Renal Denervation

You’ve made the right lifestyle changes. And you’ve tried high blood pressure medications for a while — but nothing’s really changed. Now maybe you’re just tired, worried and frustrated. You want to start feeling better again.

If you have high blood pressure (hypertension) and standard therapies have not been successful, there is hope ahead — and help is available. At Cleveland Clinic London, we offer an innovative, minimally invasive procedure called renal denervation that can help get your blood pressure under control. And you can receive this procedure without an overnight stay in hospital. We’re one of a select few private hospitals in the U.K. offering renal denervation, so you’re in the right place. And you’re in good hands.

About Renal Denervation for Resistant Hypertension

Nerves in your kidneys (renal system) receive signals from the brain to help manage blood pressure. When you have hypertension, these signals are overactive, causing your blood pressure to rise. Hypertension is a leading cause of heart attack, kidney damage and stroke, which is why blood pressure control is essential.

Resistant hypertension is when medication and lifestyle changes fail to lower blood pressure to safer levels. That’s where renal denervation may help — a minimally invasive procedure where we use focused energy to suppress overactive nerve signals. We deliver treatment through slender tubes (catheters) inserted into a tiny incision in your groin under local anaesthetic. Recovery is quick, and you go home the same day.

You’ll receive services from consultants who have completed training in elite hospitals and hold themselves to the highest standards. Interventional cardiologists who excel in renal denervation guide your care. They work alongside endocrinologists and interventional radiologists to ensure safe, appropriate treatment.

Additional highlights include:

• State-of-the-art facilities: You’ll undergo renal denervation in a cardiac catheterisation lab with the latest technologies. Interventional cardiologists use a special catheter with electrodes at the tip to deliver hot or cold energy to specific areas of nerve tissue. Real-time imaging provides enhanced views of the treatment area, enabling precise care.
• Comfort: Before and after your procedure, you’ll stay in a spacious private room with a hotel-like setting and sweeping views of central London. Highly skilled nurses attend to your needs. They’ll work with consultants to monitor your recovery, so you go home as soon as it is medically safe.
• Timely access: We see new patients promptly and coordinate additional pre-procedure assessments. If you are eligible for a renal denervation procedure, you’ll receive treatment within a few weeks. Get started by calling +44 80 0098 1748.

A renal denervation procedure may be right for you if you have resistant hypertension. Or if you’re taking blood pressure medication but have found that side effects are too difficult to manage.

Evaluation

When you come to Cleveland Clinic London, we want to hear from you — your story is important. So we’ll review your medical history, including the blood pressure treatments you have tried and your response. After a physical exam, we’ll order tests to determine if renal denervation is suitable for you.

Tests include:

• Blood tests to assess kidney function.
• Imaging with CT scans or MRI helps us investigate blood vessels.
• Hormone screening can help if there’s a concern of thyroid disease or other endocrine-related concerns.

Case review

After assessments are complete, our consultant team will review your results. Interventional cardiologists, endocrinologists and interventional radiologists decide whether you are eligible for renal denervation. If so, they start planning your procedure. In most cases, you’ll get treatment within days.

Renal denervation procedure

During a renal denervation procedure:

• You’ll receive local anaesthetic to block sensation and additional medications (sedatives) that will make you feel sleepy.
• Interventional cardiologists will make a small cut in your groin and advance a catheter through a blood vessel to reach your kidney. They’ll be guided by high-definition, real-time imaging during this process.
• Our consultants will use sophisticated instruments to deliver bursts of energy at the catheter tip, disconnecting the nerves so they stop receiving signals from the brain.
• We’ll deliver a few bursts on one side and repeat the process on the other side.
• After the procedure, you’ll recover in a private room for a few hours and go home later that day.

After renal denervation

You’ll visit the interventional cardiologist a few weeks after the procedure to make sure you’re recovering as expected. We’ll also see you periodically over the next six months to monitor your blood pressure and kidney function.

You may experience a modest drop in blood pressure shortly after renal denervation, but for most people blood pressure continues going down over the next 12 months. Over time, you’ll likely need fewer blood pressure medications and smaller doses.

Information for Referring Providers

Renal denervation is an evidence-based method for reducing blood pressure in patients who haven’t improved (remain refractory) despite a regimen of at least three medications. Trial data and population studies show blood pressure reduction of 10- to 20mmHg — a substantive accomplishment towards lowering cardiovascular risk.

If you have a patient with resistant hypertension, we welcome the opportunity to take part in their care. Contact us or call +44 80 0098 1748 to learn more.

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