Compression Stent for Renal Nerve Denervation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for renal nerve denervation do not deliver energy or chemicals uniformly to the renal arterial wall, leading to incomplete nerve blockage and potential damage to the renal artery, with some nerves remaining viable due to shielding or distance from treatment sites, and excessive energy use causing stenosis or aneurysm.
Innovation Solution
A compression stent that applies uniform pressure or severance to sympathetic nerves along the renal artery wall, using self-expanding or balloon-expandable designs to block nerve signal transmission, with focal regions and coverings to ensure complete blockage and prevent stent migration, allowing for significant diameter enlargement to compress or sever nerves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RF or US energy is delivered to block sympathetic nerves, then nerve signal transmission is blocked, but some nerves remain viable due to shielding by heat sinks or distance from treatment sites
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the RF/US energy delivery system with a mechanical compression system. The stent applies radial compression force to the arterial wall, physically crushing sympathetic nerve fibers regardless of their location relative to heat sinks or injection sites. This mechanical approach eliminates the non-uniform energy distribution problem inherent in RF and US methods.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of delivering energy outward from the lumen to affect nerves in the wall (as with RF and US), the invention inverts the approach by expanding a compressed stent framework outward to compress nerves radially. The stent transitions from a compressed delivery state to an expanded deployed state, reversing the direction of force application to achieve more uniform nerve compression.
2Reliability
If excessive RF, US energy or chemical toxins are used to ensure complete nerve blockage, then all sympathetic nerves are blocked, but the renal artery becomes damaged resulting in stenosis or aneurysm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical compression for excessive energy or chemical delivery. The stent applies controlled radial compression force through its expanded framework to crush sympathetic nerves without causing thermal damage (as with excessive RF/US) or chemical toxicity. The mechanical force is distributed uniformly across the arterial wall, blocking all sympathetic nerves while preserving arterial integrity.
3Reliability
If a compression stent is designed to significantly enlarge artery diameter to block nerves, then complete nerve blockage is achieved, but the stent structure becomes complex requiring focal regions and coverings
Solution Approach 1:
The stent incorporates focal compression regions with different radial profiles to target specific anatomical variations in sympathetic nerve distribution. The covering selectively overlays certain stent regions to modulate compression force distribution, applying higher compression where nerves are denser and lower compression where arterial wall is thinner. This localized differentiation achieves complete nerve blockage while adapting to regional anatomical differences.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent is divided into multiple segments or regions with varying expansion characteristics. Focal regions provide intensified compression for areas with higher nerve density, while non-focal regions provide baseline compression. The covering is also segmented to selectively reinforce specific stent portions, creating a modular approach that achieves comprehensive nerve blockage through coordinated regional action rather than uniform compression.
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
The compression stent effectively blocks sympathetic nerve signals by compressing or severing nerves, reducing hypertension and preventing renal artery damage, while minimizing the risk of stenosis or aneurysm through uniform pressure application and strategic stent design.
Implementation Method 1
The compression stent can apply a compression or a pressure that causes the nerves to become compressed and thereby block nerve signal transmission
Implementation Method 2
a self-expanding (SE) stent which continues to grow in diameter toward an increasingly larger equilibrium diameter
Data Source
AI summary
A compression stent for applying a localized high stress against a blood vessel wall to cause vessel wall compression and blockage of sympathetic and nerve signal transmission within the wall of a blood vessel. The compression stent can also sever nerves located in the vessel wall. Blockage of sympathetic nerve signal transmission reduces hypertension and improves other clinical problems that are associated with sympathetic nerve signals.