Comparison of a 5 F Microtube-Irrigated Ablation Catheter and a General Ablation Catheter in the Treatment of Resistant Hypertension with Renal Denervation

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of catheter-based renal denervation for reducing blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension using a 5 F microtube-irrigated ablation catheter.Methods:Sixty patients with resistant hypertension were divided into two groups:a microtube-irrigated ablation catheter group and a general ablation catheter group.We conducted 12-month follow-up of all patients and recorded clinical blood pressure,ambulatory blood pressure,medication use,and biochemistry test results in both groups at the baseline and at the 12-month follow-up.Results:All patients underwent renal denervation.At the 6-month follow-up,ambulatory blood pressure in the mi-crotube-irrigated ablation catheter group was signifi cantly lower than in the general ablation catheter group(systolic blood pressure 142.0±14.4 mmHg vs.150.8±17.9 mmHg,P=0.04;diastolic blood pressure 81.2±7.0 mmHg vs.87.6±8.0 mmHg,P=0.002).At the 12-month follow-up,the between-group difference in ambulatory blood pressure was not statistically signifi cant.At the 12-month follow-up,the number of antihypertensive drugs and diuretics used in the microtube-irrigated ablation catheter group was less than in the general ablation catheter group(P=0.043).There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the results of biochemistry tests and echocardiography.Conclusion:The microtube-irrigated ablation catheter is more effective in treating hypertension than the general ablation catheter at the 6-month follow up and thus fewer antihypertensive drugs were used in the microtube-irrigated ablation catheter group than in the general ablation catheter group.

A Case Summary of the Application of a Drug-eluting Stent Combined with a Drug-Coated Balloon in Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a drug-eluting stent(DES)combined with a drug-coated balloon(DCB)in the treatment of left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of eight patients with left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions treated with a DES combined with a DCB who were admitted to our hospital from July 2016 to July 2017.These eight patients all underwent DES treatment for their left main coronary artery and left anterior descending coronary artery lesions,and DCB treatment at the ostium of the left circumflex artery;six of the patients underwent surgical procedures under the guidance of intravascular ultrasonography.Immediate postoperative angiography was used to evaluate the patency of the diseased vessels,and the restenosis rate at the 6-month follow-up after the operation and the incidence of serious clinical events within 6 months were assessed as well.Results:The use of a DES combined with a DCB in the treatment of left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions had a low restenosis rate(left main coronary artery(8.4±5.3)%,left anterior descending coronary artery(18.2±5.0)%,left circumflex artery(30.5±16.5)%).No serious clinical events occurred in any patients.Conclusion:A DES combined with a DCB is a safe and effective interventional treatment for left main artery coro-nary bifurcation lesions.

Main Renal Artery Plus Branch Ablation in the Treatment of Resistant Hypertension with Renal Denervation

Objective:To study the safety and effi cacy of denervation of renal artery branches in the treatment of resistant hy-pertension.Methods:Sixty patients with resistant hypertension were enrolled.The patients were randomly assigned to the main renal artery plus branch ablation group or the main renal artery ablation group.The clinical data and operation-related parameters,including number of ablation points,temperature,and average energy,were recorded.Ambulatory blood pressure was taken for all patients at the baseline and at 6 months after treatment.Offi ce blood pressure was recorded before treatment and after treatment every 3 months for 2 years.Results:Sixty patients with resistant hypertension were enrolled in this study.There were 30 patients in each group.Angiography was performed after ablation.No renal artery complications,such as stenosis and dissection,occurred in the two groups.There was no signifi cant difference in age,sex,BMI,comorbid disease,and medication between the two groups(P>0.05).The number of ablation points for the main renal artery plus branch ablation group was greater than that for the main renal artery ablation group.The offi ce blood pressure and 24-hour blood pressure were signifi cantly lower 6 months after treatment than before treatment in both groups(P<0.05).Offi ce blood pressure in the main renal artery plus branch ablation group was lower than that in the main renal artery ablation group during the 3-12-month follow-up period,with a statistical difference.However,as the follow-up time increased,the difference disappeared.Conclusion:The results of this study show that main renal artery plus branch ablation is a safe interventional method,but there was no obvious advantage on long-term follow-up compared with only main renal artery ablation.