Patent ID: 8506517

Claim:
A method for treating renal dysfunction in a patient, the method comprising: implanting a device in the patient to partially and controllably constrict a renal artery; adjusting, externally to a body of the patient, a degree of constriction applied by the device to the renal artery; and controlling the degree of constriction applied by the device to maintain the degree of constriction, wherein the device comprises: an implantable housing; a motor disposed within the implantable housing; a drive shaft coupled to the motor; a constriction applicator disposed within the implantable housing, the constriction applicator configured to control a fluid flow in the renal artery; and a transmission coupled to the drive shaft and the constriction applicator, the transmission configured to covert a rotation of the drive shaft for controlling a linear motion of a constriction applicator, wherein the constriction applicator comprises: a first member configured to move linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow in the renal artery; and a second member coupled to the first member, the second member configured to apply an increasing amount of pressure as the first member is driven away from the transmission and toward the renal artery, wherein the constriction applicator further comprises a third member forming an outer surface or an outer edge of the housing, wherein the first member is a rod, the second member is a bar and the third member is a fine titanium membrane.