Interatrial septum penetration

1. A method comprising:

inserting a catheter into a right atrium of a heart of the subject;

advancing a distal portion of the catheter toward a fossa ovalis of the heart;

deploying a flexible longitudinal member from the catheter, such that a deployed portion of the flexible longitudinal member is made to loop around and against a portion of an inner perimeter of the fossa ovalis;

deploying a needle from the catheter;

while the flexible longitudinal member is looped around and against the portion of the inside perimeter of the fossa ovalis, bringing a distal end of the needle in contact with a site on a surface of an interatrial septum of the heart outside the fossa ovalis;

forming a hole through the interatrial septum at the site with the needle; and

withdrawing the deployed portion of the flexible longitudinal member toward the catheter.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the forming of the hole through the interatrial septum comprises puncturing the interatrial septum with a sharp distal tip of the needle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the forming of the hole through the interatrial septum comprises applying energy to the interatrial septum with the needle.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before the contacting of the fossa ovalis with the deployed portion of the flexible longitudinal member, moving the deployed portion of the flexible longitudinal member along the surface of the interatrial septum, until the flexible longitudinal member contacts the fossa ovalis.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the moving of the deployed portion of the flexible longitudinal member along the surface of the interatrial septum comprises moving the deployed portion of the flexible longitudinal member toward the fossa ovalis from below the fossa ovalis.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deploying of the flexible longitudinal member comprises deploying the flexible longitudinal member such that a deployment angle of the flexible longitudinal member is between 10 and 80 degrees,

the deployment angle being an angle between (a) a vector that is (i) tangent to the flexible longitudinal member at an exit point of the flexible longitudinal member from the catheter, and (ii) directed away from the catheter, and (b) a distally-directed vector that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the catheter at the exit point.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the deploying of the flexible longitudinal member comprises deploying the flexible longitudinal member such that the deployment angle is between 30 and 60 degrees.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deploying of the flexible longitudinal member from the catheter comprises passing the flexible longitudinal member through two lateral openings at a distal portion of the catheter.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible longitudinal member is radiopaque, and wherein the method further comprises using fluoroscopic imaging to view the flexible longitudinal member during and after deployment thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before the forming of the hole through the interatrial septum, flexing a distal portion of the needle by steering the catheter.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the catheter is a puncture-tool catheter, and wherein the inserting of the catheter into the right atrium comprises:

inserting a delivery catheter of a left-side therapeutic delivery system into the right atrium; and

advancing the puncture-tool catheter through the delivery catheter into the right atrium.