Groundbreaking Treatment Offers New Hope for Hard-to-Treat High Blood Pressure

Renal denervation (RDN) is a groundbreaking treatment now available for patients with resistant hypertension (uncontrolled high blood pressure despite multiple medications). Overactivity of the renal nerves – located in the arteries leading to the kidneys – can contribute to persistently high blood pressure. RDN targets these nerves through FDA-approved ablation techniques using either radiofrequency or ultrasound energy to disrupt their function. After the procedure, many patients experience improved blood pressure control and can reduce the amount of blood pressure medication they take or stop taking it altogether.

Having high blood pressure puts you at risk for serious health conditions, including heart disease, heart attack, kidney damage and stroke. Sometimes even with lifestyle changes and medical management, some people have resistant hypertension, where their high blood pressure doesn’t respond to medication or changes to diet and exercise.

The RDN program is led by interventional cardiologist Shailendra Singh, MD, with Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, who says the addition of renal denervation will help people who have difficult-to-control blood pressure and are at significant risk for cardiovascular disease. “Though lifestyle modification and medical therapy remains the mainstay of care, renal denervation has demonstrated effectiveness in multiple clinical trials,” he says.

High blood pressure is one of the most common health issues facing the United States. It often shows no symptoms, which is why many people don’t realize they have it. It can quietly damage your body over a period of years.