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Asthmatx, Inc.

Asthmatx, Inc. Patent applications
Patent application numberTitlePublished
20110282229METHODS OF EVALUATING INDIVIDUALS HAVING REVERSIBLE OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE - This relates to treating an asthmatic lung and more particularly, relates to advancing a treatment device into the lung and treating the lung with the device. This also includes additional steps of treating the airway wall, applying energy or heat to the airway wall in an asthmatic lung.11-17-2011
20110196288ENERGY DELIVERY DEVICES AND METHODS - This relates to methods and devices for achieving contact between the wall of a cavity or passageway and a medical device when used in tortuous anatomy.08-11-2011
20110184330INACTIVATION OF SMOOTH MUSCLE TISSUE - Treatment and procedures for treating bodily conduits involves deactivating, killing, or otherwise treating smooth muscle tissue of the conduit.07-28-2011
20110172655CONTROL SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR APPLICATION OF ENERGY TO AIRWAY WALLS AND OTHER MEDIUMS - The present invention includes a system for delivering energy to an airway wall of a lung comprising an energy delivering apparatus and a PID controller having one or more variable gain factors which are rest after energy deliver has begun. The energy delivering apparatus may include a flexible elongated member and a distal expandable basket having at least one electrode for transferring energy to the airway wall and at least one temperature sensor for measuring temperature. The PID controller determines a new power set point base on an error between a preset temperature and the measured temperature. The algorithm can be P07-14-2011
20110166565METHOD OF DELIVERING ENERGY TO A LUNG AIRWAY USING MARKERS - An energy delivery device for treating tissue regions in a body conduit, such as a lung airway, may utilize one or more markers, rings, bands, or other visual indicators along an outer surface of the device body. The one or more visual indicators facilitate guidance of the device to effectively and efficiently treat the tissue according to a predetermined axial treatment as well as measure extension of a distal portion of the device, tissue length, and/or treatment length. The predetermined axial treatment may be contiguous, overlapping, or intermittently spaced apart as determined by the marker spacing distance.07-07-2011
20110079230METHOD FOR TREATING AN ASTHMA ATTACK - A method for treating the lung during an acute episode of reversible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as an asthma attack. The method comprises transferring energy to an airway wall of an airway such that a diameter of the airway is increased. The energy may be transferred to the airway wall prior to, during or after an asthma attack. The energy may be transferred in an amount sufficient to temporarily or permanently increase the diameter of the airway. The method may be performed while the airway is open, closed or partially closed.04-07-2011
20100268222DEVICES AND METHODS FOR TRACKING AN ENERGY DEVICE WHICH TREATS ASTHMA - Methods for treating a network of organs including generating a map of at least a portion of the network of organs using a rendering system; selecting at least one treatment location within the luminal passageway of the network of organs; and applying an energy therapy to the treatment location to treat the smooth muscle tissue, where the energy therapy applied to the respective treatment location is defined by a plurality of parameters that are associated with a map. Such a system allows for historical or ideal treatment parameters to be identified, visually or otherwise to actual treatment locations. Also, control systems and methods for delivery of energy that may include control algorithms that prevent energy delivery if a fault is detected and may provide energy delivery to produce a substantially constant temperature at a delivery site. In some embodiments, the control systems and methods may be used to control the delivery of energy, such as radiofrequency energy, to body tissue, such as lung tissue.10-21-2010
20100204689METHOD FOR TREATING AN ASTHMA ATTACK - A method for treating the lung during an acute episode of reversible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as an asthma attack. The method comprises transferring energy to an airway wall of an airway such that a diameter of the airway is increased. The energy may be transferred to the airway wall prior to, during or after an asthma attack. The energy may be transferred in an amount sufficient to temporarily or permanently increase the diameter of the airway. The method may be performed while the airway is open, closed or partially closed.08-12-2010
20100185190METHODS FOR TREATING ASTHMA DAMAGING NERVE TISSUE - A method for treating the lung during an acute episode of reversible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as an asthma attack. The method comprises transferring energy to an airway wall of an airway such that a diameter of the airway is increased. The energy may be transferred to the airway wall prior to, during or after an asthma attack. The energy may be transferred in an amount sufficient to temporarily or permanently increase the diameter of the airway. The method may be performed while the airway is open, closed or partially closed.07-22-2010
20100160906EXPANDABLE ENERGY DELIVERY DEVICES HAVING FLEXIBLE CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS - Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for providing energy to tissue in an internal passageway. An energy delivery device for treating an airway in a patient in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure can include an elongated support configured to be passed through a lumen of a scope and a compliant inflatable member attached to the elongated support. The inflatable member is configured to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The energy delivery device can also include a flexible conductive element carried by the inflatable member. The flexible conductive element extends along a path and is configured to expand and contract longitudinally relative to the path as the inflatable member moves between the expanded and collapsed configurations.06-24-2010
