The first renal denervation (RDN) procedure performed in Negros and Western Visayas was done at the Riverside Medical Center (RMC) in Bacolod City on Wednesday, June 19.
Renal Denervation (RDN) is a promising and innovative option in the treatment of resistant hypertension.
It was performed by a team headed by top adult and interventional cardiologist, Dr. Jose Nicholas Cruz, former head of the Catherization Laboratory of St Luke’s Global City (SLGC) in Taguig.
Members of the local RDN team were Dr. Ramon Trocio Jr., head of RMC CathLab, and Dr. Michael John Barcelona.
RDN is a viable treatment option for “resistant hypertension” or poorly controlled hypertension despite more than 3-4 blood pressure lowering medications or those cases where in lifestyle changes and medicines no longer lower blood pressure to ideal levels, Cruz said.
It can also be done for those who want to reduce or cut down number of anti-hypertensive medicines, he added.
Cruz is considered a pioneer in the field. He has been studying and working on renal denervation for over 10 years. He was with the team that performed the first RDN in the Philippines at SLGC in 2013.
In a talk to Bacolod-based doctors, Cruz said the procedure has been endorsed by the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Cruz was formerly head of SLGC Heart Institute and is the past president of Philippine Society of Cardiac Catheterization and Interventions (PSCCI).*