Sant Joan consolidates an innovative technique for hypertensive patients with the highest number of cases in the region.

-The Centre intervenes in less than a year to five patients with refractory hypertension

-hypertension is a health problem which affects 33% of the Spanish population

– it is estimated that half of infarcts are attributable to the poor control of hypertension

San Juan2013 February.- the service of Cardiology of the University Hospital Sant Joan d ’ Alacant has carried out to date five procedures percutaneous renal denervation in a period of less than a year, which makes it in service with more experience in this technique in the region.

Renal denervation is a technique with promising results in patients with arterial hypertension (AHT) refractory, i.e. those in which blood pressure cannot be controlled despite the rigorous adherence to diet, physical exercise, and taking medication ”, according to point from the Centre.

The existence of a unit of high blood pressure for more than 10 years, as well as the experience of arrhythmias and hemodynamic units in the practice of invasive and percutaneous coronary intervention studies, have been determining factors for this technique. The hospital performed the first procedure in may 2012 and the last two have taken place on January 21, all of them in patients who had very high levels of blood pressure and did not respond to antihypertensive treatment.

This intervention allows 85% of cases the pressure figures to be considerably, which had failed previously with medication. Besides this tension decrease, expected that patients evolve progressively, so that in the medium term, if continued decline of tension, it could pose antihypertensive medication withdrawal, although this decision must be taken cautiously by its usual cardiologist ”, indicates the Dr. Bertomeu Vicente González, responsible of the arrhythmias unit of Sant Joan.

The intervention, which has approximately one-hour takes place with sedation and consists of introducing a catheter via femoral access to the renal arteries, where they are administered four to six applications of radio frequency in each artery, with the aim of reducing innervation (nerve irrigation) sympathetic kidneys. This deactivation of the renal nerves is what specialists known as denervation ”.

Integral to the hypertensive patient assistance Protocol

The procedure of percutaneous renal denervation, that an increase of the portfolio of services of the Hospital Sant Joan, is included in a protocol of comprehensive assistance to hypertensive patients, which has been prepared in order to ensure the proper selection of patients and its subsequent follow-up consultations. It is estimated that 10-12% of hypertensive subjects can be classified within the refractory hypertension and is in this group of patients in which the sympathetic renal denervation, as patients who have no other treatment option is indicated.

Thus, this technique is a useful treatment to address the most serious cases of hypertension, a major public health problem that affects approximately 33% of the population, which translates to more than 10 million people in Spain. however ”, says Dr. Bertomeu, when discussed the prevalence of hypertension among Cardiology patients, this amounts to 60-70%. For this reason, it is estimated that approximately half of all new cases of heart attack acute myocardial, or other cardiac complications are directly attributable to the poor control of hypertension ”.