Introduction on Renal Sympathetic Denervation - A Review of Applications in Current Practice
Up to one-in-five treated hypertensive patients are deemed to be treatment resistant1-3 (on at least three different anti-hypertensive medication classes, including a diuretic)4-6 and have high cardiovascular risk.7-9 There is a paucity of high-quality evidence to suggest that the addition of a fourth line (or fifth, sixth line, etc.) medication is likely to bring either hypertension under control or to reduce excess morbidity/mortality in resistant hypertension (RHTN).5 Recently, renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) has been suggested as an effective, evidence-based approach for controlling RHTN.10