The Medtronic device is a minimally invasive catheter that regulates the output of nerve arteries leading to the kidneys, one of the body's ways of controlling blood pressure, the hospital said.
According to St. Joseph, roughly 76 million Americans suffer from hypertension, which is high blood pressure. Among them, medications don't work for about 9 million. Treatment-resistant hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure that remains greater than 140/90 despite treatment with three or more medications.
High blood pressure can result in heart disease.
The photo above, courtesy of St. Joseph, shows Dr. Mahmood K. Razavi, an interventional radiologist, with Maria Osborn, the first patient to enroll in the study.