20090192508MODIFICATION OF AIRWAYS BY APPLICATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY - Methods of increasing gas exchange performed by the lung by damaging lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and/or destroying airway smooth muscle tone with an apparatus inserted into an airway of the lung. The damaging of lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and destroying airway smooth muscle tone with the apparatus may be any one of or combinations of the following: heating the airway; cooling the airway; delivering a liquid to the airway; delivering a gas to the airway; puncturing the airway; tearing the airway; cutting the airway; applying ultrasound to the airway; and applying ionizing radiation to the airway.07-30-2009
20090143776MODIFICATION OF AIRWAYS BY APPLICATION OF CRYO ENERGY - A method for decreasing responsiveness or decreasing resistance to airflow of airways involves the transfer of energy to or from the airway walls to prevent or reduce airway constriction and other symptoms of lung diseases. The treatment reduces the ability of the airways to contract during an acute narrowing of the airways, reduces mucus plugging of the airways, and/or increases the airway diameter. The methods according to the present invention provide a longer duration and/or more effective treatment for lung diseases than currently used drug treatments, and obviate patient compliance issues.06-04-2009
20090143705MODIFICATION OF AIRWAYS BY APPLICATION OF ULTRASOUND ENERGY - Methods of increasing gas exchange performed by the lung by damaging lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and/or destroying airway smooth muscle tone with an apparatus inserted into an airway of the lung. The damaging of lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and destroying airway smooth muscle tone with the apparatus may be any one of or combinations of the following: heating the airway; cooling the airway; delivering a liquid to the airway; delivering a gas to the airway; puncturing the airway; tearing the airway; cutting the airway; applying ultrasound to the airway; and applying ionizing radiation to the airway.06-04-2009
20090112203MODIFICATION OF AIRWAYS BY APPLICATION OF MICROWAVE ENERGY - Methods of increasing gas exchange performed by the lung by damaging lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and/or destroying airway smooth muscle tone with an apparatus inserted into an airway of the lung. The damaging of lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and destroying airway smooth muscle tone with the apparatus may be any one of or combinations of the following: heating the airway; cooling the airway; delivering a liquid to the airway; delivering a gas to the airway; puncturing the airway; tearing the airway; cutting the airway; applying ultrasound to the airway; and applying ionizing radiation to the airway.04-30-2009
20090069797BIPOLAR DEVICES FOR MODIFICATION OF AIRWAYS BY TRANSFER OF ENERGY - This relates to a device for treating lung disease, and more particularly, relates to a device for exchanging energy with airway tissue such as that found in the airways of human lungs. The exchange of energy with this airway tissue in the airways reduces the ability of the airways to constrict and/or reduces the resistance within the airway to the flow of air through the airway.03-12-2009
20090043301MONOPOLAR ENERGY DELIVERY DEVICES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING CURRENT DENSITY IN TISSUE - Devices, systems and methods for providing energy to treat large areas of tissue. Several embodiments of the devices control resistance or other parameters to provide substantially uniform current density along a length of tissue with reduced edge effects.02-12-2009
20090030477SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER BASED ON IMPEDANCE DETECTION, SUCH AS CONTROLLING POWER TO TISSUE TREATMENT DEVICES - A system and method of controlling the application of energy to tissue using measurements of impedance are described. The impedance, correlated to the temperature, may be set at a desired level, such as a percentage of initial impedance. The set impedance may be a function of the initial impedance, the size and spacing of the electrodes, the size of a targeted passageway, and so on. The set impedance may then be entered into a PID algorithm or other control loop algorithm in order to extract a power to be applied to a treatment device.01-29-2009
20090018538SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING ENERGY TO PASSAGEWAYS IN A PATIENT - Systems and methods for delivering energy to passageways in a patient, such as airways in the lung of a patient for treating asthma. One embodiment of a method for delivering energy to a passageway comprises positioning an access device in a lung airway of a patient and advancing an elongated body of a treatment device along the access device until an energy delivery unit at a distal portion of the elongated body projects from the access device. The method can further include expanding the energy delivery unit such that energy delivery elements contact a sidewall of the airway and activating an energy supply coupled to the treatment device such that energy is delivered to the sidewall of the airway. A single person physically operates both the access device and the treatment device while expanding the energy delivery unit and activating the energy supply.01-15-2009

Patent applications by Asthmatx, Inc.