Feedback systems and methods for renal denervation utilizing balloon catheter

• US 9,179,973 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nabutovsky, Yelena, Karst, Edward, Qu, Fujian
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Rex R
• Application Number:
  US13/836,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20140276742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0022 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00267 having a basket shaped structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00285 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00505 Urinary tract
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00511 Kidney
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00642 with feedback, i.e. closed loop control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00744 Fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00761 Duration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00773 Sensed parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00863 Fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6853 with a balloon

Abstract

A renal denervation system includes an ablation catheter and an inflation balloon. The renal denervation catheter is insertable into a renal artery to perform a renal denervation procedure. The inflation balloon is inflatable within the renal artery, wherein one of a blood pressure condition in the renal artery resulting from operation of the inflation balloon and a performance characteristic of the inflation balloon indicates efficacy of the renal denervation procedure.

Claims

1. A method of determining efficacy of a renal denervation procedure in a renal artery, comprising:

providing a renal denervation catheter and a inflation balloon;

filling the inflation balloon within the renal artery to stop blood flow and measuring one of a decay of a blood pressure condition in the renal artery after filling the inflation balloon and a performance characteristic of the inflation balloon to obtain a first measurement;

performing a renal denervation procedure in the renal artery with the renal denervation catheter;

filling the inflation balloon within the renal artery to stop blood flow and measuring one of a decay of a blood pressure condition in the renal artery after filling the inflation balloon and a performance characteristic of the inflation balloon after performing the renal denervation procedure to obtain a second measurement;

comparing the first and second measurements to determining efficacy of the renal denervation procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the blood pressure condition includes positioning a pressure sensor in the renal artery distal of the inflation balloon.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance characteristic of the inflation balloon includes an inflation rate of the inflation balloon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance characteristic of the inflation balloon includes an amount of time to inflate the inflation balloon to a predetermined pressure level.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a reduction in the amount of time correlates to unloading of sympathetic tone from the renal artery.