We could all do with a little less pressure in our lives.  

Everyone experiences daily events that raise their blood pressure. For most of us, these increases are temporary and have no lasting impact on our health. Patients with chronic hypertension face a dramatically higher risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and death. Because of these risks, the disease is treated aggressively with lifestyle changes and prescription medication. Unfortunately, in half of treated patients these steps alone are not enough to control blood pressure.  Additionally, some patients have a hard time tolerating the side-effects of medications. Clearly, another treatment option is needed.

Using the body’s own mechanisms to lower blood pressure.

One of the body’s primary methods for controlling blood pressure involves the sympathetic nervous system. This system includes the major organs that are responsible for regulating blood pressure: the brain, the heart, the kidney and the blood vessels themselves. One key player in long term blood pressure regulation is the kidney.  Renal nerves communicate information from the kidney to the brain, and vice versa.

In people with hypertension, the renal nerves are hyperactive, which raises blood pressure and contributes to heart, kidney and blood vessel damage.  Selectively quieting hyperactive renal nerves causes a reduction in the kidneys’ production of hormones that raise blood pressure and may protect the heart, kidney and blood vessels from further damage.

The Symplicity® Catheter System was developed to give doctors a minimally invasive endovascular treatment to accomplish this goal.