Implantable Baroreflex System for Chronic Blood Pressure Regulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for hypertension, such as drug therapy and surgical procedures, are often ineffective, costly, and focus on the effects rather than the source of the problem, and there is a need for a chronically implanted device that can continuously measure blood pressure and regulate it in the high-pressure vasculature while minimizing invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a transducer, a baroreflex activation device with electrodes, and a lead that measures blood pressure and stimulates baroreceptors to initiate a baroreflex response, allowing for chronic implantation in the high-pressure vasculature and minimally invasive procedures, using a closed-loop feedback mechanism to adjust blood pressure based on measured parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If baroreceptors are used to detect blood pressure changes, then blood pressure monitoring is enabled, but the monitoring becomes ineffective for long-term hypertension due to set point recalibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a closed-loop feedback system where the measured blood pressure is continuously compared to a target set point, and electrical stimulation is applied to baroreceptors based on the deviation. This active feedback mechanism overcomes the passive recalibration limitation by continuously correcting blood pressure regardless of set point drift, thereby maintaining both short-term accuracy and long-term reliability for hypertension detection and treatment.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If chronic implantation is performed in high-pressure vasculature, then continuous blood pressure monitoring is achieved, but procedural risk and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places the pressure transducer and baroreflex activation device within an existing vascular structure (such as the carotid sinus or internal carotid artery), utilizing the natural anatomy to house the implantable components. This nesting approach allows chronic monitoring in high-pressure vasculature while minimizing procedural complexity by leveraging existing vascular pathways and structures for device placement and stabilization.
3Ease of operation
If electrical stimulation of baroreceptors is applied, then blood pressure regulation is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pressure sensing function and baroreflex activation function into a single integrated implantable device. The pressure transducer and electrical stimulation electrodes are merged within the same vascular structure, allowing blood pressure regulation to be achieved through a unified system rather than separate components, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
4Productivity
If conventional drug therapy is used for hypertension, then blood pressure reduction is achieved, but cost and side effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the body's own baroreceptor system to regulate blood pressure through electrical stimulation, eliminating the need for external pharmacological agents. This self-service approach utilizes the body's native physiological mechanisms to achieve blood pressure control, thereby avoiding drug-related side effects and reducing long-term treatment costs while maintaining effective blood pressure management.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system enables continuous monitoring and regulation of blood pressure, reducing the risk of hypertension-related complications by stimulating the body's natural baroreflex response, potentially reducing the need for costly and invasive treatments and improving patient outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
A transducer measures a physiologic parameter, such as one that is representative of blood pressure
Implementation Method 2
the baroreflex activation device has an electrode, or an array of electrodes, capable of stimulating a baroreceptors
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and a system can chronically and automatically measure a physiologic parameter associated with the high pressure side of the vasculature and/or regulate blood pressure based upon the measured parameter. The apparatus may be made up of a transducer, a baroreflex activation device having one or more electrodes, and a lead having two or more conductors. The system can measure a physiologic parameter and selectively administer a therapy, such as, for example, electro-stimulation of baroreceptors, based upon the measurement. The transducer for measuring the physiologic parameter can be chronically implanted in the high-pressure side of the vasculature. The implantation method may include intravascularly positioning the transducer in the external carotid artery in such a way that the transducer is first introduced into the arterial vasculature through the superior thyroid artery.