Endoluminal delivery of anesthesia
Described herein are methods and devices for selectively applying fluids (particularly anesthetics) to a target tissue from within a blood vessel while minimizing the amount of fluid applied to non-target tissue. The injection catheters described herein may include an elongate body, a directional injector, and one or more holdfasts for securing the catheter before extending the injector. The methods of selectively applying anesthetic to a target structure generally include the steps of inserting an injection catheter into a body vessel, positioning the injection catheter within the body vessel near the target structure, anchoring the injection catheter before extending a directional injector from the injection catheter, and applying anesthetic from the injection catheter to the target structure.
1. A method of applying anesthetic to a target structure from within a body vessel without substantially applying anesthetic to non-target structures, the method comprising:
inserting an injection catheter into a body vessel, wherein the injection catheter comprises a directional injector configured to apply anesthetic selectively to the target structure, wherein the target structure comprises the sinus nerve;
positioning the injection catheter within the body vessel near the target structure;
anchoring the injection catheter;
extending the directional injector to deliver anesthetic to the target structure; and
applying anesthetic from the injection catheter to the target structure.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of visualizing the injection catheter.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising visualizing the injection catheter by fluoroscopic visualization.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of visualizing the application of anesthetic to the target structure.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of visualizing the application of anesthetic to the target structure comprises releasing radiopaque substance with the anesthetic.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of anchoring the injection catheter comprises inflating a balloon connected to the injection catheter to secure the injection catheter within the body vessel.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of anchoring the injection catheter comprises deploying a stiff member to which the injection catheter couples.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of extending the directional injector comprises monitoring the orientation of the directional injector so that the directional injector is positioned near the target structure.
9. A method of applying anesthetic to a subject's sinus nerve from within the carotid artery, the method comprising:
inserting an injection catheter into the carotid artery, wherein the injection catheter comprises a directional injector configured to apply anesthetic selectively to the sinus nerve;
positioning the injection catheter within the carotid artery near the sinus nerve;
anchoring the injection catheter;
extending the directional injector to selectively deliver anesthetic to the sinus nerve; and
applying anesthetic from the injection catheter to the sinus nerve.
10. A method of applying anesthetic to a target structure from within a body vessel without substantially applying anesthetic to non-target structures, the method comprising:
inserting an injection catheter into a body vessel, wherein the injection catheter comprises a directional injector configured to apply anesthetic selectively to the target structure
positioning the injection catheter within the body vessel near the target structure;
anchoring the injection catheter by inflating a balloon connected to the injection catheter to secure the injection catheter within the body vessel and deploying a stiff member to which the injection catheter couples;
extending the directional injector to deliver anesthetic to the target structure; and
applying anesthetic from the injection catheter to the target structure.