Paced Breathing Device Lowers Blood Pressure

A new study shows that device-guided paced breathing lowers blood pressure and the resistance of narrowed blood vessels to blood flow (peripheral resistance).

Resperate, manufactured by InterCure (Lod, Israel), is a portable electronic device that helps patients reduce high blood pressure through paced breathing, a method that uses audible rhythmic tones to control breathing subliminally. The body's natural tendency to follow external rhythms synchronizes breathing to the tones. The device has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has received the European CE mark and the Chinese SDA mark.

A study that tested Resperate was conducted by researchers from Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine (Seoul, South Korea). The study measured systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) and other hemodynamic parameters, heart rate, and blood pressure in 22 hypertensive patients. The patient group was part of a 70-patient multicenter study using Resperate for 15 minutes a day throughout an eight-week period. Overall, patients experienced an average blood pressure reduction of 12.6 mm Hg systolic and 5.3 mm Hg diastolic without a change in heart rate. Furthermore, peripheral resistance as measured by SVRI in the subgroup was significantly reduced from baseline to end values.

"The practical implication of our findings is significant,” said lead author Dr. Kyung-Hoon Choe. "This direct physiological evidence gives us further confidence that the device lowers blood pressure and treats one of its most significant contributing factors.

Narrowed small blood vessels are a primary cause of elevated blood pressure, as they increase the resistance to the body's blood flow and make the heart pump harder. Over time, this overloading of the heart and higher blood pressure can lead to heart failure, rupture of the vessel walls in the brain (stroke), eye damage, kidney failure, and other life-threatening conditions.



Related Links:
InterCure
Yonsei University