# Feasibility and safety of electrohydraulic acoustic therapy for treatment of hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease

## TL;DR

This study shows that electrohydraulic acoustic therapy (eHAT) is a safe and feasible non-invasive treatment for lowering blood pressure in patients with chronic kidney disease.

## Contribution

The study is the first to evaluate the safety and feasibility of eHAT in patients with chronic kidney disease and hypertension.

## Key findings

- eHAT significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure in CKD patients at 12 weeks.
- Blood pressure reductions were sustained for up to 48 weeks with no safety concerns.
- Some patients reduced their antihypertensive medication use after treatment.

## Abstract

Uncontrolled hypertension is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Electro-hydraulic acoustic therapy (eHAT) is a non-invasive treatment that may lower blood pressure (BP), but its safety and efficacy in CKD remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate eHAT's feasibility and safety in this population.

In this single-arm, prospective, single-center proof-of-concept study, CKD patients received six eHAT treatments over three weeks. BP was assessed in-office (attended and unattended) at baseline and at 4-, 12-, 24-, and 48-weeks post-treatment. Ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was performed at baseline, 12, and 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in systolic office BP (OBP) from baseline to 12 weeks. Secondary endpoints included additional BP measurements, kidney function, and safety.

Fifteen patients completed all follow-ups. At 12 weeks, mean systolic OBP decreased by 9.73 mmHg (SD 14.77; p = 0.0032) and remained significantly lower at 24 weeks (−7.67 mmHg; p = 0.0335) and 48 weeks (−19.40 mmHg; p < 0.0001). Diastolic OBP reductions were significant at 12 (p = 0.0413) and 48 weeks (p = 0.0022). By 12 weeks, 26% of participants reduced the number or dose of antihypertensive medications. Kidney function remained stable throughout. No safety signals were detected.

Our study highlights the feasibility and tolerability of eHAT in patients with CKD and HTN. Nonetheless, due to the small sample size and lack of a control group, these findings should be considered preliminary.