13.12.13
Denervation therapy developed to lower blood pressure
A new treatment is being pioneered to improve outcomes in patients with drug-resistant high blood pressure. The advanced type of renal denervation therapy can reduce blood reduce, minimising the risk of stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT is starting to use radiofrequency energy to disrupt the network of nerves around the kidneys, causing blood pressure to drop significantly in most patients.
The treatment, which does not require surgery, is part of a five-year research study for patients with impaired kidney function.
Dr William McKane, a consultant kidney specialist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and principal investigator for the study, said: “We are delighted to have performed this revolutionary minimally invasive treatment, which has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure in patients that are resistant to medication.
“This study gives us the chance to make the treatment available to patients with some loss of kidney function, including in this case a patient who has already had a kidney removed. This is not a cure for high blood pressure, but it offers some hope for appropriate patients where usual treatments have not been effective.
“Drug-resistant hypertension is very hard to treat, and the heart has to work much harder in patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure. This puts patients at greater risk of life-threatening stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. Renal denervation offers a much needed new treatment option for patients where medications and lifestyle interventions have failed.”
Professor Peter Gaines commented: “Since 1995 the Sheffield Vascular Institute has been combining the skills of surgeons with interventional radiologists to diagnose and treat blood vessel disorders. We have performed a number of landmark treatments so it’s great news for patients that we are one of the few hospitals in the region currently offering this nerve-tingling treatment.”
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