Controlling high blood pressure
A new revolutionary
device could have the
potential to help millions.
cott & White is pursuing
groundbreaking therapy for
people seeking to protect their
future by controlling their high blood
pressure. To help them, Scott & White
has been selected by the Food and Drug
Administration to be one of the few
centers in the nation to participate in the
clinical trial of the Rheos® Baroreflex
Hypertension Therapy™ System. One of
two Scott & White vascular surgeons
serving as study investigators, Robert
Feldtman, MD, FACS, Division of
Vascular Surgery, Scott & White
Healthcare; and associate professor of
Surgery, Texas A&M Health Science
Center College of Medicine, says, “This is
very exciting technology. This is equal to
the breakthrough in the 1950s when the
first heart pacemakers were implanted.”
S
The Impact of
High Blood Pressure
The Rheos device has the potential to help
the roughly 20 million Americans who
have high blood pressure that cannot be
controlled with medication. This could be
the “tip of the iceberg” since one in three
American adults have high blood pressure
and don’t know it. While millions more
successfully maintain a healthy blood
pressure with treatment, they often suffer
from side effects that keep them from
living their life the way they want. The
Rheos device may help them, too.
High blood pressure can damage
small blood vessels, making them less
effective in supplying the body’s vital
organs with oxygen and nutrients. When
left uncontrolled, high blood pressure
increases the risk for heart disease, stroke
and other serious health problems. Yet high
blood pressure is difficult to control
because many patients fail to reach target
levels despite treatment, according to the
American Heart Association, American
Society of Hypertension and the Preventive
Cardiovascular Nurses’ Association.
Participation in the Study
Fewer than 100 of the devices have
been implanted so far, 10 of them at
Scott & White, one of 26 facilities
conducting the study. The palmsized, battery-operated generator
is surgically implanted under the
skin near the collarbone, with
electric leads wrapped around
the carotid artery on each side
of the neck. The body
already has its own
BRAIN
Impulses going
to the brain
CAROTID
ARTERY
Brain sends
signals to
organs that
regulate blood
pressure
HEART
Rheos®
device
KIDNEYS
Summer 08 Catalyst
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