Implantable Renal Lymphatic Modulation Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
In situations where the normal homeostatic mechanisms for regulating fluid balance, such as in kidney disease, hypertension, and heart failure, do not produce optimal results, leading to impaired renal function and fluid retention, existing pharmacological treatments are often ineffective and have significant side effects.
Innovation Solution
An implantable device delivers renal function modulation therapy through leads or catheters routed via the lymphatic system, allowing for blocking or augmenting renal lymphatic flow, direct drug delivery to the kidney, or stimulation of the renal nerve to modulate renal function, using a combination of inflatable balloons, mechanical valves, drug injectors, and neural stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pharmacological treatments are used to manage renal function, then fluid balance can be regulated, but significant side effects occur and effectiveness is reduced in kidney disease, hypertension, and heart failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the drug delivery function from systemic circulation and targets it specifically to the renal lymphatic system. By isolating the therapeutic action to the kidney's lymphatic drainage, the treatment achieves local effectiveness while avoiding systemic side effects. The device selectively removes excess fluid and delivers therapy directly to the renal interstitium, separating the therapeutic benefit from harmful systemic exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a targeted therapy delivery system that concentrates treatment effects specifically in the renal tissue. The implantable device delivers drugs or therapeutic agents directly to the kidney's lymphatic system, creating high local concentration where needed while maintaining low or zero systemic concentration. This localized approach improves treatment reliability for renal conditions while minimizing side effects on other body systems.
2Reliability
If normal homeostatic mechanisms are relied upon for fluid balance, then physiological regulation is maintained, but they do not produce optimal results in kidney disease, hypertension, and heart failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing an implantable device that automatically senses and responds to renal fluid status without requiring external intervention. The device monitors lymphatic flow and renal interstitial fluid accumulation, then autonomously adjusts therapy delivery to maintain optimal fluid balance. This self-regulating system restores reliable fluid balance regulation in pathological conditions where natural homeostatic mechanisms have failed, adapting continuously to the patient's physiological state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the implantable device continuously monitors renal function parameters and fluid status, then uses this information to adjust therapy delivery in real-time. The system measures outcomes such as fluid removal rate and renal response, feeding this data back to the control mechanism to optimize treatment. This closed-loop feedback restores reliable fluid balance regulation in kidney disease, hypertension, and heart failure by compensating for the impaired natural homeostatic response.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional pharmacological methods are used, then broad coverage is achieved, but control and targeting of renal-specific therapy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the renal lymphatic system as an intermediary pathway to deliver therapy directly to kidney tissue. The implantable device accesses and utilizes the natural lymphatic drainage system of the kidney as a delivery route, allowing targeted drug or fluid delivery to renal interstitium without requiring complex surgical implantation into the kidney parenchyma itself. This intermediary approach achieves precise renal targeting while maintaining ease of operation through minimally invasive access to the lymphatic system.
Data Source
AI summary
Renal function may be modulated by an implantable device having one or more leads or catheters disposed near the kidney via the lymphatic system. In one embodiment, lymphatic drainage from the kidney is modulated to increase or decrease tubular reabsorption of salt and water. The renal function modulation therapy may be delivered in an open-loop or closed-loop fashion, with the latter dependent upon a physiological variable such as blood pressure or cardiac output.