RDN - New Treatment for High Blood Pressure

The first use of a new minimally invasive procedure to treat high blood pressure occurred in Latin America in August 2011 in Chile at the annual meeting of Latin American Interventional Cardiologists. Called the Symplicity Catheter System^™ it accomplishes renal denervation, which is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter-based probe inserted into the renal artery where high-frequency energy is emitted to deactivate the sympathetic nerves located in the renal artery walls, which in turn lowers blood pressure without drugs. (Meaning a cure for drug resistant high blood pressure)

The system consists of a generator and a flexible catheter. The catheter is introduced through the femoral artery in the upper thigh and is threaded up into the renal artery near each kidney. Once in place, the tip of the catheter delivers low-power radio-frequency (RF) energy according to a proprietary algorithm, or pattern, to affect the surrounding sympathetic nerves. The procedure does not involve a permanent implant.

The Symplicity Catheter System is already approved and commercially available in Europe and Australia, however is still under investigational use in the US and is not approved for sale there. 

Medronics new blood pressure system has been added to our directory here under cardiology/blood pressure.

Source - Medtronic press release via BusinessWire