Hattiesburg Clinic investigates novel approach to treat uncontrolled high blood pressure
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Parts of this article is by Hattiesburg Clinic.
Hypertension Center and Heart & Vascular, both departments at Hattiesburg Clinic, are now enrolling patients to participate in a study investigating a medical device to help lower blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension, a chronic condition defined as an average systolic blood pressure at or above 140 mmHg.
Hypertension Center and Heart & Vascular have partnered to offer two new global clinical trials investigating renal denervation with the investigational Symplicity Spyral™ catheter and Symplicity G3™ radiofrequency (RF) generator.
If left untreated, it can significantly increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and death.
Dr. Bryan Batson with the Hypertension Department said, "Hypertension is obviously a very common disease especially in the South."
"Hypertension and high blood pressure affects over a third of the adults in the United States and even more in the South" added Dr. Batson.
Renal denervation is a minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure that may potentially decrease the sensitivity of nerves that line the walls of the arteries leading to the kidneys.
These nerves are part of the sympathetic nervous system, which is one of the ways the body controls blood pressure.
Cardiologist Dr. Robert Wilkins said, "By putting this small catheter with the electrodes inside the kidney arteries we can deliver energy called radio frequency energy through the wall of the artery."
In people with hypertension, the renal nerves are hyperactive, raising blood pressure and contributing to heart, kidney and blood vessel damage.
The two separate trials enrolling at Hattiesburg Clinic are investigating the effect of renal denervation on high blood pressure in patients who are and who are not taking medications to lower their blood pressure.
“We are proud to have been selected to participate in these groundbreaking trials as there is a true unmet need here for patients living in the Pine Belt,” said Dr. Batson.
Dr Batson continued, “We look forward to helping identify which patients might be the most appropriate for this investigational treatment.”
Dr. Wilkins said, "And by this minimally evasive procedure the hope is we can at least reduce blood pressure or potentially get folks off blood pressure medication all together."
Together these trials are part of Medtronic’s SPYRAL HTN Global Clinical Trial Program, a unique, phased clinical study strategy evaluating the true treatment effect of renal denervation for uncontrolled hypertension.
