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| Contact: Christine Hill (612) 873-5719 |
04/02/09 |
Hennepin County Medical Center seeks additional study participants
At the recent American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in Florida, study results released from a new procedure performed on patients with uncontrolled hypertension is showing remarkable outcomes. The catheter-based procedure, called “renal denervation,” leads to impressive reductions in blood pressure.
“We’ve known for a long time that the renal nerve plays a role in hypertension,” explains Dr. Bradley Bart, Chief of Cardiology at Hennepin County Medical Center. “The procedure involves delivering a thermal injury to the kidney’s renal nerves without damaging the kidney or nearby structures. It only takes 30 minutes in the cath lab to ablate the nerve. Within one month, patients experience a significant reduction in blood pressure, and after three months, another reduction – sometimes as much as 30 points. Reductions in blood pressure of this magnitude following a simple catheter-based intervention are unprecedented.”
Hennepin County Medical Center was the first hospital in North America to perform the procedure, and the only institution in Minnesota to participate in this study. They are currently recruiting more patients for the study. Candidates should call 612-873-5364 to see if they qualify for the trial.
Hennepin Heart Center at Hennepin County Medical Center has a long tradition of delivering patient-centered, high-quality cardiovascular care. Using the latest interventions, cardiac specialists provide expertise in arrhythmia management, cardiac catheterization, rehabilitation, surgery, monitoring and imaging, and cardiac therapies. Hennepin Heart Center is one of 8 regional centers comprising the Heart Failure Research Network established by the National Institutes of Health. Visit hcmc.org for more information about Hennepin Heart Center.
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