Flow Modifying Implants Devices That Reshape Blood Flow to Protect Oxygen-Starved Tissue

This patent describes implants), along with the systems to deliver them and the methods to use them, that modify blood flow inside the body to improve how well tissue is supplied with oxygen. It comes from Shockwave Medical, a cardiovascular device company.

The Problem

When blood flow to part of the body is reduced or blocked, the affected tissue is starved of oxygen, a condition known as ischemia. Restoring flow is the obvious goal, but doing so abruptly can cause its own damage. When oxygen-rich blood rushes back into tissue that has been deprived, the sudden return can injure the very tissue the treatment is trying to save, an effect called reperfusion injury. Clinicians therefore need ways not just to reopen vessels but to manage and shape how blood returns, so that tissue is reoxygenated in a controlled way that limits harm.

What This Invention Does

The invention provides flow modifying implants and the delivery systems and treatment methods that go with them. Rather than simply propping a vessel open, these implants are designed to modify blood flow in a way that improves tissue oxygenation in a patient. The patent specifically describes using a flow modifying implant to prevent reperfusion injury, meaning the device can be deployed so that blood is allowed back into the affected area in a more measured fashion, reducing the damage that an uncontrolled surge would cause. The filing covers the implants themselves, the systems used to deliver them into the body, and the methods of treatment, including methods aimed at preventing reperfusion injury in an individual.

Key Features

• Flow modification. The implant reshapes blood flow rather than only holding a vessel open.
• Better oxygenation. The approach targets improved oxygen supply to affected tissue.
• Reperfusion protection. A specific use is preventing reperfusion injury when flow is restored.
• Delivery systems. Dedicated systems place the implant accurately within the body.
• Treatment methods. The patent covers full methods of treatment, not just the device.

Who Is Behind It

The applicant is Shockwave Medical, Inc., a Santa Clara, California company known for intravascular lithotripsy, a technique that uses sound pressure waves to break up hardened deposits inside blood vessels. The company became part of Johnson & Johnson in 2024. The named inventors are Colin Alexander Nyuli, Elliot Y. K. Hong, Keith Alan Jackson, and Shmuel Banai. This filing is a divisional application from an earlier related application.

Why It Matters

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide, and much of the harm comes not only from blocked vessels but from how tissue responds when flow is restored. A device that can modify blood flow to improve oxygen delivery and limit reperfusion injury could improve outcomes in procedures where circulation is reopened. Securing the technology in Australia supports the company’s interests as it expands its cardiovascular product range in the local market.

Related Concepts

• Ischemia – the oxygen shortage these implants help address.
• Reperfusion injury – the specific harm the invention sets out to prevent.
• Implant (medicine)) – the broad category of device described.
• Hemodynamics – the study of blood flow the implant modifies.
• Cardiovascular disease – the disease area the work targets.

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AU 2026201939 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 2 April 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.