American Heart Association reports New therapy helps patients with resistant high blood pressure

Nashville, TN – Resistant high blood pressure in chronic kidney disease patients may be treated with an emerging therapy, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013.

Renal denervation is a catheter-based procedure that is minimally invasive and uses radio frequency ablation to treat resistant hypertension.Researchers studied 15 patients (average age 66 years) with resistant high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease stage three or four evaluated by glomerular filtration rate, office blood pressure of more than 140/90 mm Hg, and were taking at least three medications to reduce blood pressure.

Researchers followed the patients for one year after the procedure. During this time, patients were treated with an average of five different medications for high blood pressure.

Blood pressure significantly decreased regardless of measurement approach:

• Brachial blood pressure;
• Aortic systolic blood pressure; or
• Ambulatory blood pressure during 24-hour monitoring.

Most striking, in comparison to the three years prior to renal denervation, glomerular filtration rate remained stable and did not further deteriorate.

“Our pilot study data indicate interventional treatment with renal denervation decreases blood pressure, and most important, slows or even halts the decline of renal function in treatment resistant patients with chronic kidney disease,” said Roland Schmieder, M.D., study lead author.

Medtronic, Inc., the manufacturer of renal denervation therapy, is based in Minneapolis, MN.