The cuff is equipped with electrodes that can lower blood pressure without causing side effects. Source: IMTEK
Freiburg researchers develop new method for lowering high blood pressure without side effects
High blood pressure is the greatest health risk worldwide behind smoking and alcohol consumption. In Germany, around 25 percent of the population suffers from arterial hypertension, as the condition is referred to in medical circles. The microsystems engineers Dr. Dennis Plachta and Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz from the Laboratory of Biomedical Microtechnology at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) of the University of Freiburg teamed up with the neurosurgeons Dr. Mortimer Gierthmühlen and Prof. Dr. Josef Zentner from the Medical Center – University of Freiburg to develop a new cuff equipped with electrodes that can lower blood pressure without causing side effects.
Doctors usually prescribe drugs against high blood pressure. In around 35 percent of patients, however, pills do not succeed in reducing blood pressure in the long term. Chronic high blood pressure leads to damage in other organs – the eyes, kidneys, the heart, and the central nervous system, in particular. In order to help patients whose blood pressure cannot be reduced by means of drugs, the Freiburg researchers propose implanting a newly developed cuff with 24 electrodes in the so-called vagal nerve on the neck. The device starts by determining which electrode is closest to the nerve fibers that transmit the blood pressure signal. Then it uses electrostimulation to overwrite the information in these fibers with such precision that other bundles of fibers with other functions are not affected. The researchers have named this procedure for individual analysis, selection, and stimulation “BaroLoopTM.”
The scientists tested the device on rats and succeeded in lowering their mean blood pressure by 30 percent, without causing side effects such as a reduced heart rate or a drastic decrease in respiratory rate. The findings of the study have been published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
The idea for the research project originated in 2004 within the context of the establishment of the Peter Osypka Endowed Chair in Neuroelectronic Systems at the Department of Neurosurgery. Now that the scientists have determined that a cuff with electrodes is feasible in principle, they have begun to develop a completely implantable system. As such a device is classed as an active implant that must fulfill the highest level of safety standards according to medical product laws, they do not expect to produce a licensed product for at least ten years.
The Latest on: Lowering high blood pressure
via Google News
The Latest on: Lowering high blood pressure
- High blood pressure: Five ways to lower your reading while staying at homeon March 24, 2020 at 2:46 pm
HIGH blood pressure is a chronic condition that requires you to overhaul aspects your lifestyle to keep the condition in check. Amid the enforced lockdown, it could be easy to take your eye off the ...
- 10 Best Blood Pressure Supplementson March 24, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Product Name Popularity Score Quality Score Sentiment Score Sales Volume; 1: Best HIGH Blood Pressure Pills to Lower BP Naturally - Advanced Hypertension Supplement ...
- Deaths from high blood pressure skyrocket, especially in the Southon March 24, 2020 at 12:34 am
There's been a sharp increase in high blood pressure-related deaths in the United States, particularly in rural areas, a new study says.
- Walking more linked with lower blood pressureon March 22, 2020 at 5:06 am
This confirms existing notions that keeping active is good for cardiovascular health. Share on Pinterest People who walk more also have lower blood pressure, according to a recent study. Abnormally ...
- 'By Combining Keto And A Low-Carb Diet, I Was Able To Lower My Blood Pressure—And Lose 155 Lbs.'on March 22, 2020 at 3:30 am
I eventually remarried, and my husband was also overweight. We both liked to eat, so it seemed to be a match made in heaven. I had high blood pressure and was on two medications. In 2004, I was also ...
- Lower Blood Pressure Can Indicate Underlying Issues, a New Study Suggestson March 21, 2020 at 4:01 pm
High blood pressure is a major concern when it comes to your heart health, and it can put you at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. But contrary to what you may think, “the lower the better ...
- Walking more could lower your blood pressure says new studyon March 20, 2020 at 5:05 pm
New US research has found that increasing the amount of steps you walk each day could lower your blood pressure. Carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, the new ...
- High blood pressure: This simple exercise has been linked to lower blood pressureon March 19, 2020 at 2:31 pm
HIGH blood pressure is a worrying condition which affects roughly a third of adults in the UK. There have been numerous reports stating that those living with the condition are at higher risk with the ...
- Step it up: Higher daily step counts linked with lower blood pressureon March 19, 2020 at 7:46 am
Those with a higher daily step count had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure ... Nearly half of U.S. adults are estimated to have high blood pressure, and many don't know they ...
- Higher daily step counts linked with lower blood pressureon March 19, 2020 at 7:11 am
and hopefully lowering the number of unnecessary deaths caused by the disease as well as the financial burden it puts on healthcare systems. Given that almost half of all Americans are thought to have ...
via Bing News
