Methods for therapeutic renal denervation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9629679-B2
Application number	US-201414297970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2014
Priority date	Apr 8, 2002
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

Methods for therapeutic renal denervation are disclosed herein. One aspect of the present application, for example, is directed to methods that block, reduce and/or inhibit renal sympathetic nerve activity to achieve a reduction in central sympathetic tone. Renal sympathetic nerve activity may be altered or modulated along the afferent and/or efferent pathway. The achieved reduction in central sympathetic tone may carry several therapeutic benefits across many disease states.

First claim

We claim:

1. In a hypertensive patient responsive to clonidine, a method for treating hypertension comprising:
intravascularly positioning an energy delivery element within a renal artery of the patient and proximate renal nerves along the renal artery; and
directing energy from the energy delivery element to the renal nerves to reduce neural communication to and from a kidney of the patient,
wherein the reduction in neural communication to and from the kidney significantly improves a measurable physiological parameter associated with the hypertension of the patient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the significantly improved measurable physiological parameter is a therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure for the patient.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure persists out to at least 12 months after treatment.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure persists out to at least 24 months after treatment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein directing energy from the energy delivery element to the renal nerves to reduce neural communication to and from a kidney comprises ablating the renal nerves of the patient via energy delivered from the energy delivery element.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein ablating the renal nerves of the patient via energy delivered from the energy delivery element comprises thermally ablating the renal nerves via electrical energy.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient is on a maximum tolerable dosage of one or more antihypertensive medications.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient is on a maximum tolerable dosage of four or more antihypertensive medications.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient achieves a decrease in office blood pressure of at least 10 mm Hg.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient has a baseline blood pressure before treatment of at least approximately 160 mm Hg.

Assignees

• Medtronic Ardian Luxembourg

Inventors

• Barman Neil
• Levin Howard
• Sobotka Paul
• Gelfand Mark

Classifications

• A61N1/36117

  for treating hypertension · CPC title

• A61N1/327

  for enhancing the absorption properties of tissue, e.g. by electroporation · CPC title

• A61B18/082

  Probes or electrodes therefor · CPC title

• A61B18/04

  by heating (by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18) · CPC title

• A61N1/326

  for promoting growth of cells, e.g. bone cells · CPC title