Patent ID: 8862243

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: a bifurcation stent comprising one or more electrodes, the stent configured to be placed in a primary passage and a secondary passage of a blood vessel; and a control unit, configured to drive the electrodes to apply a signal to a wall of the blood vessel, and to configure the signal to increase nitric oxide (NO) secretion by the wall, wherein the blood vessel includes an artery and wherein the control unit is configured to drive the electrodes to apply counterpulsation to the artery, by: driving the electrodes to apply a systolic electrical signal to a wall of the artery during at least a commencement of systole of a cardiac cycle of the subject, configuring the systolic signal to induce an increase in nitric oxide (NO) secretion by the wall, such that during at least the commencement of systole, the artery stores energy by the wall of the artery dilating, and withholding the electrodes from the systolic signal to the wall during at least a portion of diastole of the subject's cardiac cycle, such that during the at least a portion of diastole the wall of the artery releases the stored energy.