Patent ID: 9179974
Filing Date: 2015-11-10
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A catheter comprising: an elongate shaft having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending proximally therethrough from an exit point at the distal end; a support structure extending distally a fixed distance from the shaft distal end, the shaft being configured to deliver the support structure to a treatment site within a vessel of a human patient; and a wire electrode slidably disposed within the shaft lumen and having a helical portion extending through the exit point and wrapped around the support structure to terminate in a fixed attachment at a distal end of the support structure, the helical portion being configured to modulate one or more nerves within tissue at or otherwise proximate to a wall of the vessel; wherein the wire electrode is adapted to be pushed distally through the exit point to cause radial expansion of the helical portion about the support structure, and the wire electrode is further adapted to be withdrawn proximally through the exit point to cause radial collapse of the helical portion about the support structure.