| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20100076299 | Inducing Desirable Temperature Effects On Body Tissue Using Alternate Energy Sources - A system for inducing desirable temperature effects on body tissue, the body tissue being disposed about a lumen. The system includes an elongate catheter having a proximal end and a distal end with an axis therebetween with an energy delivery portion for transmission of energy. A tissue analyzer configured to characterize the body tissue in the lumen proximate the energy delivery portion and an energy source coupled to the energy delivery portion transmitting tissue treatment energy, wherein the energy is non-RF energy. A processor coupled to the tissue analyzer and energy source, the processor configured to determine an appropriate treatment energy for the characterized body tissue so as to mildly heat the body tissue with the energy delivery portion without ablating. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100125239 | Selective Drug Delivery In a Lumen - Methods and systems are disclosed for selective drug or fluid delivery in a lumen through a coating or fluid delivery channels. One system includes an elongate catheter having a proximal end and a distal end with an axis therebetween, the catheter having a radially expandable balloon near the distal end and an energy delivery portion proximate the balloon for transmission of energy, a thermally changeable coating having a releasable drug coupled to the balloon, the thermally changeable coating being oriented to be urged against the body tissue when the expandable balloon expands and an energy source operatively coupled to the energy delivery portion configured to energize the energy delivery portion to heat and liquefy the thermally changeable coating to release the drug to the body tissue. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20100125268 | Selective Accumulation of Energy With or Without Knowledge of Tissue Topography - Methods and systems for heating a body tissue region adjacent a body lumen with diseased and healthy portions using selective accumulation of energy in the artery tissue with or without knowledge of tissue topography. The method includes positioning an energy delivery portion of a catheter body within the lumen adjacent the body tissue region to be heated, determining a pulse characteristic in response to a thermal property of a first tissue type and applying pulsed energy with the pulse characteristic from the energy delivery portion so as to therapeutically treat the second tissue type within the body tissue region by drawing heat from the first tissue type at a rate that avoids significant thermal damage to the first tissue type while building-up heat in the second tissue type. The system includes an elongate flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end with an axis therebetween, an energy delivery portion proximate the distal end, an energy source coupled to the energy delivery portion and a processor coupled to the energy source, the processor configured to control a pulse characteristic of pulsed energy transmitted from the energy source to the energy delivery portion so as to therapeutically treat the second tissue type within the body tissue region by drawing heat from the first tissue type at a rate that avoids significant thermal damage to the first tissue type while building-up heat in the second tissue type. | 05-20-2010 |
