The procedure was introduced abroad around five years ago and was performed for the first time in Pakistan at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. A team of cardiologists, headed by Dr Sajid Dhakam, performed the procedure last week at the Indus Hospital. It considers the treatment as the “most viable option” for patients with severe hypertension that cannot be controlled through medication. If untreated, such people could suffer from strokes and heart attacks.
“[The procedure] could be performed on those patients whose hypertension remains uncontrolled despite taking at least four different medicines,” Dr Dhakam told The Express Tribune.
He explained that renal denervation - like angioplasty - is a minimally invasive procedure performed under general anesthesia. Low doses of radiofrequency energy are delivered to the renal arteries without any significant risks involved.
The cost of the procedure is quite steep, going up to around half a million rupees. But Dr Dhakam pegs this down to its novelty and said that the price should take a dip in the future. “With time, it will be available at an affordable cost at various public hospitals for the benefit of the public.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2012.
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