Patent ID: 7232435

Claim:
A method of delivering a drug dosage from a drug dispenser to receptors of the central nervous system of a patient's body to therapeutically treat one of pre-existing symptoms of heart failure (“HF”) and pre-existing pathologies associated with HF, the method comprising the steps of: surgically implanting a drug infusion catheter with a distal drug delivery portion disposed at a predetermined central nervous system site; coupling a proximal end of the drug infusion catheter to a drug delivery pump; monitoring the patient for at least one pre-existing of symptoms of HF and pre-existing pathologies associated with HF; and in response to a positive detection of one pre-existing of HF and pre-existing pathologies associated with HF, operating the drug delivery pump to discharge a predetermined dosage of a sympatholytic cardiovascular agent to a central nervous system site effective to alleviate at least one of the pre-existing symptoms of HF and the pre-existing pathologies associated with HF.