Ultrasound stimulation of the baroreflex

 描述(申请人提供)：高血压，通常被称为“高血压”，是一种肾脏排盐和水的能力受损的医学状况。由于动脉压的升高，心脏必须更加努力地工作以 通过狭窄的动脉输送血液，可能会对心脏和血管造成长期损害。如果这种情况持续下去，就会增加中风、心脏病、肾脏疾病和心力衰竭的风险。据估计，全世界每8人中就有1人死于此病。在心血管生理学中，压力反射或压力感受器反射是人体维持血压的自然机制之一。超声无电离辐射，价格低廉，是非侵入性刺激压力感受器的理想能源。这项提议的目的是通过刺激颈动脉压力感受器来证明使用超声波作为治疗高血压的潜在方法。建议在犬模型中进行一系列急性研究，以确定合适的刺激参数范围。为了实现这一目标，提出了以下具体目标：1.设计、制造和测试工作在1 MHz的针形换能器，以准确定位超声在颈动脉窦上的位置，即颈动脉压力感受器的位置。2.采用不同的超声刺激参数，对20只急性犬进行颈动脉压力感受性反射的血压(BP)和心率(HR)检测。3.在4只清醒犬身上进行研究，以测量心率和血压对超声刺激颈动脉压力感受器反射时间延长的反应。这项工作的最终愿景是开发一种非侵入性可穿戴超声治疗设备，能够治疗难治性高血压患者，以及可能患有不同程度高血压的其他亚群患者。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hypertension, most commonly referred to as "high blood pressure", is a medical condition in which there is an impaired ability of the kidneys to excrete salt and water. As a result of the rise in arterial pressure, the heart must work harder to pump blood through narrowed arteries and can lead to long-term damage to the heart and blood vessels. If this condition persists it increases the risk for stroke, heart attack, kidney disease nd heart failure. It is estimated to cause 1 in every 8 deaths worldwide. In cardiovascular physiology, the baroreflex, or baroreceptor reflex is one of the body's natural mechanisms for maintaining blood pressure. Ultrasound is an ideal energy source for non-invasive stimulation of the baroreceptors because it is does not have ionizing radiation and is low-cost. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate the potential of using ultrasound as a therapy to treat hypertension by stimulating the carotid baroreceptors. A series of acute studies in a canine model is proposed to identify an appropriate range of stimulation parameters. The following specific aims are proposed to achieve this goal: 1. Design, fabricate, and test needle-shaped transduers operating at 1 MHz for accurate localization of ultrasound onto the carotid sinus, the location of the carotid baroreceptors. 2. Perform 20 acute canine studies to measure the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses to activation of the carotid baroreflex using various ultrasound stimulation parameters. 3. Perform studies in 4 conscious canines to measure the heart rate and blood pressure responses to more prolonged activation of the carotid baroreflex by ultrasound. The ultimate vision of this work is to develop a non-invasive wearable ultrasound therapy device capable of treating patients with treatment-resistant hypertension and possibly other sub-populations of patients suffering from varying degrees of hypertension.