St. Luke’s performs the Philippines' first successful renal denervation

St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City’s Heart Institute has successfully performed the first renal sympathetic denervation in the Philippines last July 1, 2013 to a patient experiencing resistant hypertension or poorly controlled blood pressure.   

 

The breakthrough procedure was done by Dr. Jose Nicolas M. Cruz, Interventional Cardiologist and head of the St. Luke’s Global City Heart Institute and Dr. Tony S. Walton, one of the innovators of renal denervation and Interventional Cardiologist at the Victorian Heart Center of the Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) is an innovative treatment option for patients with uncontrolled hypertension whose blood pressure levels are way above the accepted amounts despite taking three or more anti-hypertensive medications. This new procedure calms down overactive renal nerves by delivering high-frequency radio waves (RF waves) to specific nerves near the kidneys.  It then eliminates hyperactive nerves that produce hormones that increase blood pressure. Patients who undergo RDN will benefit from improved blood pressure.

 

“The effect is consistent and long lasting and systolic and diastolic blood pressure reading has been reported to drop significantly. Complication rate is also extremely low,” said Dr. Cruz. “It has been reported during the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress that renal sympathetic denervation is associated with reduced probability of cardiovascular death by as much as 30 percent compared to standard medical therapy.”

 

This minimally invasive catheter-based procedure can be completed in as short as 50 minutes and significantly lowers and improves blood pressure control after a period of one to six months. To date, the Heart Institute’s Renal Denervation Team has performed two successful procedures this month. 

 

In addition to collaborating during the procedure, RDN innovator Dr. Walton also conducted a brief lecture on the clinical data, evidences and new developments on RDN.

 

Patients with hypertension usually have overactive renal (kidney) nerves which lead to high blood pressure and may bring about heart, blood vessel and kidney damage. Left untreated, these patients may experience cardiovascular complications that may lead to death. 

 

“As high as 70 percent of strokes and about 50 percent of deaths due to heart attacks are attributed to resistant hypertension. Uncontrolled hypertension also leads to higher rates of congestive heart failure and parenchymal kidney disease that may eventually require dialysis or kidney transplantation,” Dr. Cruz said. 

 

For more information on how renal sympathetic denervation can help you control your resistant hypertension, please contact St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City Heart Institute at (02) 7897700 ext. 2000 or 2010.

Press release and photos from St. Luke’s Medical Center