A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal
Renal sympathetic denervation for treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation: Reappraisal of the available evidence
Authors: Nammas W, Airaksinen JK, Paana T, Karjalainen PP
Publication year: 2016
Journal: Heart Rhythm
Volume: 13
Issue: 12
First page : 2388
Last page: 2394
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 1547-5271
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2016.08.043
Afferent renal sympathetic nerve signaling regulates central sympathetic outflow. In this regard, renal sympathetic denervation has emerged as a novel interventional strategy for treatment of patients with resistant hypertension. Despite the disappointing results of the Simplicity HTN-3 randomized controlled trial, promoters of renal denervation argue that the negative results were due to ineffective denervation technique and poor patient selection. Yet, long-term "pathologic" increase of efferent sympathetic nerve activity is observed in many chronic disease states characterized by sympathetic overactivity, such as arrhythmia, heart failure, insulin resistance, and chronic kidney disease. In this review, we highlight the contemporary evidence on the safety/efficacy of renal denervation in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation.