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    Percutaneous transluminal renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension

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    1 Draft recommendations

    1.1 Evidence on the short-term safety of percutaneous transluminal renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension is adequate. Evidence on its efficacy is limited in quality. Therefore, this procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent, and audit or research. Find out what special arrangements mean on the NICE interventional procedures guidance page.

    1.2 Clinicians wanting to do percutaneous transluminal renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension should:

    • Inform the clinical governance leads in their healthcare organisation.

    • Give people (and their families and carers as appropriate) clear written information to support shared decision making, including NICE's information for the public.

    • Ensure that people (and their families and carers as appropriate) understand the procedure's safety and efficacy, and any uncertainties about these.

    • Audit and review clinical outcomes of everyone having the procedure. The main efficacy and safety outcomes identified in this guidance can be entered into NICE's interventional procedure outcomes audit tool (for use at local discretion).

    • Discuss the outcomes of the procedure during their annual appraisal to reflect, learn and improve.

    1.3 Healthcare organisations should:

    • Ensure systems are in place that support clinicians to collect and report data on outcomes and safety for everyone having this procedure.

    • Regularly review data on outcomes and safety for this procedure.

    1.4 Further research should include randomised controlled trials or analysis of registry data. It should report details of patient selection, technique used and long-term outcomes.

    1.5 Patient selection should be done by a multidisciplinary team including experts in managing hypertension, and clinicians with specific training in this procedure.