Baropacing of the carotid sinus nerve for treatment of "Intractable" hypertension.

The authors applied with success the electrical stimulation of the carotid sinus nerve in the case of a hypertension of long duration which was refractory to antihypertensive drugs. For the stimulation of the carotid sinus nerve a Medtronic "Barostat" device was implanted. Since the implantation- or rather since its usage- the blood pressure of the patient decreased to a great extent, and her complaints disappeared. According to the haemodynamical investigations on the effect of the stimulation of the carotid sinus nerve, besides the diminution of the blood pressure there could be observed a decrease of the cardiac index, the total peripheral vascular resistance and the velocity of the blood circulation.