Calcium electroporation delivery apparatus and method
In various aspects, the present disclosure provides methods for applying ablation therapy to a target tissue region within a patient, which methods include: (a) navigating a catheter to a target tissue region within the patient, the catheter including an elongate body having a proximal portion and a distal portion and a balloon structure positioned at the distal portion of the elongate body, which balloon structure may be permeable to a calcium-ion-containing solution that comprises one or more calcium salts; (b) positioning the balloon structure at the target tissue region; (c) delivering energy to the target tissue region; and (d) eluting the calcium-ion-containing solution from the balloon structure before, during, and/or after delivering the energy to the target tissue region. In various other aspects, the present disclosure provides apparatuses that can be used for performing such methods, among others.
1. A method for applying ablation therapy to a target tissue region within a patient's heart, the method comprising:
navigating a catheter to the target tissue region within the patient's heart, the catheter including an elongate body having a proximal portion and a distal portion and a balloon structure positioned at the distal portion of the elongate body, the balloon structure comprising a porous region that is permeable to a calcium-ion-containing solution that comprises one or more calcium salts, and a nonporous region;
anchoring the nonporous region of the balloon structure at the target tissue region of the patient's heart;
positioning the porous region of the balloon structure adjacent the target tissue region;
delivering energy to the target tissue region of the patient's heart; and
eluting the calcium-ion-containing solution from the balloon structure before, during, and/or after delivering the energy to the target tissue region of the patient's heart to create areas of irreversible electroporation.
2. The method of claim 1 , comprising eluting the calcium-ion-containing solution during delivery of the energy to the target tissue region.
3. The method of claim 1 , comprising eluting the calcium-ion-containing solution after delivery of the energy to the target tissue region.
4. The method of claim 1 , comprising eluting a solution containing a Group IA metal halide salt from the balloon structure before and/or during delivery of the energy to the target tissue region, and eluting the calcium-ion-containing solution after delivery of the energy to the target tissue region.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein eluting a calcium-ion containing solution comprises eluting a concentration of calcium ions in the calcium-ion-containing solution of at least 250 nM.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein eluting a calcium-ion containing solution comprises eluting a concentration of calcium ions in the calcium-ion-containing solution ranging from 250 nM to 500 mM.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein eluting a calcium-ion containing solution comprises eluting a calcium-ion-containing solution comprising one or more calcium salts selected from the group consisting of: calcium halide salts, calcium salts of organic acids, calcium phosphate, calcium chloride, and combinations thereof.