Methods for treating hypertension and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. One aspect of the present technology, for example, is directed to methods for therapeutic renal neuromodulation that partially inhibit sympathetic neural activity in renal nerves proximate a renal blood vessel of a human patient having a 24-hour heart rate at or above a median heart rate for a population of hypertensive patients. This reduction in sympathetic neural activity is expected to therapeutically treat one or more conditions associated with hypertension of the patient. Renal sympathetic nerve activity can be modulated, for example, using an intravascularly positioned catheter carrying a neuromodulation assembly, e.g., a neuromodulation assembly configured to use electrically-induced, thermally-induced, and/or chemically-induced approaches to modulate the renal nerves.

Provided herein are catheter devices, systems, and methods to ablate a tissue location. The devises, systems, and methods disclosed herein include ablation systems including a catheter system with inner and outer shafts that deliver an ablation medium (e.g., a cryogenic ablation medium) to a body lumen and evacuate the ablation medium from the body lumen. In some embodiments, devices, systems, and methods disclose herein include expandable structures that facilitate in positioning of nozzles and/or evacuation of ablation medium from a body lumen.

In one embodiment, a medical system includes a catheter configured to be inserted into a body part of a living subject, and including a deflectable element having a distal end, an expandable distal end assembly disposed at the distal end of the deflectable element, and comprising a plurality of electrodes, a distal portion, and a proximal portion, and configured to expand from a collapsed form to an expanded deployed form, and a stretchable irrigation tube disposed between the distal portion and the proximal portion, and comprising a plurality of irrigation holes, and configured to stretch longitudinally when the distal end assembly is collapsed from the expanded deployed form to the collapsed form.

In one embodiment, a medical system includes a catheter configured to be inserted into a cavity of a body of a living subject, and including an inflatable balloon comprising electrodes, the inflatable balloon being configured to press the electrodes against tissue of the cavity and at least partially block blood flow in the cavity, an ultrasound probe configured to provide velocity measurements of the blood flow in the cavity over time, a processor configured to assess a quality of contact of the electrodes with the tissue responsively to at least one of the velocity measurements of the blood flow in the cavity, and output an indication of the quality of contact to an output device, and a power supply configured to provide at least one electrical signal to the electrodes in order to ablate the tissue of the cavity.

The disclosure includes a vein ablation system, comprising a catheter having an elongated body. In some embodiments, the vein ablation system comprises an ablation device at a distal portion of the elongated body. According to some embodiments, the vein ablation system comprises a control device at a proximal portion of the elongated body. The control device may comprise an input mechanism configured to simultaneously control at least two of a longitudinal translation of the ablation device through a target vessel, a rotation of the ablation device about a central longitudinal axis, and an infusion of a chemical agent into the target vessel.

A non-invasive and permeable RF diagnosis and treatment equipment and its catheter are provided. The catheter which comprises a tube body, a RF electrode array and a flexible protecting net has a retractable cavity, and the RF electrode array is attached to an outer surface of the retractable cavity; the flexible protecting net surrounding outside of the RF electrode array has a connector connected with the tube body and multiple holes. The retractable cavity has a smaller volume contraction state and a larger volume expansion state. Using the catheter, when inserting or pulling out the catheter, the RF electrode array will not contact the inner wall of the organ, but the flexible protecting net contacts the inner wall of the organ. In this way, the scratch of the inner wall of the organ caused by the RF electrode array can be minimized or even avoided through the flexible protecting net.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for locating and identifying nerves innervating the wall of arteries such as the renal artery. The present invention identifies areas on vessel walls that are innervated with nerves; provides indication on whether energy is delivered accurately to a targeted nerve; and provides immediate post-procedural assessment of the effect of energy delivered to the nerve. The methods includes evaluating a change in physiological parameters after energy is delivered to an arterial wall; and determining the type of nerve that the energy was directed to (sympathetic or parasympathetic or none) based on the evaluated results. The system includes at least a device for delivering energy to the wall of blood vessel; sensors for detecting physiological signals from a subject; and indicators to display results obtained using said method. Also provided are catheters for performing the mapping and ablating functions.

An intravascular ablation device, including a flexible elongate body; an expandable element positioned on the elongate body; a radiofrequency or electroporation treatment segment located distally of the expandable element; a cryogenic coolant source in fluid communication with an interior of the expandable element; and a radiofrequency or electroporation energy source in communication with the radiofrequency or electroporation treatment segment.

A device for therapeutic neuromodulation in a nasal region can include, for example, a shaft and a therapeutic element at a distal portion of the shaft. The shaft can locate the distal portion intraluminally at a target site inferior to a patient's sphenopalatine foramen. The therapeutic element can include an energy delivery element configured to therapeutically modulate postganglionic parasympathetic nerves at microforamina of a palatine bone of the human patient for the treatment of rhinitis or other indications. In other embodiments, the therapeutic element can be configured to therapeutically modulate nerves that innervate the frontal, ethmoidal, sphenoidal, and maxillary sinuses for the treatment of chronic sinusitis.

A cryoablation system is provided that can assume a directional activated state and includes a cryoablation probe and a controller. The cryoablation probe has an active region that includes a cooling compartment and an opposing heating compartment that are thermally insulated from one another to minimize energy losses therebetween such that ice is selectively and directionally formed at the target site. The cooling compartment can include a temperature sensor and an exhaust tube to guide a fluid or gas that exhibits a Joule Thomson cooling effect through the probe. The heating compartment can include a temperature sensor and a heater cartridge having a heater zone. The controller of the cryoablation system can process temperature measurement data from the sensors of the heating and cooling compartments and regulate the heater zone based on the temperature measurement data processing to maintain a temperature that is sufficiently constant to mitigate or prevent formation of ice on the heating compartment.