Methods for bilateral renal neuromodulation
First Claim
1. A method for catheter-based renal neuromodulation of a human patient with a diagnosed condition comprising at least one of heart failure, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, impaired renal function, or chronic renal failure, the method comprising:
- intravascularly positioning a first catheter comprising a single first electrode within a first renal blood vessel of a human patient and proximate to neural fibers that innervate a first kidney of the patient; and
inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the first kidney via radio frequency (RF) energy from the first electrode;
intravascularly positioning a second catheter comprising a single second electrode within a second renal blood vessel of the patient and proximate to neural fibers that innervate a second kidney of the patient; and
inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the second kidney via RF energy from the second electrode, wherein inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the first and second kidney significantly improves a measurable physiological parameter corresponding to the diagnosed condition of the patient.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided for bilateral renal neuromodulation, e.g., via a pulsed electric field, via a stimulation electric field, via localized drug delivery, via high frequency ultrasound, via thermal techniques, etc. Such neuromodulation may effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, action potential attenuation or blockade, changes in cytokine up-regulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, neuromodulation is applied to neural fibers that contribute to renal function. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is performed in a bilateral fashion. Bilateral renal neuromodulation may provide enhanced therapeutic effect in some patients as compared to renal neuromodulation performed unilaterally, i.e., as compared to renal neuromodulation performed on neural tissue innervating a single kidney.
780 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for catheter-based renal neuromodulation of a human patient with a diagnosed condition comprising at least one of heart failure, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, impaired renal function, or chronic renal failure, the method comprising:
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intravascularly positioning a first catheter comprising a single first electrode within a first renal blood vessel of a human patient and proximate to neural fibers that innervate a first kidney of the patient; and inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the first kidney via radio frequency (RF) energy from the first electrode; intravascularly positioning a second catheter comprising a single second electrode within a second renal blood vessel of the patient and proximate to neural fibers that innervate a second kidney of the patient; and inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the second kidney via RF energy from the second electrode, wherein inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the first and second kidney significantly improves a measurable physiological parameter corresponding to the diagnosed condition of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for catheter-based renal denervation of a human patient, the method comprising:
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intravascularly positioning a first renal denervation catheter comprising an elongated flexible shaft and a single tip electrode within a first renal artery of the patient, wherein the tip electrode of the first catheter is configured to physically contact a first target wall region within the first renal artery; at least partially ablating nerves along the first renal artery via radio frequency (RF) energy from the tip electrode of the first catheter; intravascularly positioning a second renal denervation catheter comprising an elongated flexible shaft and a single tip electrode within a second renal artery of the patient, wherein the tip electrode of the second catheter is configured to physically contact a second target wall region within the second renal artery; and at least partially ablating nerves along the second renal artery via RF energy from the tip electrode of the second catheter, wherein at least partially ablating the nerves along the first renal artery and the nerves along the second renal artery results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure in the patient. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification