Apparatus for treating asthma using neurotoxin
First Claim
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1. A method for treating the bronchial airways of a patient, said method comprising:
- endobronchially positioning a shaft at a location in a bronchial airway, the shaft having a plurality of needles coupled near a distal end thereof;
penetrating at least one needle from the shaft across an epithelium and a mucosa of the bronchial airway;
positioning at least a portion of the at least one needle at a treatment site outside of the mucosa, the treatment site including at least one of a smooth muscle layer of the bronchial airway and a collagenous layer of the bronchial airway; and
delivering a medication out of the at least one needle to nerve tissue at the treatment site so as to inhibit hyperresponsiveness of smooth muscle cells in the bronchial tissue while inhibiting transport of the delivered medication away from the treatment site to non-targeted tissue outside the bronchial airway.
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Abstract
Apparatus for providing intrabronchial delivery of neurotoxins to control the effects of asthma comprises a shaft having proximal and distal ends and a neurotoxin applicator assembly disposed on the distal end. The neurotoxin applicator assembly comprises a deployable needle assembly, a rotating needle assembly, and a needle-less injection assembly or a nebulizer assembly.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for treating the bronchial airways of a patient, said method comprising:
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endobronchially positioning a shaft at a location in a bronchial airway, the shaft having a plurality of needles coupled near a distal end thereof; penetrating at least one needle from the shaft across an epithelium and a mucosa of the bronchial airway; positioning at least a portion of the at least one needle at a treatment site outside of the mucosa, the treatment site including at least one of a smooth muscle layer of the bronchial airway and a collagenous layer of the bronchial airway; and delivering a medication out of the at least one needle to nerve tissue at the treatment site so as to inhibit hyperresponsiveness of smooth muscle cells in the bronchial tissue while inhibiting transport of the delivered medication away from the treatment site to non-targeted tissue outside the bronchial airway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 20)
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13. A method of treating a subject, comprising:
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moving a shaft along a bronchial passageway defined by a bronchial wall, the shaft is coupled to a medication applicator including a needle assembly having at least one needle and a penetration stop, the penetration stop spaced apart from an end of the at least one needle a distance corresponding to a distance between the bronchial passageway and a nerve tissue treatment site, the nerve tissue treatment site being disposed outside a mucosal layer and being located in a smooth muscle layer of the bronchial wall or a collagenous layer of the bronchial wall; moving the at least one needle through the mucosal layer to position the end of the at least one needle proximate to the nerve tissue treatment site; and delivering medication through the at least one needle to the nerve tissue treatment site so as to inhibit hyperresponsiveness of the bronchial wall while the medication is inhibited from being transported away from the nerve tissue treatment site. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 21)
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18. A method of treating a subject, comprising:
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moving a bronchoscope along a bronchial passageway; moving a medication applicator of an apparatus out of the bronchoscope; moving the medication applicator from a delivery position to a deployed position such that a plurality of needles extend radially outward from a shaft of the apparatus, the medication applicator is coupled to the shaft; penetrating a bronchial wall with the plurality of needles; and
delivering medication through at least one of the plurality of needles extending through a mucosal lager along the bronchial passageway to directly deliver the medication to a target site that comprises at least one of a collagenous layer and a smooth muscle layer such that the delivered medication at the target site inhibits hyperresponsiveness of the bronchial wall and is inhibited from moving to non-targeted tissue. - View Dependent Claims (19, 22)
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Specification