Patent ID: 8454594
Filing Date: 2013-06-04
Classification: A61B,A61N

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for renal neuromodulation, the apparatus comprising: a catheter comprising a shaft and an expandable element comprising a wire basket configured to allow blood to flow therethrough, the catheter being configured to vary between a reduced profile delivery configuration and an expanded treatment configuration, wherein the catheter is configured for delivery into a renal blood vessel of a human patient when in the reduced profile delivery configuration; a first electrode carried by a first strut of the expandable element; and a second electrode carried by a second strut of the expandable element, wherein the first and second electrodes are configured to engage a wall of the renal blood vessel without passing therethrough, wherein the first strut and the second strut each include only a single electrode, and wherein the first electrode is at a proximal portion of the first strut and the second electrode is at a distal portion of the second strut such that the first and second electrodes are spaced longitudinally apart and angularly offset from each other along a longitudinal axis of the renal blood vessel when the expandable element is in the expanded treatment configuration, wherein (a) the first electrode is configured to deliver energy to create a first treatment zone along the renal blood vessel, and (b) the second electrode is configured to deliver energy to create a second treatment zone along the renal blood vessel, and wherein the first and second treatment zones are formed in separate normal radial planes and are not continuous around the circumference of the renal blood vessel.