Medtronic releases 1-year hypertension ablation study | MassDevice.com On Call

December 25, 2012 by MassDevice staff

MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Renal ablation continues to look good as a treatment for drug-resistant hypertension after 1 year of follow-up, according to newly released results of Medtronic's (NYSE:MDT) Symplicity HTN-2 trial.

Researchers directed "short bursts of radio waves" at the nerves surrounding the kidneys, successfully lowering blood pressure for at least 6 months and up to 1 year, according to the American Heart Assn.

"Studies will soon determine whether this procedure can cure mild hypertension, producing permanent drug-free normalization of blood pressure," Murray Esler, professor and senior director of the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Australia, said in prepared remarks. "Based on the blood pressure declines achieved, reduction in heart attack and stroke rates of more than 40 percent is anticipated."

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Hypertension, defined as blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg, affects more than 78 million U.S. adults, and 9% of them fail to response to drugs, according to the press release.

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