– By Shawn Moaddeb
The first SYMPLICITY HTN trials generated enthusiasm for catheter-based treatment of hypertension resistant to pharmacotherapy. However, when the treatment arm of SYMPLICITY HTN-3 failed to show significantly lower systolic blood pressure than the control group, some industry observers concluded that the door had been closed on renal denervation. Despite this surprisingly negative result, most industry participants (manufacturers, physicians, etc.) remain optimistic about the future of renal denervation. The sponsor of SYMPLICITY has redesigned its product and refined its trial protocol, while other major medical device manufacturers continue with their own product development in the area. Key physician opinion leaders continue to view renal denervation as a potential hypertension treatment, not least as all clinical trials to date have shown the procedure to be safe. There are several factors driving this enthusiasm…
American Heart Association
World Health Organization
Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF)
EuroPcr
[1] WHO – Global Health Observatory (GHO) data, accessed Feb 2 2016
[2] Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou O, Butler J, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: A policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123:933-944
[3] Kearney PM, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Muntner P, Whelton PK, He J. Global burden of hypertension: analysis of worldwide data. Lancet. 2005;365(9455):217-23.
[4] Chobanian et al. Hypertension. 2003; 42(6):1206-1252.