When someone cannot control his/her high blood pressure with three or more blood pressure medications they are said to suffer from drug resistant hypertension.

The Rheos® Hypertension Therapy System™ is a high blood pressure treatment which consists of an implantable device designed to electrically activate the body’s own natural blood pressure regulation system in order to treat drug resistant hypertension. To learn how it works see 3 minute video.

As of May 28th, 2008, 116 people in the US and Europe have been implanted with the Rheos Hypertension Therapy System. 

Results published on a group of 13 patients from one early stage trial reported an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 29 mmHg (from 189 to 160) after three months of treatment and 39 mmHg  (from 189 to 150) after 12 months.¹ 

Results published on a separate group of 10 patients from another early stage trial reported an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 24 mmHg after three months of treatment.²

Although the early stage results are encouraging, results from a larger study are needed to determine whether the Rheos high blood pressure treatment Device is safe and works as intended.  For this reason the Rheos hypertension pivotal clinical trial is currently enrolling 300 patients.  The data collected from this study will be used by the FDA to evaluate whether this device should be made available for sale for patients with drug resistant hypertension in the US.

⁽¹⁾ Scheffers IJ. Journal of Hypertension 2007;25(Suppl 2):S141-142.
⁽²⁾ Bisignano J. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension 2006; Suppl A8 (No 4):A43

List of recruiting Medical Centers in the United States:

• University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL
• University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
• George Washington University Hospital, Washington D.C.
• Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, Orlando, FL
• Southeast Regional Research Group, GA
• Iowa Heart Center, West Des Moines, IA
• Advocate Christ Hospital, Oak Lawn, IL
• University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
• Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, LA
• Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI
• Washington University, St. Louis, MO
• Forsyth Cardiovascular Research, Winston-Salem, NC
• Rex HealthCare, Raleigh, NC
• Nebraska Heart Institute, Lincoln, NE
• Hackensack University Medical Center, NJ
• Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
• University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
• Jobst Vascular Center, Toledo, OH
• Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH
• Allegheny General Hospital, PA
• Lancaster general Hospital, PA
• Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
• Saint Thomas Research Institute, Nashville, TN
• Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Temple, TX
• Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Principal Investigators:

• Thomas Pickering, MD, Columbia University Dept. of Medicine
• Luis Sanchez, MD, Washington University School of Medicine