Complex hemodynamic responses to trans-vascular electrical stimulation of the renal nerve in anesthetized pigs

TL;DR

This study investigates complex blood pressure and heart rate responses to trans-vascular renal nerve stimulation in pigs, revealing intricate patterns and parameter-dependent effects on hemodynamics.

Contribution

It provides detailed characterization of hemodynamic responses to renal nerve stimulation and highlights their dependence on stimulation parameters, which was not fully understood before.

Findings

Blood pressure responses show complex, multi-peak patterns.

Pulse pressure and heart rate responses are transient.

Hemodynamic response amplitude correlates with stimulation parameters.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize hemodynamic changes during trans-vascular stimulation of the renal nerve and their dependence on stimulation parameters. We employed a stimulation catheter inserted in the right renal artery under fluoroscopic guidance, in pigs. Systolic, diastolic and pulse blood pressure and heart rate were recorded during stimulations delivered at different intravascular sites along the renal artery or while varying stimulation parameters (amplitude, frequency, and pulse width). Blood pressure changes during stimulation displayed a pattern more complex than previously described in literature, with a series of negative and positive peaks over the first two minutes, followed by a steady state elevation during the remainder of the stimulation. Pulse pressure and heart rate only showed transient responses, then they returned to baseline values despite constant stimulation. The amplitude of the evoked hemodynamic response was roughly linearly correlated with stimulation amplitude, frequency, and pulse width.