New Treatment for Drug-Resistant Hypertension

A novel renal denervation system is designed to treat patients with refractory hypertension, who do not respond to traditional medical therapy.

The OneShot renal denervation system is an irrigated, radiofrequency (RF) based balloon catheter that is used to ablate the renal sympathetic nerves, located in the outer wall of the renal arteries. The system offers reproducible electrode apposition, eliminating user variability, and forms a helical ablation pattern for more complete denervation. The technique involves standard percutaneous balloon placement, which is then inflated under low pressure to ensure tight electrode apposition and RF delivery.

Using the nontraumatic wire-guided low-pressure balloon delivery system has been shown to greatly reduce overall procedure time, as well consistent results. The OneShot system is a product of Covidien (Dublin, Ireland), and has received the European community CE marking of approval.

“For the large subsets of patients who have refractory hypertension and are unresponsive to traditional pharmacologic agents, the field of catheter-based renal denervation holds enormous promise,” said Mark Turco, MD, chief medical officer of vascular therapies at Covidien. “We believe that the OneShot system will provide advantages over existing devices and strengthens Covidien’s leadership in delivering best-in-class vascular solutions.”

Resistant hypertension is defined as failure to achieve goal blood pressure (BP) when a patient adheres to the maximum tolerated doses of three antihypertensive drugs, including a diuretic.

Resistant hypertension is a common clinical problem faced by both primary care clinicians and specialists. While the exact prevalence of resistant hypertension is unknown, clinical trials suggest that it is not rare, involving perhaps 20%-30% of study participants. As older age and obesity are two of the strongest risk factors for uncontrolled hypertension, the incidence rate of resistant hypertension is expected to rise.

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