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Via HSE Midwest
A team of specialists at UHL have successfully performed a pioneering cardiovascular procedure.
University Hospital Limerick has announced a world-first procedure that offers a safer, less invasive lifeline for patients struggling with chronic high blood pressure.
A multidisciplinary team, led by consultant interventional cardiologists Dr Samer Arnous and Dr Cormac O’Connor, successfully performed a transradial renal arterial denervation (RAD) using an ultra-narrow 5 French catheter.
While the procedure has been performed elsewhere via the groin, the Limerick team is the first in the UK and Ireland to access the arterial system through the wrist, and the first globally to do so using such a miniaturised instrument.
Renal arterial denervation is designed for patients with resistant hypertension, blood pressure that remains dangerously high despite multiple medications.
The procedure works by navigating a catheter through the circulatory system to the renal arteries and using radio-frequency waves or ultrasound to dampen excessive nerve activity around the kidneys.
This then calms the signals that trigger the body to maintain high blood pressure.
“Entering through the wrist is generally more comfortable, less invasive, and allows patients to sit up and walk almost immediately,” explained Dr Samer Arnous. “It also carries a lower risk of significant bleeding or vascular complications.”
This breakthrough was made possible by UHL’s new €2m catheterisation laboratories, which opened in 2024.
Dr O’Connor added, “High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke worldwide, and many patients struggle to control it despite medication. This landmark procedure positions University Hospital Limerick at the forefront of innovative cardiovascular care, while giving patients access to safer, more convenient treatment options.”
