Denervation For Resistant Hypertension Research Articles

Is Renal Denervation Effective in Treating Resistant Hypertension?

Resistant hypertension is diagnosed in patients whose blood pressure target is unmet despite the use of three or more antihypertensive medications. Systemic sympathetic hyperactivation is associated with the development of resistant hypertension. As the kidney is largely pervasive of the sympathetic nervous system renal denervation procedure was developed to control blood pressure by attenuating the renal and systemic sympathetic hyperactivity. Renal denervation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency or ultrasound energy waves to reduce the activity of the renal artery nerves. Previous clinical trials have shown conflicting results regarding the efficacy of the procedure. Symplicity HTN-1 and -2 trials showed effective blood pressure lowering results in the renal denervation group with a good safety profile. However, the Symplicity HTN-3 trial showed no difference in blood pressure lowering effect between the renal denervation and control Sham procedure groups. Notwithstanding, some recent clinical trials with Sham control and meta-analysis showed clinical benefits of renal denervation. Other clinical benefits of renal denervation include glucose control, cardiovascular protective effect, reduction of obstructive sleep apnea, and neuralgia control. A subset of patients with satisfactory blood pressure control response to the procedure may experience improved glucose control due to the overall reduced sympathetic activity and insulin resistance. Sympathetic activity control after renal denervation has cardioprotective effects, especially for those with arrhythmia and left ventricular hypertrophy. Also, renal denervation could be helpful in renalorigin pain control. Renal denervation is an effective, safe, non-invasive procedure with many clinical benefits beyond blood pressure control. Further development in the procedure technique and selection of target patients are needed for wider clinical use of renal denervation in resistant hypertension.

Ultra-long-term efficacy and safety of catheter-based renal denervation in resistant hypertension: 10-year follow-up outcomes.

Randomized sham-controlled trials have confirmed the efficacy and safety of catheter-based renal denervation in hypertension. Data on the very long-term effects of renal denervation are scarce. This study evaluates the 10-year safety and efficacy of renal denervation in resistant hypertension. This prospective single-center study included patients with resistant hypertension undergoing radio-frequency renal denervation between 2010 and 2012. Office blood pressure, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure, antihypertensive medication, color duplex sonography, and renal function were assessed after 1-, 2- and 10-years. Thirty-nine patients completed the 10-year follow-up (mean follow-up duration 9.4 ± 0.7years). Baseline office and 24-h ambulatory systolic blood pressure were 164 ± 23mmHg and 153 ± 16mmHg, respectively. After 10years, 24-h ambulatory and office systolic blood pressure were reduced by 16 ± 17mmHg (P < 0.001) and 14 ± 23mmHg (P = 0.001), respectively. The number of antihypertensive drugs remained unchanged from 4.9 ± 1.4 to 4.5 ± 1.2 drugs (P = 0.087). The estimated glomerular filtration rate declined within the expected range from 69 (95% CI 63 to 74) to 60mL/min/1.73m2 (95% CI 53 to 68; P < 0.001) through 10-year follow-up. Three renal artery interventions were documented for progression of pre-existing renal artery stenosis in two patients and one patient with new-onset renal artery stenosis. No other adverse events were observed during the follow-up. Renal denervation was safe and sustainedly reduced ambulatory and office blood pressure out to 10years in patients with resistant hypertension.

TCT-210 Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Endovascular Ultrasound Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension: 8-Year Results From the ACHIEVE Study

TCT-210 Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Endovascular Ultrasound Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension: 8-Year Results From the ACHIEVE Study

Anatomic Variations of Renal Arteries as an Important Factor in the Effectiveness of Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension.

Hypertension remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite advances in drug-based treatment, many patients do not achieve target blood pressure. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in invasive hypertension treatment methods. Long-term effects and factors affecting renal denervation effectiveness are still under investigation. Some investigators found that the renal arteries' morphology is crucial in renal denervation effectiveness. Accessory renal arteries occur in 20-30% of the population and even more frequently in patients with resistant hypertension. Diversity in renal vascularization and innervation may complicate the renal denervation procedure and increase the number of people who will not benefit from treatment. Based on previous studies, it has been shown that the presence of accessory renal arteries, and in particular, the lack of their complete denervation, reduces the procedure's effectiveness. The following review presents the anatomical assessment of the renal arteries, emphasizing the importance of imaging tests. Examples of imaging and denervation methods to optimize the procedure are presented. The development of new-generation catheters and the advancement in knowledge of renal arteries anatomy may improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the number of patients who do not respond to treatment.

