Baroreceptor stimulation for resistant hypertension: First implantation in France and literature review

SummaryDespite a wide choice of effective antihypertensive treatments, blood pressure (BP) in roughly half of hypertensive subjects is not controlled. Resistant hypertension is defined as an uncontrolled BP despite optimal doses of three antihypertensive treatments, including a diuretic. After confirmation of resistant BP using home BP measurement or 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), patients usually go through a work-up to rule out secondary hypertension. If secondary hypertension is ruled out, the recent European guidelines on hypertension consider baroreceptor stimulation or renal denervation to be possible options. The prevalence of resistant primary hypertension may reach up to 10% in specialized centres. The two proposed non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies have been developed recently to inhibit sympathetic overactivity in resistant hypertension. Among them, baroreceptor activation therapy (BAT) is an innovative approach that interferes with baroreflex function. The first-generation BAT device (Rheos®; CVRx, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) demonstrated good efficacy in lowering office BP and ABPM, but had an insufficient safety profile due to complex surgery. The second-generation BAT device (Barostim neo™ system; CVRx, Inc.) seems to share the same BP-lowering efficacy but has a better safety profile. We report the first French case of baroreceptor stimulation for hypertension using the Barostim neo™ system. We also discuss the pathophysiological features of and current levels of evidence for this technique