14 DAY TRIAL // In a paper published in today's issue of the Journal of Neural Engineering, a team of scientists detail the development of a new implantable device that they claim can help regulate blood pressure.
More precisely, the newly developed device is said to send electrical signals to the brain and thus cause the individual in whose body it is implanted to experience a drop in blood pressure. EurekAlert informs that the device is made up of 24 electrodes that are fitted onto a micro-machined cuff, and it is intended to regulate the activity of the so-called vagal nerve.
Studies have shown that the vagal nerve, which stretches from the brainstem all the way to the thorax and the abdomen, is in charge of stimulating several organs, among which the heart, and major blood vessels.
Experiments carried out on laboratory rats have shown that, given the correct stimulation frequencies and pulse widths, the device can influence blood pressure, i.e. get it to drop to 60% its original value.
What's more, this drop in blood pressure that has been documented in laboratory rats fitted with a prototype device has not been accompanied by changes in heart or breathing rate. Otherwise put, the rodents have not experienced any major side effects.
“Our proof-of-concept interface has shown that it is possible to use the left vagal nerve to reduce blood pressure without any adverse side effects, which is important for a wide variety of potential treatments that could utilise nerve stimulation without actually penetrating the nerve,” says Dr. Dennis Plachta.
The trouble is that, in order for this device to be used to regulate blood pressure, patients who wish to be fitted with it must undergo surgery. Because of this, the researchers who have created it argue that it would be best if it were to be used to treat patients who do not respond to medication alone.
As Dr. Dennis Plachta puts it, “As the device will require surgery, it is not intended to be the first port of call for treatment and will come into play when patients, for whatever reasons, are resistant to medication.”
Given the fact that the device has until now only been tested on laboratory rats, and, even so, what these animals had implanted in their body was merely a prototype, it goes without saying that this treatment option for high blood pressure is not yet available for human patients.
The group of researchers in Germany says that the next step is testing the device on slightly larger animals such as pigs and sheep, and that it might be a while until they are ready to debut clinical trials involving people.