MRI in the assessment of cerebral injury and cerebroprotective effects of renal denervation in resistant hypertension

The purpose of this single-centre, prospective, comparative study was to evaluate the pattern and severity of the brain structural changes in patients with resistant hypertension based on MRI assessments and their changes one year after renal denervation.Material and Methods. The study comprised 53 patients with resistant hypertension (RH), aged 52.1 ± 9.1 years, who underwent renal denervation (RDN) following the Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Patients underwent office blood pressure measurements, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring (BPM), and brain MRI scanning. Using brain MRI, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) system measurements, the presence and severity of periventricular white matter lesion and focal changes in the brain white matter were evaluated.Results. Initially, patients with RH had a high incidence of the structural brain alterations: 43 (81%) patients with fine focal brain lesions, 43 (81%) patients with enlarged CSF spaces, and 48 (90%) patients with periventricular white matter lesions. After renal denervation, a significant hypotensive effect was noted. According to brain MRI, the number of patients without enlarged CSF spaces did not change significantly: 15 (25%) patients initially, and 12 (20%) patients a year later (χ2 = 0.63, р = 0.43 и χ2 = 0.72, р = 0.40). The incidence of periventricular white matter lesion did not significantly change one year after RDN; however, the incidence of fine focal brain lesions significantly decreased in 21 patients (81% to 60%, p = 0.02).Conclusion. Thus, it has been revealed that patients with resistant hypertension are characterised by a high incidence of structural brain alterations based on MRI assessments. Bilateral renal denervation is followed by a significant decrease in the incidence of fine focal brain lesions, without a significant change in the cerebrospinal fluid volume one year after the procedure.

Efficacy and safety of renal denervation in resistant hypertension: two years follow-up

Hypertension remains a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality globally. Difficulties faced by clinicians to obtain adequate blood pressure control in patients with resistant hypertension have led to the development of alternative device-based treatment methods, one of which is renal artery denervation. In the current paper, the results of the study carried out in the Hypertension Department of the Institute of Cardiology regarding the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of renal artery denervation in patients with resistant HTN two years post-procedural are presented.

Long-term antihypertensive effect of renal denervation in resistant hypertension: three years follow-up

Abstract Background Recent studies have shown proven efficacy of renal denervation in arterial hypertension, but there is a continuing need to assess the duration of antihypertensive effect. Purpose Evaluation of the long-term antihypertensive effect of renal denervation in patients with resistant hypertension. Methods 125 apparently resistant patients without comorbidities after a 3-week standardized treatment with Losartan 100 mg, Amlodipin 10 mg and Indapamid 1.5 mg and confirmation of their resistance were randomly assigned into three groups depending on treatment supplemented to previously administered: group I - selective I1-imidazoline agonist Moxonidine, group II - cardioselective beta-blocker Bisoprolol and group III – renal artery denervation. The compliance to treatment was confirmed using 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Renal denervation was performed in the main renal arteries and their branches. Patients were assessed by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at baseline, 3, 12, 24 and 36 months follow-up. Results The mean 24 hour systolic blood pressure (SBP) at baseline were 179.0±2.02 mmHg in group I versus 177.96±2.44 mmHg in group II and 176.92±1.97 mmHg in group III, p&amp;gt;0.05. A statistically significant reduction in SBP m/24 h was noted in all three groups starting at 3 months, the group of patients undergoing renal denervation showing superiority over both groups of pharmacological treatment: −6.48±0.81 mmHg in group I versus −6.2±0.88 mmHg in group II and −23.28±1.9 mmHg in group III, p&amp;lt;0.001. The progressive improvement continued until the end of the study, so at 3 years of evaluation in observational group supplemented with Moxonidine SBP m/24 h were 146.36±1.36 mmHg with a total reduction of −32.64±1.56 mmHg from baseline, in Bisoprolol group −152.88±1.56 mmHg with a reduction of −25.08±1.65 mmHg and 133.16±0.73 mmHg in renal denervation group with a total reduction of −282±1.30 mmHg in group III, p&amp;lt;0.001. The mean 24 hour diastolic blood pressure (DBP) increased at baseline in all three observational groups (105.52±1.28 mmHg in group I versus 108.6±1.6 mmHg in group II and 107.24±0.92 mmHg in group III, p&amp;gt;0.05) similar with SBP m/24 h noted an authentic reduction at 3 months follow-up. The maximum reduction in DBP m/24 h were registered at 3 years of evaluation, a comparative analyses of dynamics between groups showing a presence of statistical difference due to superiority of renal denervation in amelioration of this parameter: −18.36±1.88 mmHg in group I versus −16.84±1.76 mmHg in group II and −28.2±1.30 mmHg in group III, p&amp;lt;0.001. Conclusions All three regimens have been shown to be effective in reducing SBP and DBP m/24 h in patients with resistant hypertension, with a superior but comparable effect of Moxonidine to Bisoprolol and the absolute superiority of renal denervation treatment, the beneficial effect being maintained for a period of 3 years. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): National Agency for Research and Development

