New Haven, CT—(August 5, 2021) —A new global clinical trial available at the Heart and Vascular Center (HVC) at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) involves an innovative treatment aimed at lowering blood pressure.
Called TARGET BP I, the global trial recently enrolled its first New England-area patient at YNHH. The study is conducted by the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, the clinical research arm of Yale School of Medicine (YSM). TARGET BP I is evaluating a new, investigational treatment for adults with hypertension (high blood pressure). The treatment is designed to deactivate specific nerves around the arteries of the kidneys, which in turn would lower blood pressure.
The principal investigator leading the study at YNHH is Interventional Cardiologist Carlos Mena, MD, associate professor of medicine, Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Mena is also HVC director of vascular medicine and co-director for the Vascular Medicine Outcomes Program at YNHH.
This trial uses a minimally invasive technique that employs a special catheter inserted through the groin and guided to the renal arteries. “The catheter delivers a small dose of medical alcohol to the area where the nerves that contribute to the increase in blood pressure are located,” Dr. Mena explained. “The alcohol deactivates the over-signaling of the nerves which, in turn reduces blood pressure.”
Worldwide, as many as one in three adults have high blood pressure and, if left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease, among many other complications, said Nephrologist Jeffrey Turner, MD, associate professor of medicine at YSM. “The standard treatment includes diet, exercise and prescription medication which can be very effective. However, there are some patients who are still unable to manage their blood pressure with these interventions alone and this clinical trial is an important step towards delivering an alternative treatment,” Dr. Turner said.
Adults diagnosed with hypertension who are interested in taking part in the clinical trial at Yale New Haven Hospital may contact 203-737-8871 to see if they qualify. The TARGET BP I clinical trial is underway at 80 hospitals in the United States and Europe. To learn more, visit https://medicine.yale.edu/ycci or www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org