Patent ID: 11864809
Assignee: SANTA ANNA TECH LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A method for treating at least one of excess weight, obesity, eating disorders, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, diabetes, polycystic ovarian disease, fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis disease by ablating duodenal tissue using a vapor ablation system, wherein the vapor ablation system comprises a controller having at least one processor in data communication with at least one pump and a catheter connection port in fluid communication with the at least one pump, the method comprising:
connecting a proximal end of a first catheter to the catheter connection port to place the first catheter in fluid communication with the at least one pump, wherein the first catheter comprises at least two positioning elements separated along a length of the catheter and at least two ports positioned between the at least two positioning elements, wherein each of the at least two positioning elements has a first configuration and a second configuration, and wherein, in the first configuration, each of the at least two positioning elements is compressed within the catheter and in the second configuration, each of the at least two positioning elements is expanded to be at least partially outside the catheter;
positioning the first catheter inside a patient such that, upon being expanded into the second configuration, a distal one of the at least two positioning elements is positioned within in the patient's small intestine and a proximal one of the at least two positioning elements is proximally positioned more than 1 cm from the distal one of the at least two positioning elements;
expanding each of the at least two positioning elements into their second configurations to define a treatment volume bounded by a surface of a proximal one of the at least two positioning elements, a surface of a distal one of the at least two positioning elements, and a portion of the patient's small intestine to be ablated, and wherein the surface area of the proximal one of the at least two positioning elements and the surface area of the distal one of the two positioning elements comprise a plurality of spaces sufficient to permit a flow of vapor outside of the treatment volume in a range of 1 to 80% of a vapor input flow rate such that vapor flows proximal to the proximal one of the at least two positioning elements and/or flows distal to the distal one of the at least two positioning elements;
activating the controller, wherein, upon activation, the controller is configured to cause the at least one pump to deliver saline into at least one lumen in the first catheter and, wherein, upon activation, the controller is configured to cause an electrical current to be delivered to at least one electrode positioned within the at least one lumen of the first catheter at a place different from the at least first and second positioning elements to thereby generate said vapor from the saline at said vapor input flow rate; and
delivering the vapor through ports positioned in the first catheter between the at least two positioning elements and into the treatment volume.