Renal denervation in resistant hypertension: a review of clinical trials and future perspectives.

A previous report using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey demonstrated an increase in the prevalence of resistant hypertension, which does not respond to traditional therapy and medication. Studies using various animal hypertensive models have demonstrated significant blood pressure (BP) reduction following renal artery denervation (RDN). Catheter-based RDN became available in clinical trials as a possible treatment option for resistant hypertension. Although first clinical trials of RDN have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of this treatment mortality for lowering BP in patients with resistant hypertension, the role of RDN has been questioned since the results of the Symplicity HTN-3 trial. Considering the ethnic differences demonstrated in the Symplicity HTN-Japan and Global Symplicity registry, by contrast, RDN might be an effective for resistant hypertension in Asian population. Here, we discuss RDN applications and technology, the old and new clinical evidence of RDN, patients' selection of RDN responder, and optimization of RDN procedure in this review. The available evidence demonstrates that RDN could be effective in carefully selected patients with resistant hypertension, paving the way for future research in this area.

Renal sympathetic denervation in resistant hypertension: The association between vitamin D and positive early response in systolic blood pressure

Aims and objectivesVitamin D deficiency is a common finding and there is a suggested association with hypertension. Resistant hypertension is a clinical problem observed in 5–30% of hypertensive patients. Renal denervation (RDN) has been used for patients with resistant hypertension and has proven to lower blood pressure. Our primary goal was to assess the vitamin D serum concentration as a predictor of blood pressure response to RDN in highly selected patients. MethodsThis prospective, nonrandomized, single-center study included 24 patients treated with RDN. Based on their one-year response after RDN, patients were classified as responders or non-responders at six months or at 12 months. ResultsThe median follow-up was 52 months (range, 14-91 months). After RDN, 17 patients (70.8%) had a reduction >5 mmHg in the mean systolic blood pressure, at the first six months of follow-up. At 12 months, 20 patients (83.3%) were responders. Vitamin D levels at baseline (15.1±4.8 vs. 24.2±8.8 ng/ml) and at six months (16.6±7.2 vs. 25±9.2 ng/ml) were lower in early non-responders compared to early responders (p=0.008), without significant variation during follow-up. Even though Vitamin D levels were lower in the total responder's group, no statistically significant differences were found (p=ns). ConclusionIn patients with resistant hypertension, low vitamin D concentrations were associated with an absence of early response to RDN.

Abstract 9910: Effect of Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Introduction: Resistant hypertension is defined as blood pressure that remains ≥ 140/90 mm Hg despite adherence to at least three maximally tolerated doses of antihypertensive medications, including a diuretic. Catheter based renal denervation has been studied as one of the interventions for blood pressure control in such patients. Data comparing renal denervation versus sham procedure have shown disparate results. This meta-analysis summarizes the current evidence on the effect of sham controlled renal denervation on the treatment of resistant hypertension. Methods: Embase, Pubmed and Cochrane Central databases were searched from inception until May 30, 2021. RCTs comparing catheter based renal denervation with a sham control were included. Outcomes assessed were change in 24h ambulatory systolic blood pressure, change in 24h ambulatory diastolic blood pressure, change in office systolic blood pressure, and change in office diastolic blood pressure. Weighted mean differences (WMD) were calculated and pooled into a random effects model meta-analysis. Results: Seven studies with 1,264 participants were included in the analysis. Catheter based renal denervation was associated with significant decrease in ambulatory systolic blood pressure (WMD: -3.76; 95% CI: -2.44 to -5.09, p value &lt;.00001) and ambulatory diastolic blood pressure (WMD: -1.78; 95% CI: -0.84 to -2.72, p value=0.0002) compared with sham. The reduction in office systolic and office diastolic blood pressure was also significantly greater with catheter renal denervation than sham control (WMD: -5.95; 95% CI: -3.93 to -7.97; p value&lt;0.00001 and WMD: -3.54; 95% CI: -2.35 to -4.72; p value&lt;0.00001). Conclusions: There was significant benefit of renal denervation for resistant hypertension for all the studied outcomes. Based on this data, compliant patients with resistant hypertension who are maxed on lifestyle and pharmacological management may benefit from catheter based renal denervation.

Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes for Responders Versus Non-Responders Following Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension.

BackgroundRecent trial results support the efficacy of renal sympathetic denervation in lowering blood pressure (BP). While BP reduction in general is associated with a clinically meaningful reduction in cardiovascular events and mortality, such a relationship has not been described for patients undergoing renal sympathetic denervation.Methods and ResultsClinical events were assessed in patients who underwent renal sympathetic denervation at our center using telephone‐ and clinical follow‐up, interviews with general practitioners, as well as review of hospital databases. Event rates were compared between BP responders (≥5 mm Hg 24‐hour ambulatory BP reduction) and non‐responders; 296 patients were included. Compared with baseline, 24‐hour systolic ambulatory BP was reduced by 8.3±12.2 mm Hg and diastolic BP by 4.8±7.0 mm Hg (P<0.001 for both) after 3 months. One hundred eighty patients were classified as BP responders and 116 as non‐responders. During a median follow‐up time of 48 months, significantly less major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, stroke, myocardial infarction, critical limb ischemia, renal failure) occurred in responders than in non‐responders (22 versus 23 events, hazard ratio [HR], 0.53 [95% CI, 0.28 to 0.97], P=0.041). This was consistent after adjustment for potential confounders as well as confirmed by propensity‐score matching. A proportional relationship was found between BP reduction after 3 months and frequency of major adverse cardiovascular events (HR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58 to 0.97] per 10 mm Hg 24‐hour systolic ambulatory BP reduction).ConclusionsBased on these observational data, blood pressure response to renal sympathetic denervation is associated with improved long‐term clinical outcome.

Resurgence of renal denervation for resistant hypertension.

Endovascular, ultrasound-based renal sympathetic denervation reduces blood pressure in patients with drug-resistant hypertension, according to data from the RADIANCE-HTN TRIO trial.

4-3RENAL DENERVATION FOR RESISTANT HYPERTENSION POST-SIMPLICITY-3 HTN TRIAL: META-ANALYSIS AND SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background: Following the result from SIMPLICITY-3 trial that failed to show the benefit of renal denervation over sham control, the interest on renal denervation had fallen into hibernation. However, there were some authors indicated that SIMPLICITY-3 trial result seemed to have major problems regarding incomplete denervation that led experts to researched and carefully designed studies regarding renal denervation. Since then, there was three carefully-designed, sham-controlled studies published about the issue. However, there was no published meta-analysis on randomized trials after SIMPLICITY-3 era. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of RCTs to determine the effect of renal denervation in resistant hypertension. Methods: A search on MEDLINE and EMBASE was conducted in January 2020. Randomized clinical studies comparing renal denervation and sham-controlled trial published after SIMPLICITY-3 trial were included for this meta-analysis. Study selection: only fully published RCT and abstracts of RCT comparing renal denervation and sham control for resistant hypertension published after SIMPLICITY-3 trial was included. Studies which were duplicated and non-randomized were excluded. Results: The analysis included 149 patients from 3 trials with a duration of follow up of 2–6 months. The reduction in 24-h ambulatory SBP was significantly greater in the renal denervation group compared to the sham procedure (WMD −4.74 mmHg, 95% CI −6.5, −2.99; p &lt; 0,001). There was also significant reduction in 24-h DBP (WMD −3.11 mmHg, 95% CI −3.98, −2.23; p &lt; 0,001), office SBP (WMD −7.1 mmHg, 95% CI −9.12, −5.08; p &lt; 0,001), and office DBP (WMD −4,63 mmHg, 95% CI −5.98, −3.28; p &lt; 0,001). Conclusion: Following SIMPLICITY-3 trial, there were positive results regarding renal denervation on resistant hypertension. Renal denervation significantly reduced blood pressure compared to sham control. Our meta-analysis underscores the importance of conducting new well-designed studies to confirm our observed results.

