Apparatus and method for treating atherosclerotic vascular disease through light sterilization
First Claim
1. An apparatus for the use of treating atherosclerotic vascular disease within the body of a patient, said apparatus comprising,an instrument body having an elongated shaft that is sized and constructed for insertion into the interior of an atherosclerotic blood vessel of a patient, a light radiation source connected to the shaft for destroying or debilitating microorganisms within the vessel, said light radiation source is adapted to expose a interior wall of the vessel to light radiation with a wavelength of a selected rang to kill or debilitate pathogenic microorganisms supported on or within the plaque or endothelium lining the vessel that is being treated without damage, destruction or ablation of the vessel or the surrounding body tissue and the light radiation source consists of cool light producing little or no heat that can be sensed and consisting of wavelengths between about 300 nm and 470 nm such that the microorganisms are killed or debilitated without destruction of the blood vessels of the patient.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Atherosclerotic vascular disease is treated by exposing the interior of an artery or vein to visible or ultraviolet light of a selected spectrum to thereby sterilize the artery, eradicating infectious pathogens and reverse the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic artery disease. A fiber optic bundle positioned via an intra-arterial catheter is connected to an appropriate light radiation source located outside of the body during treatment. In another form, the light energy is produced by means of a light energy source located at the distal tip of the instrument shaft positioned centrally within the atherosclerotic plaque formation. In this case, the power source at the distal tip of the instrument can be a light emitting diode (LED) or a transparent tube containing a chemilumlumenescent substance for producing cool light energy within the vessel to destroy the pathogenic microorganisms in the surrounding plaque or vessel without damage to the body tissue of the patient.
-
Citations
17 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for the use of treating atherosclerotic vascular disease within the body of a patient, said apparatus comprising,
an instrument body having an elongated shaft that is sized and constructed for insertion into the interior of an atherosclerotic blood vessel of a patient, a light radiation source connected to the shaft for destroying or debilitating microorganisms within the vessel, said light radiation source is adapted to expose a interior wall of the vessel to light radiation with a wavelength of a selected rang to kill or debilitate pathogenic microorganisms supported on or within the plaque or endothelium lining the vessel that is being treated without damage, destruction or ablation of the vessel or the surrounding body tissue and the light radiation source consists of cool light producing little or no heat that can be sensed and consisting of wavelengths between about 300 nm and 470 nm such that the microorganisms are killed or debilitated without destruction of the blood vessels of the patient.
-
12. A method of treating atherosclerotic vascular disease comprising,
providing a flexible shaft that is constructed, sized and arranged to enter the vascular system including an artery or vein of a human patient or animal suffering from atherosclerotic vascular disease, providing a source of cool visible light energy consisting of a selected wavelength between about 300 nm and 470 nm, providing a said shaft with a light energy distribution head at a distal end thereof for distributing the light energy from the end of the shaft, placing the shaft into the body of the patient, positioning the distribution head within the portion of a blood vessel where the atherosclerotic disease is located, distributing light energy from the distribution head so as to kill or debilitate pathogenic microorganisms that are present in the vessel or in plaque lining the vessel said light energy reducing or eliminating or more of the symptoms of vascular inflammatory disease present in vessel or in plague lining the vessel without damage, destruction or ablation of a wall of the vessel or the surrounding body tissue.
Specification