New procedure at Harrison Memorial Hospital aims to combat high blood pressure

Hinzugefügt: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Located in the cardiac belt of Kentucky, a Cynthiana hospital is doing some cutting-edge work.

[00:00:06]>> Including a procedure that's the first of its kind in the region. Harrison County reporter Ellen Ice explains what it is and why it's so beneficial.

[00:00:16]>> According to doctors here at Harrison Memorial Hospital, they have a high prevalence of heart disease and high blood pressure, especially in Harrison County. They now have a new procedure that can help combat that.

[00:00:29]>> I feel what 10 or 15 20 years younger.

[00:00:34]I do. I mean, it's amazing.

[00:00:37]>> Linda McCann was the first patient at HMH to get something done called a renal denervation. Basically, using a catheter, the doctor deadens the nerves in the blood vessels surrounding the kidney that are overproducing a chemical causing blood pressure to spike.

[00:00:54]>> My blood pressure got so it was 200 and something over 100 and something. It worked.

[00:01:00]>> Dr. Matthew Shotwell is an interventional cardiologist and was one of the first in the region to do the procedure.

[00:01:07]>> Treating high blood pressure is extremely important. Having lower blood pressures reduces the risk of strokes, heart attacks, um improves life expectancy. This is really about bringing high-tech city technology to rural areas.

[00:01:21]>> And there are challenges that come with rural medicine.

[00:01:25]>> We have a lot of farmers, a lot of smokers. Um you know, we don't always eat really well.

[00:01:30]>> And that keeps the cardiac clinic busy.

[00:01:33]>> We average about 70 to 100 cardiac patients a day through our clinic. And um you know, we take care of everything from hypertension to cardiac disease to congestive heart failure.

[00:01:43]>> Dr. Shotwell tells me they have done three procedures so far. They have a fourth scheduled for June. In Harrison County, Ellen Ice, LEX News.