University Heart Center/ Campus Bad Krozingen of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has been successfully certified as the first renal denervation center in Baden-Württemberg.

For patients with high blood pressure that cannot be lowered by lifestyle changes or medication, the nerve cords in the renal arteries can be targeted to lower blood pressure.

This so-called renal denervation should be carried out in certified centers with a high level of experience wherever possible, as the European Society of Hypertension recommends.

"Renal denervation is an important treatment option for patients with uncontrollably high blood pressure. Until now, some patients have been taking several blood pressure medications at once without any improvement," says Dr. Elias Noory, Senior Consultant at the Department of Cardiology and Angiology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "In recent years, we have been able to offer the procedure to patients as part of several medical studies. In our studies, 80 percent of those treated benefited permanently."

Correcting "overactive" communication between nerves and renal arteries

If a person's blood pressure stays above 140 to 90 mmHg for a long time, the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke or kidney disease increases. It is often possible to regulate blood pressure through diet, exercise and well-tolerated medication. However, in around 20 percent of those affected, even regular use of three or more antihypertensive medications is unsuccessful. These patients suffer from treatment-resistant high blood pressure, known as "refractory hypertension".

For them - and for patients who cannot tolerate high blood pressure medication - renal denervation can bring an important improvement. This minimally invasive procedure uses catheters to eliminate (obliterate) overactive nerves around the renal arteries, which play a key role in blood pressure regulation. Through targeted obliteration, the disturbed communication between the sympathetic nervous system and the kidneys is brought back into balance. This often results in a long-term reduction in blood pressure.

• The Heart Center, University of Freiburg