New Breakthrough and drug free treatment for HBP?

[Pace]

Me and my operation: Op that means you may never need to take a blood pressure pill again | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1244300/Me-operation-Op-means-need-blood-pressure-pill-again.html)

May this be the way forward for pilots with HBP? Described as the most exciting development in the field of HBP in 50 years.

How would the CAA look at this? The drug companies wouldnt like it one bit ;)


Mel Lobo is a consultant physician and clinical hypertension specialist at the cardiovascular biomedical research unit at Bart’s Hospital in London.

He says... Many patients with high blood pressure face a lifetime on medication to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Even then, half these patients do not have their condition adequately controlled.
It might surprise people to learn that high blood pressure is caused by faulty signals from the brain sending the wrong messages to the renal nerves - the nerves in the arteries that supply the kidneys. These nerves regulate blood pressure, .


Pace

[Bob the Doc]

If it works in the longer term and reduces dependence on medication that often has significant side effects and has no long term issues of its own then it is potentially a very interesting procedure. Remember this is only a trial at the moment and may come to nothing but anything that reduces the burden that this condition presents to the NHS is potentially very exciting.

[Pace]

I am the principal investigator at Barts - but I’m hopeful it will be available to patients both on the NHS and privately later this year.

Bob

The fact that he is the principal investigator at Barts and makes a public statement that the procedure should be available to both the NHS and privately in such a short time as "later this year" must mean that they are confident with the procedure and very advanced in their trials?

As a medical man what could you see as negative long term effects? How would the CAA likely respond to pilots using this procedure and at £4000 per procedure would that be cost effective compared to years of medication to the NHS ?

Whatever we must applaud anything where a better understanding of a cause could lead to pilots flying longer and working longer in one of the few professions where a strict medical has to be passed every year to work.

Pace

[gingernut]

Sounds good, looking forward to interpreting the trial data.