Around the world, high blood pressure is a leading cause of death. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, significantly increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease such as congestive heart failure, heart attack or stroke.
Unfortunately for many people, medications and lifestyle changes are not enough to bring their blood pressure down to a safe level. A new procedure called renal denervation is a one-time treatment option that can offer results for people struggling to control their hypertension.
“High blood pressure is a major health concern and up to 50% of people with hypertension do not have it adequately controlled,” said David Bartov, MD, interventional cardiologist and principal investigator of the SPYRAL AFFIRM trial at Atlantic Health System. “Renal denervation is a very exciting tool for us to treat high blood pressure. For patients who are struggling with uncontrolled hypertension, this procedure is an option that provides a lot of hope.”
Preventing and treating high blood pressure
Blood pressure is often called a silent killer. Many people don’t have symptoms, and the only way to detect it is to monitor your blood pressure regularly.
Due to the nature of high blood pressure, there is no one-size-fits-all method to treat it. Dr. Bartov says a healthy lifestyle is essential to keeping your heart healthy and controlling your blood pressure. This includes making time for at least 150 minutes of exercise that gets your heart rate up each week, as well as eating a low-sodium, heart-healthy diet.
Medications are also a tried-and-true way to control blood pressure. However, Dr. Bartov explains that many people require multiple blood pressure medications, which can lead to poor compliance with taking it as prescribed.
“Unfortunately, there’s not one magic pill to solve high blood pressure,” says Dr. Bartov. “Patients often end up frustrated when they hear they will need to take multiple pills every day to improve their blood pressure. Every additional medication reduces the likelihood of taking them regularly as prescribed.”
How renal denervation works
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved renal denervation as an additional treatment for high blood pressure. It’s designed to be used when other methods, such as medications and lifestyle changes, fail to adequately control a person’s blood pressure. Atlantic Health System is offering the new procedure as part of the SPYRAL AFFIRM trial through Medtronic.
Dr. Bartov says renal denervation targets the connection between your brain and kidneys that results in high blood pressure, which is also how many blood pressure-lowering medications work. During the catheter-based procedure, a small tube is inserted into your groin near your renal artery. In a process known as ablation, radio frequency or ultrasound technology heats the tissue containing nerves in the fat cells near your renal artery. This reduces the release of the hormones that cause high blood pressure and does not affect the surrounding tissue.
“Renal denervation can reduce the number of medications some people need to take to control their blood pressure,” says Dr. Bartov. “For people who don’t tolerate their medications or have significant side effects or interactions, renal denervation should be considered an important option.”
The benefits of renal denervation
The renal denervation procedure takes approximately one hour and Dr. Bartov says that patients go home the same day as their procedure.
Lowering your blood pressure even a little bit can have a profound effect on your long-term cardiovascular health. Dr. Bartov explains that reducing your blood pressure 10 points can reduce your risk of a heart failure and stroke by nearly 30%. He adds that hypertension is one of the most powerful modifiable risk factors when it comes to heart health.
“Lowering your blood pressure is one of the most important things you can do to protect your heart and brain,” says Dr. Bartov. “There’s no question that prevention of cardiovascular disease is better than treatment after a cardiovascular event.”
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