a portion of the surface of a beating heart so that a surgical procedure can be more easily performed. The devices apply a negative pressure at several...http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US7335158?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7335158 - Surgical devices for imposing a negative pressure to stabilize the cardiac tissue during surgery
