A device for percutaneously accessing the pericardial space has a tubular body wall enclosing a lumen. The wall ends in a tip that has an inferior aperture in fluid communication with the lumen. The tip surrounds and roofs over the aperture to form an chamber above the aperture, The portion of the tip over the aperture has a plurality of grooves in fluid communication with the lumen. The device includes a hollow body with a piercing end moveable in the first tubular body to extend into the chamber. A vacuum applied by the device to the chamber draws a bleb of pericardium into the chamber where it can be safely pierced by the piercing body to fain access to the pericardial space.
