System and methods which remove material from blood vessel walls

• US 10,278,716 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Magnet Lab Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Magnet Lab Incorporated
• Inventors: Meinke, Rainer, Ishmael, Sasha
• Primary Examiner(s): Cox, Thaddeus B
• Application Number:
  US14/549,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20150080922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22 Implements for squeezing-off ulcers or the like on the inside of inner organs of the body; Implements for scraping-out cavities of body organs, e.g. bones; Calculus removers; Calculus smashing apparatus; Apparatus for removing obstructions in blood vessels, not otherwise provided for dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22002 preventing restenosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22081 Treatment of vulnerable plaque
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00386 Coronary vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/40 Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling microwave apparatus A61N5/00; Applying radio-frequency signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/004 specially adapted for a specific therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/02 using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets A61N2/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods for removing plaque from blood vessels by applying constant or time varying magnetic or electrical fields. In one embodiment a system includes winding configurations positioned about a central axis along which a body region may be placed. Each winding configuration generates a magnetic field in a direction which passes through the body region. A first winding configuration generates a first magnetic field component perpendicular to a second magnetic field component generated by a second winding configuration. In a related method for removing a deposit of plaque from a position along a wall of a blood vessel a magnetic field is applied which has a net direction predominantly orthogonal to the direction of the flow of blood through the vessel.

Claims

1. A non-invasive treatment method for removing a deposit of plaque from a position along a wall of a blood vessel in a patient through which blood flows in a first direction, comprising:

removing plaque from a blood vessel wall of a patient by applying a net magnetic field directly to the plaque, said net magnetic field having a net magnetic field direction based on contributions from a plurality of components whose individual magnetic field strengths are separately variable so that the net magnetic field direction is selectable and can be positioned orthogonal to an arbitrary direction corresponding to the direction of the flow of blood in the vessel under treatment;

wherein the direct interaction of said net magnetic field with molecules of said plaque, with no other applied forces or structures, is of sufficient strength to cause dissociation of a first molecule in the deposit of plaque from another molecule in the deposit, or from a molecule which forms the blood vessel wall, by severing a bond which otherwise stabilizes a position of the first molecule within the deposit of plaque.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the net magnetic field is a pulsed field, the method further comprising generating an electric field having a direction orthogonal to the net magnetic field and orthogonal to the direction of the flow of blood through the vessel.

3. The method of claim 2 further including transporting molecules which constitute the plaque in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the flow of blood through the vessel and away from the wall of the blood vessel so that the molecules merge into the flow of blood and move away from the position along the wall, thereby reducing the amount of plaque at the position.

4. The method of claim 1 further including rotating the net magnetic field about an axis to provide an electric field which rotates about the axis.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein by rotating the net magnetic field molecules which form the plaque completely around the wall of the vessel enter into the flow of the blood and are carried in a direction away from the position.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of rotating the net magnetic field is accomplished by providing multiple sets of double helix coils and generating a net magnetic field based on superposition of fields generated by each coil and varying the net field strength generated by each coil set.