Intraluminal microneurography denervation probe with radio frequency ablation

Inventors

Shimada, Jin • Puryear, Harry A.

Assignees

Recor Medical Inc

Abstract

An intraluminal microneurography probe has a probe body configured to be introduced into an artery near an organ of a body without preventing the flow of blood through the artery. An expandable sense electrode and an expandable stimulation electrode are fixed to the probe body at one end of each electrode such that movement of the other end toward the fixed end causes the sense electrode to expand from the probe body toward a wall of the artery. A ground electrode is configured to couple to the body, and a plurality of electrical connections are operable to electrically couple the electrodes to electrical circuitry. The sense electrode is operable to measure sympathetic nerve activity in response to excitation of the stimulation electrode. A radio frequency ablation element is located between the expandable sense electrode and expandable stimulation electrode, and is operable to ablate nerves proximate to the artery.

Core Innovation

An intraluminal microneurography probe is introduced into a blood vessel near an organ, and the probe includes an expandable sense electrode that expands from the probe body toward the wall of the blood vessel. The expandable sense electrode comprises a continuously electrically exposed helical wire or mesh of wires that, when expanded, provides a continuous conductive outer circumference. This continuous conductive outer circumference permits an entire outer circumference of the expandable sense electrode to provide circumferential electrical contact with the wall of the blood vessel.

The probe further includes an expandable stimulation electrode that expands from the probe body toward the wall of the blood vessel. The expandable stimulation electrode comprises a continuously electrically exposed helical wire or mesh of wires that, when expanded, provides a continuous conductive outer circumference. The entire outer circumference of the expandable stimulation electrode provides circumferential electrical contact with the wall of the blood vessel, and the expandable sense electrode and the expandable stimulation electrode are spaced a distance apart sufficient to enable the expandable sense electrode to be used to accurately detect a typical nerve action potential without interference from the expandable stimulation electrode.

An intraluminal microneurography system includes a stimulation circuit and a sense circuit electrically coupled to the expandable stimulation electrode and the expandable sense electrode, respectively. The probe body is configured to be introduced into a blood vessel near an organ, and each electrode retains the continuously electrically exposed helical wire or mesh configuration that enables circumferential electrical contact. The system maintains the spacing relationship between the expandable sense electrode and the expandable stimulation electrode to permit accurate detection of a typical nerve action potential without interference from the expandable stimulation electrode.

Claims Coverage

The document provides two independent claim sets, covering (i) the intraluminal microneurography probe structure and electrode geometry/spacing and (ii) an intraluminal microneurography system integrating stimulation and sensing circuits with the same expandable electrodes and non-interference spacing. Across the independent claims, three core inventive feature groupings are defined: continuously electrically exposed helical/mesh electrodes providing circumferential electrical contact, a spacing relationship that enables nerve action potential detection without interference from stimulation, and system integration of stimulation and sense circuits.

Overall claim coverage centers on expandable intraluminal microneurography electrodes formed from continuously electrically exposed helical wire or mesh that provide circumferential electrical contact, combined with a spacing requirement that enables accurate sensing of a typical nerve action potential without interference from stimulation. The system claim further integrates the expandable electrodes with a stimulation circuit and a sense circuit.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications