Aussies make hypertension breakthrough

Australian scientists have developed a world-first technique that offers to revolutionise the treatment of people with high blood pressure, the cause of many deadly conditions.

In the procedure, a device is inserted into a major blood vessel in the groin, and scientists navigate its tiny radio-emitting tip through the arteries to a position near to the kidneys.

Once in place, it emits a signal which burns off nerves embedded in the vessel walls which are known to play a major role in the body’s regulation of blood pressure.

Associate Professor Markus Schlaich, says reducing the number of nerves that can fire leads to a drop in blood pressure, and the procedure had “very dramatic” results in 45 patients who otherwise failed to respond to conventional anti-hypertension drugs.

“We’re talking about a 20% reduction in blood pressure,” says Professor Schlaich, of the Melbourne-based Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.

“This was the first in-human study that has been carried out, and it was in a patient cohort that we couldn’t control by any other means, there was no hope for these patients”.

While results varied among those who took part in a clinical trial, significant reductions in blood pressure were recorded and many readings were brought to within the normal range.

Monitoring more than a year later showed the reduced blood pressure was maintained, and there was no negative impact on health.

The clinical trial was undertaken in collaboration with experts from Monash University and also Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, and the results are published in The Lancet.