Renal Artery Nerve Mapping Catheter With Ablation Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current renal nerve ablation procedures are performed 'blindly', lacking precision in locating sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, leading to potential damage to healthy tissues, incomplete ablation, and variable treatment success rates due to nerve regeneration or insufficient energy delivery.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for accurate renal nerve mapping using catheters that deliver energy to the arterial wall, monitor physiological parameters, and provide real-time feedback for precise nerve ablation, ensuring targeted energy delivery and immediate post-procedural assessment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If renal nerve ablation is performed blindly without precise mapping, then the procedure can be performed with simple equipment and quick operation, but the precision of nerve location and energy delivery deteriorates, leading to potential damage to healthy tissues and incomplete ablation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing nerve mapping and identification before the actual ablation procedure. The system maps the location of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves in advance, allowing the operator to know precisely where to deliver energy, thereby avoiding blind procedures and reducing the risk of damage to healthy tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through real-time monitoring of physiological parameters during the mapping and ablation process. The system provides continuous feedback about nerve location, energy delivery effectiveness, and physiological responses, enabling dynamic adjustment of the ablation parameters to achieve precise nerve targeting while minimizing collateral damage.
2Reliability
If energy is delivered without real-time monitoring and feedback, then the procedure is simpler and faster, but the reliability of complete nerve ablation deteriorates, leading to variable treatment success rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback through real-time monitoring of physiological parameters during energy delivery. This allows the operator to assess whether the ablation is achieving the desired effect and adjust energy parameters accordingly, ensuring complete and reliable nerve ablation while optimizing procedure time by avoiding unnecessary delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or empirical methods of assessing ablation effectiveness with electronic and computational monitoring systems. This substitution enables more precise and rapid assessment of ablation completeness, improving reliability without significantly extending procedure duration.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple ablation sites are treated without systematic mapping, then the treatment can be performed more quickly, but the manufacturing precision of energy delivery locations deteriorates, causing variable outcomes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary mapping of multiple ablation sites before treating them. This systematic identification and mapping of nerve locations allows for precise energy delivery to each site, ensuring consistent and reliable results across multiple treatment locations while maintaining efficiency through organized, systematic processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the treatment process into distinct phases: mapping, identification, and ablation of individual nerve sites. This segmentation allows for precise control of energy delivery to each specific location while maintaining overall treatment efficiency through structured progression through each phase.
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
Enhances the success rate of renal nerve ablation by precisely identifying and ablating sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, minimizing collateral damage and improving clinical outcomes for hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes.
Implementation Method 1
delivering a dose of energy to the arterial wall
Implementation Method 2
monitoring of a physiological response or responses to the applied electrical stimulation, such as changes in blood pressure response and heart rate
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for locating and identifying nerves innervating the wall of arteries such as the renal artery. The present invention identifies areas on vessel walls that are innervated with nerves; provides indication on whether energy is delivered accurately to a targeted nerve; and provides immediate post-procedural assessment of the effect of energy delivered to the nerve. The methods includes evaluating a change in physiological parameters after energy is delivered to an arterial wall; and determining the type of nerve that the energy was directed to (sympathetic or parasympathetic or none) based on the evaluated results. The system includes at least a device for delivering energy to the wall of blood vessel; sensors for detecting physiological signals from a subject; and indicators to display results obtained using said method. Also provided are catheters for performing the mapping and ablating functions.