Ascension Sacred Heart Bay in front lines of new procedure to fight high blood pressure
PANAMA CITY A local hospital is at the front lines of a groundbreaking procedure with the potential to save lives.
According to Amir Haghighat, a medical doctor and interventional cardiologist for the Cardiovascular Institute of Northwest Florida, Ascension Sacred Heart Bay is among the first wave of hospitals in the area to begin treating patients with a new FDA-approved technology to help patients with chronic high blood pressure.
Haghighat, who works the majority of his cases at Ascension, is one of two doctors at the hospital permitted to oversee the new procedure, known as renal (kidney) denervation. It uses radio frequency energy in the kidneys to disrupt nerves that sends signals to the brain about blood pressure.
"The new procedure was only recently FDA approved within the last couple of months, and it has only become available for commercial use is very few hospitals across this region" he said. "I think it's a big statement (for Ascension). It's saying 'look, we're back.'"
He noted that before Category 5 Hurricane Michael decimated many areas of the county in October 2018, it was more common to see such types of new technologies introduced at Ascension. It was only recently the hospital got its stride back.
"Seeing Ascension take the leap and go ahead and invest in a new technology before others and in a time like this shows that it is really committed to the cardiovascular service line here locally," Haghighat said. "I think it's a great opportunity for our patients."
He noted renal denervation has been shown to reduce blood pressure by at least 10 points. This is significant because reducing someone's blood pressure by just 10 points has been shown to greatly reduce the risks of heat attacks, strokes and heart disease.
The procedure currently is only available for patients who have not been able to control high blood pressure with prescriptions alone. It has a complication rate less than 1%.
"For those patients, you're running out of choices," Haghighat said. "(Renal denervation) is super safe ... so it's a very effective procedure for this situation."
A press release from Ascension notes its first local renal denervation was performed on March 13. It also states that heart disease and strokes are the leading causes of death in the U.S., and half of adults 45 years old and older have high blood pressure.
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According to the release, more than 2,000 were people in Bay County were hospitalized over the past three years for high blood pressure.
"Primary prevention and basically lifestyle modification is still, I think, the way to go," Haghighat said. "It's what you start with in every case. ... They have to make the effort to be participating and approving their own health and making so that these problems, in general, improve.
"But then you get these people who are out of options. They've tried everything ... and now we have a new tool, which is really exciting."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Ascension Sacred Heart Bay fights hypertension with new procedure
