Methods and Devices for Renal Nerve Blocking

A method of treating a human patient diagnosed with at least one of hypertension, heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, renal disease, or chronic renal failure, the method comprising:

• positioning a drug eluting device proximate to a renal nerve of the patient;
• and
• delivering a nerve blocking agent from the drug eluting device to inhibit neural traffic along the renal nerve,
• wherein inhibiting neural traffic along the renal nerve modulates at least one of urine production, blood pressure, fluid retention, renin secretion, renal blood flow, waste excretion, and sodium retention in the patient.

An apparatus for treatment of a human patient diagnosed with hypertension, the apparatus comprising:

• a first drug delivery device configured to be positioned proximate a first renal nerve innervating a first kidney of the patient;
• and
• a second drug delivery device configured to be positioned proximate a second renal nerve innervating a second kidney of the patient,
• wherein the first drug delivery device is configured to deliver a nerve blocking agent to the first nerve to inhibit neural traffic along the first nerve,
• wherein the second drug delivery device is configured to deliver the nerve blocking agent to the second nerve to inhibit neural traffic along the second nerve,
• wherein the apparatus is configured to deliver the nerve blocking agent via the first and second drug delivery devices in an amount and for a period of time sufficient to result in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure of the patient.