
An operation that targets the nerves connected to the kidney has been found to significantly reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension, according to the results of a clinical trial led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, and supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The results are published in The Lancet and have been presented at the EuroPCR congress in Paris.
If the findings are confirmed in more extensive clinical trials, the surgery could offer hope to patients with high blood pressure who do not respond to drugs, and are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack.
The international clinical trial, carried out from 2017 to 2018 at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the UK by the NIHRBarts Biomedical Research Centre, tested a one-hour operation called ‘renal denervation’, which uses ultrasound energy to disrupt the nerves between the kidneys and the brain that carry signals for controlling blood pressure.
Significant reduction in blood pressure
146 patients in the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom were randomised to receive either renal denervation or a ‘sham procedure’ – the surgical equivalent of a placebo. Patients also remained off blood pressure medications for two months unless specified blood pressure levels were exceeded.
After two months, the renal denervation group experienced an 8.5 mm Hg reduction in blood pressure, which was a 6.3 mm Hg greater reduction compared with the sham group.
More than 66 per cent of subjects treated with renal denervation demonstrated a 5 mm Hg or greater reduction in blood pressure, compared with 33 per cent in the sham group.
No major adverse events were reported in either group, and the blood pressure lowering effect of renal denervation was consistent across sex and ethnicity.
An alternative to lifelong medications
UK Principal Investigator Dr Melvin Lobo from Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute and Barts Health NHS Trust said: “These results leave us clinicians in no doubt that this ultrasound-based therapy works to improve blood pressure control – at least in the short term. Further larger trials will be needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of the technology, but we hope that they could lead to renal denervation therapy being offered as an alternative to lifelong medications for hypertension.”
The study has limitations including the short follow-up time of two months. This was done for safety reasons to minimise the duration of patients being off antihypertensive medications. Longer follow-up of this trial and additional numbers of treated patients will be necessary to provide greater assurance of safety and to exclude rare adverse events.
Learn more: Surgery involving ultrasound energy found to treat high blood pressure
The Latest on: Hypertension
[google_news title=”” keyword=”hypertension” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Hypertension
- Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery May Be Effective for Hypertension in Patients With Obesityon July 22, 2024 at 7:03 am
In patients with obesity who have had metabolic and bariatric surgery there is lower antihypertensive medication use and rates of new-onset hypertension.
- Hypertension Before Pregnancy Reduces Live Birth Rates in ARTon July 22, 2024 at 5:38 am
Hypertension before pregnancy was linked to lower live birth rates among patients who underwent assisted reproductive technologies.
- Pulmonary Hypertension: New Investigation Reveals Major Inequities in Accessibility Across Canadaon July 22, 2024 at 5:01 am
"I saw 3 cardiology-related physicians, two respirologists, several ER physicians, a GP, and another cardiologist over the course of many years before finally receiving a diagnosis of pulmonary ...
- PAH Risk Scoring Systems Can Also Predict Survival in Pulmonary Hypertensionon July 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Risk stratification scoring systems designed for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) that include 3 or 4 strata can also predict survival in patients with non-PAH pulmonary hypertension (PH), ...
- Comprehensive Risk Assessment for Hypertension Treatmenton July 21, 2024 at 11:31 am
AHA's Guidance on Hypertension Medication Therapy The team from the University of Alabama compared the predicted risks estimated by the AHA’s PREVENT risk calculator, released i ...
- Harvard Health Publishing Q&a: Pulmonary Hypertensionon July 20, 2024 at 2:28 pm
How accurate is echocardiography for pulmonary hypertension? Answered by Dr. Howard E. Lewine M.D. Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing · 40 years of experience · USA Pulmonary hypertension ...
- 90-day prescriptions lead to better blood pressure outcomes in childrenon July 19, 2024 at 1:30 pm
A new study by pediatric researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) found that children take their hypertension (high blood pressure) medication more consistently when they ...
- Pharmacists and community health workers lead successful hypertension interventionson July 19, 2024 at 9:47 am
When it comes to helping patients with high blood pressure get their hypertension under control, a new Tulane University study finds that pharmacists and community health workers have the best success ...
- These healthcare professionals may be secret weapon against hypertension, study sayson July 19, 2024 at 5:51 am
While interventions led by nurses, physicians and multiple healthcare professionals still significantly reduced blood pressure for patients, pharmacists achieved the greatest improvements, followed by ...
via Bing News