Devices and methods for control of blood pressure
Apparatus and methods are described, including identifying a subject as suffering from hypertension. In response to the identifying (a) a radius of curvature of a first set of at least three regions of an arterial wall of the subject is increased at a given longitudinal location, while (b) allowing the first set of regions of the arterial wall to pulsate. A device is implanted inside the artery at the longitudinal location such that the device applies pressure to the arterial wall at a second set of at least three regions of the artery, but does not contact the first set of regions, the first set of regions and the second set of regions alternating with each other. Other embodiments are also described.
1. A method of stimulating baroreceptors to treat a disease of a patient, the patient having a carotid artery with a wall, the method comprising:
providing an implant having a first structure on a first end and a second structure on a second end opposite the first end, wherein three to five longitudinal contact regions extend in a longitudinal direction between the first end and the second end; and
placing the implant in the carotid artery with an expanded configuration, wherein the three to five longitudinal contact regions contact the wall of the carotid artery and define three to five contact regions of the wall alternating with three to five flat non-contact regions around the wall, wherein the three to five contact regions of the wall alternating with the three to five flat non-contact regions stretch the wall of the carotid artery sufficiently to stimulate the baroreceptors and treat the disease.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three to five contact regions of the wall alternating with the three to five flat non-contact regions around the wall shape the wall to a polygonal cross-sectional shape having from three to five sides.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three to five longitudinal contact regions are spaced apart with distances sized to increase a cross-section of the carotid artery and flatten the non-contact regions in order to lower blood pressure.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three to five contact regions of the wall alternating with the three to five flat non-contact regions around the wall shift a pressure-strain curve of a hypertensive patient upwards and increase a gradient of the pressure-strain curve.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three to five longitudinal contact regions comprise from three to five longitudinal contact regions and shape a cross-section of the wall to a polygonal shape having from three to five sides.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three to five longitudinal contact regions comprise four longitudinal contact regions spaced apart to shape the wall to a cross-sectional shape having four flat sides.
7. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:
identifying a subject as suffering from hypertension; and in response to the identifying, placing the implant in the carotid artery, wherein the three to five flat non-contact regions around the wall pulsate and stimulate the baroreceptors to treat the hypertension.