Renal Denervation Therapy Selection by Arterial Complexity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing renal denervation therapies often perform unnecessary ablations, leading to prolonged procedures, increased costs, patient discomfort, and potential side effects due to a lack of personalized ablation strategies based on renal arterial anatomy complexity.

Innovation Solution

A computing device determines a targeted ablation strategy by analyzing renal arterial anatomy using imaging data to assign a complexity score, thereby recommending a simplified or complex denervation therapy approach tailored to individual patient anatomy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a complex ablation procedure is performed on all patients, then complete denervation coverage is achieved, but patient discomfort and procedure time increase unnecessarily

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedenervation coverageVSAvoidpatient discomfort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by customizing the ablation strategy to each patient's specific renal arterial anatomy. The system determines whether a patient requires a simple or complex ablation procedure based on their individual anatomical complexity score, ensuring that each patient receives the appropriate level of treatment rather than a uniform approach. This resolves the contradiction by providing complete denervation coverage only when anatomically necessary while avoiding unnecessary complexity for simpler cases.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs preliminary action by determining the ablation strategy before the actual ablation procedure. The system analyzes renal arterial anatomy, calculates complexity scores, and pre-determines whether a simple or complex approach is needed. This preliminary assessment allows the medical team to prepare the appropriate protocol in advance, avoiding unnecessary procedures and reducing patient discomfort while ensuring adequate denervation coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If unnecessary ablations are performed, then complete denervation is ensured, but healthcare costs and procedure time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedenervation efficacyVSAvoidhealthcare efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by using the renal arterial anatomy complexity score as a decision parameter. The system calculates this score based on anatomical features and uses it to select between simple and complex ablation protocols. This parameter-driven approach ensures that denervation efficacy is maintained by appropriately selecting complex procedures when needed, while improving healthcare efficiency by avoiding unnecessary complex procedures in patients with simpler anatomy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If a simple ablation procedure is performed, then patient discomfort is reduced, but denervation coverage may be insufficient for complex anatomies

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepatient discomfortVSAvoiddenervation coverage
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality through anatomy-specific treatment protocols. The system evaluates each patient's renal arterial anatomy and applies a simple ablation protocol only to patients with simple anatomy, while reserving complex protocols for patients with complex anatomy. This ensures that each patient receives the minimum necessary treatment complexity to achieve adequate denervation coverage, avoiding both over-treatment and under-treatment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Ease of manufacture

If standardized ablation protocols are used for all patients, then procedure standardization is achieved, but personalized effective treatment is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocedure standardizationVSAvoidpersonalized treatment
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by creating a dynamic, adaptive protocol selection system. Rather than using a fixed standardized protocol for all patients, the system dynamically determines the appropriate protocol level (simple or complex) based on each patient's renal arterial anatomy complexity score. This maintains ease of implementation through algorithmic decision-making while achieving personalized treatment by adapting the protocol to individual anatomical characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4424260B1Heurisitic selection of denervation therapy
Publication Date: 2025.09.17 MEDTRONIC IRELAND MFG UNLIMITED CO
  • EP4424260B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4424260B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4424260B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

An example system includes a memory; and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to: receive renal arterial anatomy information of a patient; determine a renal anatomical complexity score based on the renal arterial anatomy information; determine a type of renal denervation therapy to apply to the patient based on the renal anatomical complexity score; and output an indication of the determined type of renal denervation therapy to apply to the patient.