Controversies in the management of patients with arterial hypertension

Every 5 to 6 years, international and national guidelines provide updated recommendations for the standard management of hypertension in adults. Thus, within the last 18 months, societies from Europe (European Society of Cardiology and European Society of Hypertension), America (American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association), and Great Britain (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) published their new guidelines. Despite the fact that all of them are supposedly based on the most recent clinical evidence, there are always some discrepancies between recommendations due to different interpretation of clinical trials. The purpose of the present review is to discuss 6 issues that have generated some controversies, namely, the definition of hypertension, identification of patients who should be treated, target blood pressure, pertinence of reducing salt intake, and the role of renal denervation in resistant hypertension.

Regression of organ damage following renal denervation in resistant hypertension: a meta-analysis.

Prospective observational studies have suggested that renal denervation (RDN) is associated with target organ damage (TOD) regression. Our aim is to review and meta-analyze the available evidence for the effect of RDN on TOD. We searched literature for studies with eligible content and performed random-effect meta-analyses for the following outcomes: left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left atrial volume index (LAVI), E to A wave velocities of trans-mitral inflow (E/A) and E wave velocity to Em velocity from tissue Doppler imaging (E/Em), central augmentation index (AIx) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Seventeen studies (n = 698 patients) were incorporated in the present meta-analysis. RDN led to a regression of LVMI by 14.17 g/m (95% CI -18.33 to -10.01, P < 0.001) and by 4.75 g/m (95% CI -7.83 to -1.67, P = 0.003) for echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance, respectively. The pooled effect of RDN to E/A was not significant [0.04 (95% CI -0.03 to 0.12, P = 0.252)], whereas a decline of E/Em [-0.73 (95% CI -1.38 to -0.08, P = 0.03)] was observed. The pooled effect to LAVI [-1.67 ml/m (95% CI -4.60 to 1.27, P = 0.266)] reached statistical significance only in sensitivity analysis. RDN had beneficial effects in both AIx [-7.05 (95% CI -9.12 to -4.98, P < 0.001)] and PWV [1.54 m/s (95% CI -2.16 to -0.92, P < 0.001)]. Metaregression analysis revealed an independent effect of RDN on TOD regarding baseline blood pressure and blood pressure reduction. Catheter-based RDN can favorably affect TOD.

Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

It has been postulated that catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) may lower blood pressure (BP) and improve severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in resistant hypertensive patients. The aim of our study (NCT01366625) was to investigate in a prospective randomized trial the effect of RDN on BP and clinical course of OSA. Sixty patients with true resistant hypertension coexisting with moderate-to-severe OSA (apnea/hypopnea index, ≥15) were randomly allocated to RDN group (30 patients) and to control group (30 patients). The primary end point was reduction in office systolic BP at 3 months. Secondary end points included reduction in diastolic office and ambulatory BP, change in apnea/hypopnea index and biochemical measurements at 3 months, and change in echocardiographic measurements at 6 months. There were no differences in clinical characteristics between the groups. At 3 months in the RDN group, both office and ambulatory BP were significantly reduced, and a significant decrease in OSA severity (apnea/hypopnea index, 39.4 versus 31.2 events per hour; P =0.015) was observed. Between-group difference in apnea/hypopnea index change was significant at 0.05. At 6 months in the RDN group, reductions in office and ambulatory BP were sustained and were accompanied by significant improvement in echocardiographic measures of global longitudinal strain. There were no differences in metabolic variables in follow-up in both groups. In a randomized controlled trial, RDN lowered both office and ambulatory BP in patients with resistant hypertension and OSA. This was accompanied by improvement of the clinical severity of OSA. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01366625.

Effectiveness of Renal Denervation in Resistant Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of 11 Controlled Studies.

