- The procedure, known as renal denervation, involves stopping the release of hormones produced in the kidneys to regulate blood pressure.
El Torrejón University Hospital, part of the public network of the Community of Madrid, has taken a step forward in the treatment of poorly controlled or resistant arterial hypertension thanks to the incorporation of renal denervation by ultrasound to its wide range of services. This is an innovative minimally invasive technique used to reduce blood pressure in those patients whose values remain high despite the use of medication. Thanks to this new procedure, the Torrejón centre offers new treatments to care for those patients with resistant hypertension, improving its control and reducing cardiovascular risks.
The procedures in this field, successfully carried out for the first time by the team of Interventional Cardiology at the Torrejón University Hospital, have been carried out using a catheter designed to perform renal denervation using ultrasound. This is cutting-edge technology that has demonstrated excellent results in international clinical trials and that allows this innovative procedure to be performed to treat resistant arterial hypertension. This percutaneous (transcatheter) procedure consists of the application of ultrasound energy through a catheter introduced into the renal artery. This energy causes the selective ablation (destruction) of the renal sympathetic nerves, without damaging the vessels and reducing their activity to decrease the nerve signaling that contributes to the constriction of blood vessels and the retention of sodium and water by the kidneys.
“In this case, the kidney arteries are operated on because this is an organ that plays a fundamental role in controlling hypertension, since its walls contain nerves that produce the release of hormones that regulate blood pressure,” explain it Dr. Elda Besada, head of the Nephrology service from the University Hospital of Torrejón. “By eliminating the nerves, the production of these hormones and their impact on the body is reduced, helping to better control resistant hypertension,” Add.
“Thanks to the incorporation of this procedure, we can safely and effectively treat patients with poorly controlled high blood pressure despite pharmacological treatment, achieving a significant benefit in the clinical control of blood pressure with a success rate that in many cases exceeds 80%,” expose the Dr. Iván Núñez Gil, head of the Cardiology Department at the Torrejón University Hospital. “This is an effective alternative for thousands of patients with resistant or refractory hypertension in Spain, expanding their treatment options beyond the exclusive use of drugs,” the doctor assesses.
Ultrasound renal denervation is performed completely percutaneously, accessing the blood vessels through the skin without the need for open surgery. This approach has multiple advantages for patients, as it reduces the risk of complications, allows for a faster recovery, less postoperative pain and, in many cases, patients require less than 24 hours of hospitalization. At the Torrejón University Hospital, this therapy is part of a comprehensive approach to the management of refractory arterial hypertension, in which a multidisciplinary team of specialists from the Nephrology services and Cardiology, assesses each patient individually to ensure the best possible care.
Furthermore, the hospital's interventional cardiology team has been the first in Spain to receive official accreditation to carry out this technique, reaffirming its leadership in the adoption of innovative technologies and its commitment to excellence in cardiovascular care. This advance reinforces the position of the Torrejón University Hospital as a reference centre in the application of advanced therapies for cardiovascular diseases, offering safe and effective alternatives to patients to improve their quality of life thanks to a highly qualified and constantly updated medical team.
This new renal denervation procedure is performed using ultrasound, a less invasive technology that allows the kidney arteries to be treated precisely. However, the first denervations were carried out in 2013 at the Torrejón centre using radiofrequency to try to interrupt nerve activity in the renal arteries to control hypertension.