Recor Medical, Inc.

Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Reinhard J Warnking

Eugene J Jung

Robert Pacheco

Hiroshi Nakagawa

Yegor D Sinelnikov

Yong Zou

Jacques Seguin

Patrick David Lopath

Todd N Fjield

Jaime Merino

John Hotmer

Mano Iyer

James Savage

Robert C Pacheco

Alexander Sutin

Yegor Sinelnikov

Armen Sarvazyan

Ablation device including a probe structurehaving a proximal endand a distal end. Probe structureincludes a tubular first catheter, a tubular second cathetersurrounding the first catheter and a tubular guide catheter extending within the first catheter. The first cathetercarries a cylindrical ultrasonic transduceradjacent its distal end. The transduceris connected to a source of electrical excitation. The ultrasonic waves emitted by the transducerare directed at the heart wall tissue. Once the tissue reaches the target temperature, the electrical excitation is turned on and off to maintain the tissue at the largest temperature. Alternatively, the transduceris subjected to continuous excitation at one power level and upon the tissue reaching the target temperature, the power level of the continuous excitation is switched to a second lower power level.

Ablation device and method of using the same

Apparatus and methods for deactivating renal nerves extending along a renal artery of a mammalian subject to treat hypertension and related conditions. An ultrasonic transducer () is inserted into the renal artery () as, for example, by advancing the distal end of a catheter () bearing the transducer into the renal artery. The ultrasonic transducer emits unfocused ultrasound so as to heat tissues throughout a relatively large impact volume () as, for example, at least about 0.5 cmencompassing the renal artery to a temperature sufficient to inactivate nerve conduction but insufficient to cause rapid ablation or necrosis of the tissues. The treatment can be performed without locating or focusing on individual renal nerves.

Method and apparatus for treatment of hypertension through percutaneous ultrasound renal denervation

Ablation device with optimized input power profile and method of using the same

Ablation apparatus such as a catheter carrying an ultrasonic ablation device including an ablation transducer and a balloon reflector structure for directing ultrasonic energy from the ablation transducer into a ring-like ablation region is provided with an imaging ultrasonic transducer mounted on an imaging probe which may be inserted into or through a passageway extending through the catheter and into or through the ablation device to image the ablation region or neighboring regions. Alternatively, the imaging transducer may be mounted within the balloon reflector structure or distal to this structure.

Ablation devices and methods with ultrasonic imaging cross-reference to related applications

Ablation device including a probe structurehaving a proximal endand a distal end. Probe structureincludes a tubular first catheter, a tubular second cathetersurrounding the first catheter and a tubular guide catheter extending within the first catheter. The first cathetercarries a cylindrical ultrasonic transduceradjacent its distal end. The transduceris connected to a source of electrical excitation. The ultrasonic waves emitted by the transducer are directed at the heart wall tissue. Once the tissue reaches the target temperature, the electrical excitation is turned on and off to maintain the tissue at the target temperature. Alternatively, the transduceris subjected to continuous excitation at one power level and upon the tissue reaching the target temperature, the power level of the continuous excitation is switched to a second lower power level.

Ablation apparatus such as a catheter () carrying an ultrasonic ablation device () including an ablation transducer () and a balloon reflector structure () for directing ultrasonic energy from the ablation transducer into a ring-like ablation region (A) is provided with an imaging ultrasonic transducer () mounted on an imaging probe () which may be inserted into or through a passageway () extending through the catheter and into or through the ablation device to image the ablation region or neighboring regions. Alternatively, the imaging transducer () may be mounted within the balloon reflector structure or distal to this structure.

Ablation devices and methods with ultrasonic imaging

Apparatus and methods for deactivating renal nerves extending along a renal artery of a mammalian subject to treat hypertension and related conditions. An ultrasonic transducer () is inserted into the renal artery () as, for example, by advancing the distal end of a catheter () bearing the transducer into the renal artery. The ultrasonic transducer emits unfocused ultrasound so as to heat tissues throughout a relatively large impact volume () as, for example, at least about 0.5 cm3 encompassing the renal artery to a temperature sufficient to inactivate nerve conduction but insufficient to cause rapid ablation or necrosis of the tissues. The treatment can be performed without locating or focusing on individual renal nerves.

A cardiac ablation device, including a steerable catheter () and an expandable ablation element () incorporating one or more balloons () at the distal end of the catheter, has a continuous passageway () extending through it from the proximal end of the catheter to the distal side of the expandable ablation element. A probe () carrying electrodes is introduced through this passageway and deploys, under the influence of its own resilience, to a structure incorporating a loop () which is automatically aligned with the axis of the expandable ablation device, so that minimal manipulation is required to place the sensor probe.

Ablation devices with sensors structures

Mitral valve insufficiency is treated by introducing an expansible device such as a balloon bearing an ultrasonic transducer into the heart so that the transducer is positioned adjacent the mitral annulus but spaced from the mitral annulus, and actuating the transducer to heat the mitral annulus, denature collagen in the annulus and thereby shrink the annulus.

Methods and apparatus for treatment of cardiac valve insufficiency

Ablation devices with sensor structures

A cardiac ablation device treats atrial fibrillation by directing and focusing ultrasonic waves into a ring-like ablation region (A). The device desirably is steerable and can be moved between a normal disposition, in which the ablation region lies parallel to the wall of the heart for ablating a loop-like lesion, and a canted disposition, in which the ring-like focal region is tilted relative to the wall of the heart, to ablate only a short, substantially linear lesion. The ablation device desirably includes a balloon reflector structure () and an ultrasonic emitter assembly (), and can be steered and positioned without reference to engagement between the device and the pulmonary vein or ostium. A contrast medium (C) can be injected through the ablation device to facilitate imaging, so that the device can be positioned based on observation of the images.

Growing community of inventors

East Setauket, NY, United States of America

Reinhard J Warnking