Early uncontrolled studies reported large blood pressure reductions in subjects with resistant hypertension treated with renal denervation, however these results were not confirmed in several of the latest publications. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of RDN in controlled studies comparing RDN to either a sham procedure or to medical therapy. Only controlled studies were included in the analysis. Both the unadjusted and control-adjusted BP changes were calculated. We identified 11 publications of which only 3 were double-blinded RCTs with a sham control, while 8 were open label studies where the control group was treated with medical therapy. Only 2 studies assessed adherence to medical therapy with robust methodologies. Office BP reduction (- 18/8mmHg) significantly overestimated ABPM change (- 9/- 5mmHg), with high heterogeneity between the included studies. When the treatment effect was adjusted for the BP change in the control group, BP changes became non significant (ABPM: - 1.8 for systolic BP [95% CI - 4.5 to 0.9] and - 0.6 for diastolic BP [95% CI - 2.3 to 1.2]). These results were confirmed when only the sham-controlled studies were analysed. In spite of promising results in early reports, renal denervation fails to show superiority to a sham procedure or to medical therapy in recently published controlled studies. Lack of a sham control in most publications and heterogeneity in assessment of treatment adherence may account for part the variability reported in the studies. Renal denervation fails to show superiority to a sham procedure or to medical therapy in recently published controlled studies.

Salt intake and blood pressure response to percutaneous renal denervation in resistant hypertension.

The effect of lowering sympathetic nerve activity by renal denervation (RDN) is highly variable. With the exception of office systolic blood pressure (BP), predictors of the BP-lowering effect have not been identified. Because dietary sodium intake influences sympathetic drive, and, conversely, sympathetic activity influences salt sensitivity in hypertension, we investigated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion in participants of the SYMPATHY trial. SYMPATHY investigated RDN in patients with resistant hypertension. Both 24-hour ambulatory and office BP measurements were end points. No relationship was found for baseline sodium excretion and change in BP 6months after RDN in multivariable-adjusted regression analysis. Change in the salt intake-measured BP relationships at 6months vs baseline was used as a measure for salt sensitivity. BP was 8mmHg lower with similar salt intake after RDN, suggesting a decrease in salt sensitivity. However, the change was similar in the control group, and thus not attributable to RDN.

Sympathetic nerve traffic and blood pressure changes after bilateral renal denervation in resistant hypertension: a time-integrated analysis.

Renal denervation reduces blood pressure (BP) and sympathetic drive in experimental animal models, but the effect of this intervention on sympathetic activity in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension is still unclear. In an incident series of 29 patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, we performed serial measurements (n = 123) of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA, microneurography) and standardized BP measurements. Data were analysed by mixed linear modelling (MLM) and by regression analysis of time-integrated changes of both MSNA and synchronous, standardized (in-lab) BP measurements. Bilateral renal denervation was accompanied by a marked reduction in MSNA (P = 0.01 by MLM), which was parallelled by a reduction in systolic (from 175 ± 14 to 156 ± 16 mmHg) and, to a lesser extent, in diastolic (from 96 ± 12 to 87 ± 6 mmHg) BP over time. Neither systolic nor diastolic BP associated to a significant extent with corrected MSNA (MSNAC) in the MLM analysis (systolic BP versus MSNAC: β = -0.08, P = 0.08; diastolic BP versus MSNAC: β = -0.007, P = 0.75). However, the study of time-integrated changes in MSNA and BP showed a robust association between proportional changes in MSNA over time and simultaneous changes in systolic and diastolic BP (β = 0.61, P < 0.001 and β = 0.37 P < 0.05). Time-integrated changes in MSNAC and BP after bilateral renal denervation document a close link between the sympathetic activity and BP responses to this procedure. These findings further strengthen the relevance of the sympathetic nervous system both in the pathophysiology of resistant hypertension and in the BP-lowering effect of the procedure.

Almanac 2013: novel non-coronary cardiac interventions.

Recent innovations in interventional cardiology have dramatically expanded the therapeutic options for patients with cardiac conditions. Interventional cardiology is no longer limited to the treatment of coronary artery disease but allows also treatment of valvular disease, stroke prevention, hypertension, etc. One of the most important new treatment options is the percutaneous treatment for aortic valve stenosis (transcatheter aortic valve implantation), since aortic valve disease is a rather common problem in elderly patients, with many of them at high risk for surgery. Similarly, mitral regurgitation is often associated with comorbidities which make surgery high risk. The MitraClip is a promising percutaneous alternative to surgical valve repair or replacement. Other procedures discussed in this review are the percutaneous left atrial appendage closure as a non-pharmacologic therapy to prevent strokes, and renal denervation for resistant hypertension. This review explains the basic principles of these procedures, the most important clinical evidence, and also provides additional recent clinical data on each of them.