What are the results of a renal denervation?

Wanda Brown, 88, was the first patient to have a renal denervation at the Heart Hospital of Austin outside of a study.

“It was a piece of cake,” she said. During the clinical study, renal denervation caused less fluctuation in the blood pressure, and the top number (systolic) dropped on average by seven, the bottom number (diastolic) by two. That would mean someone having a high blood pressure of 147/90 would see a drop to 140/88. Normal is near 120/80, and while the person’s blood pressure still might not be normal, the procedure has reduced the blood pressure, putting less strain on the heart and other organs.

While that might seem like a small change, “the reduction is notable,” Zidar said.

Why does a small lowering of blood pressure matter?

The danger of high blood pressure is that it sneaks up on you, Zidar said. You might not feel bad, but eventually it will wear you down. Think about lowering your blood pressure “like saving a dollar a day. You will reap the benefit,” he said.

For Brown, she no longer has huge fluctuations in her blood pressure. She had high blood pressure for more than 30 years and used multiple medications, tried to stay active and eat well.

“They would try things, and it would have no effect at all,” she said. “That’s just been difficult.”

She discovered her heart is not the problem, Brown said.

“In fact, for someone my age, it is in pretty good shape,” she said.

After the denervation, her top numbers went from the 140s and 150s to upper 120s to 130s.

“That’s substantial,” Brown said.

Now she and her doctors are working out whether she’ll need less blood pressure medication because of her lowered numbers. More studies will need to be done on whether doing the renal denervation could be cost effective because of more blood pressure control and fewer medications, Zidar said. Because it is FDA approved, insurance does cover the cost of the treatment. Costs will vary based on insurance. Medicare reimburses $5,432 for the procedure.