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LUTZ – St. Joseph’s Hospital-North is performing an innovative procedure that can lower patients’ blood pressure with less medication or no medication at all.
The procedure is called a “renal denervation” and performed by a specialist in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology.
“Patients with resistant hypertension defined as blood pressure over 130 systolic or 80 diastolic on three medications or higher are candidates for renal denervation,” said Dr. Muthusamy Velusamy, a cardiologist who performs the procedure at the Lutz hospital.
Renal denervation is a one-time procedure that targets nerves near the kidneys that can become overactive and cause elevated blood pressure. During the minimally invasive procedure, the doctor inserts a thin tube into the renal arteries and applies thermal energy to disrupt the nerves. The tube is removed, leaving no implant behind. The patient is under mild sedation during the procedure and expected to go home the same day.
“Renal denervation can be very effective, the outcomes can be good in managing blood pressure resulting in less medications or no medications for some patients,” Velusamy said. “It is nice to have this treatment locally and make it available to patients to help achieve good control of blood pressure.”
High blood pressure is a common condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure and only about one in four have it under control.
The prevalence of the condition makes the innovative solution of renal denervation all the more compelling.
“Renal denervation is a proven approach to lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of medications patients need to have,” said Kimberly Wright, manager of interventional services and noninvasive cardiology at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.
Clearwater’s Morton Plant Hospital, Safety Harbor’s Mease Countryside Hospital, Tampa’s St.
Joseph’s Hospital and Winter Haven Hospital are also performing this procedure.
Other BayCare hospitals will offer renal denervation in the future.
