Device and method for treating ischemic heart disease

Abstract

A narrowing intraluminal stent is disclosed and comprises a hollow body and a flow passage therethrough, the hollow body designed for intraluminal placement and having “at least one portion of an inner cross sectional dimension smaller than the cross sectional dimension of the lumen, so as to artificially narrow a passage through the body lumen. A method of artificially narrowing a passage through a body lumen using the stent is also disclosed.

1 . A method of affecting blood flow in coronary vessels, comprising:
 (a) transvascularly guiding a catheter to a coronary sinus; and   (b) narrowing a cross-sectional dimension of a flow lumen of said coronary sinus by implanting a flow reducer in said flow lumen using said catheter, said flow reducer having a cross-sectional dimension that is smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of said flow lumen; wherein said cross-sectional dimension of said flow reducer is non-expandable.   
   
   
       2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said flow reducer is implanted using a balloon. 
   
   
       3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said flow reducer is a self-expanding reducer. 
   
   
       4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein narrowing comprises narrowing in a manner that increases back pressure. 
   
   
       5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein narrowing comprises narrowing in a manner that initiates angiogenesis. 
   
   
       6 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein narrowing comprises narrowing in a manner that accelerates angiogenesis. 
   
   
       7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein narrowing comprises narrowing in a manner that prevents ischemic heart disease. 
   
   
       8 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein narrowing comprises permanently narrowing. 
   
   
       9 . A method according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 determining that a patient has ischemic heart disease; and   performing (a)-(b).   
   
   
       10 . A method according to  claim 1 , comprising reducing said a diameter of said cross-section of said flow lumen by a factor of at least 2.6. 
   
   
       11 . A method of improving perfusion of a tissue, comprising:
 (a) identifying a tissue having a deficient degree of blood flow there through; and   (b) transvascularly narrowing a cross-sectional diameter of a vessel carrying blood from said tissue, said narrowing comprising deploying a flow reducer in the vessel, said flow reducer having a cross-sectional dimension that is smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of said flow lumen, said narrowing being effective to cause improvement in blood flow through the tissue.   
   
   
       12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein said vessel comprises a coronary sinus. 
   
   
       13 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein said tissue comprises cardiac tissue. 
   
   
       14 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein said narrowing is sufficient to cause angiogenesis in said tissue. 
   
   
       15 . A method of affecting blood flow in a coronary vessel, comprising:
 narrowing a cross-sectional dimension of said coronary vessel, wherein said narrowing comprises deploying a flow reducer in said coronary vessel, said flow reducer being formed of a single element configured to include:   at least one portion having an inner cross-sectional dimension smaller than that of said coronary vessel, said inner cross-sectional dimension being non-expandable; and   at least one expandable portion, each of said at least one expandable portion being disposed at a specific position along the length of said flow reducer;   wherein said deploying comprises expanding said at least one expandable portion such that said flow reducer is fixed in said coronary vessel.   
   
   
       16 . A method according to  claim 15 , wherein said at least one portion having an inner cross-sectional dimension smaller than that of said coronary vessel comprises:
 a central portion having an inner cross-sectional dimension smaller than that of said coronary vessel; and   wherein said at least one expandable portion includes an expandable portion at each of first and second ends of said flow reducer.   
   
   
       17 . A method of affecting blood flow in a coronary sinus, comprising:
 (a) providing a flow reducer having a specific length;   (b) narrowing a cross-sectional dimension of a flow lumen of said coronary sinus, wherein said narrowing comprises deploying said flow reducer in the coronary sinus, said flow reducer having a non-expandable cross-sectional diameter that is smaller than a cross-sectional diameter of said flow lumen, whereby the length of said flow reducer is substantially maintained.