Patent ID: 9498183
Filing Date: 2016-11-22
CPC Classification: A61B,A61M,G16H

Claim Text:
1. A method of treating Pulmonary Embolism, comprising: providing a treatment device comprising a therapeutic agent delivery catheter capable of applying a therapeutic agent to a lesion of a pulmonary vein through the therapeutic agent delivery catheter to dissolve fibrin or thrombus present at or causing the lesion or otherwise treat the lesion, the therapeutic agent delivery catheter including an imaging element adjacent to a therapeutic delivery component, wherein the imaging element includes an ultrasound element or an optical coherence tomography (OCT) configured to image the pulmonary vein and wherein the therapeutic delivery component is configured to apply the therapeutic agent to the lesion of the pulmonary vein; identifying at least one venous outflow obstruction site based on images obtained from the imaging element of the therapeutic agent delivery catheter; assessing the at least one venous outflow obstruction site to determine whether the at least one venous outflow obstruction site causes significant narrowing of the pulmonary vein, wherein assessing the at least one venous outflow obstruction site includes measuring a first pressure gradient of blood flow across the at least one venous outflow obstruction site, and wherein the venous outflow obstruction sites causing significant narrowing of the pulmonary vein are identified for treatment with the therapeutic agent via the therapeutic agent delivery catheter; applying the treatment device to an identified venous outflow obstruction site of a pulmonary vein of a patient to treat pulmonary embolism symptoms of the patient, including applying the therapeutic agent to the identified venous outflow obstruction site to increase a cross-sectional area of a lumen of the pulmonary vein; and assessing the identified venous outflow obstruction site, after applying the treatment device to the identified venous outflow obstruction site to treat pulmonary embolism symptoms of the patient, to determine the efficacy of applying the treatment device, including measuring a second pressure gradient of blood flow across the at least one venous outflow obstruction site after applying the treatment device to an identified venous outflow obstruction site, the first and second pressure gradients being pressure differentials of a pressure distal to the at least one venous outflow obstruction site of the pulmonary vein and a pressure in the superior vena cava.