The Peregrine Post-Market Study for the Treatment of Hypertension

There is strong evidence in the published literature that the renal nerves are important contributors to hypertension, and that their ablation does not have adverse side-effects. The literature provides technical, clinical and scientific evidence supporting the use of perivascular renal denervation for a carefully defined patient group. An existing device (the Medtronic Symplicity catheter) was initially shown to be safe and effective for achieving perivascular renal denervation by delivery of radio-frequency energy. The results of early nonrandomized clinical studies (HTN-1, HTN-2) found that perivascular renal denervation by radio-frequency energy delivery was an effective therapy, associated with very low risks. In other contexts, denervation can also be safely and effectively achieved by neurolytic agents. The ASI Peregrine System™ Infusion Catheter and the denervation procedure in general is similar enough to the Medtronic Symplicity catheter to enable the use of published data to establish the validity of the design concept of the Peregrine System and estimate the likely levels of risk of side effects. It can be concluded from the literature that the ASI Peregrine System™ will achieve percutaneous renal denervation with a low risk of procedural complications (comparable to accepted percutaneous interventional therapies) and without long-term impairment of renal artery or kidney function or other serious adverse events. Previous premarket clinical trials have provided support for the safe and effective use of the Peregrine Catheter for the treatment of patients with hypertension. The Peregrine System Infusion Catheter is currently CE marked and the indication for use is "The Peregrine System™ Infusion Catheter is intended for the infusion of a neurolytic agent to achieve a reduction in systemic blood pressure in hypertensive patients." Based upon the literature and previous clinical data, chemical denervation is an appropriate treatment for the specified study population of adults who have hypertension despite taking at least 3 anti-hypertensive drugs of different classes including at least one diuretic. The objectives of this post-market study are to collect additional safety and performance data pertaining to renal denervation by using dehydrated alcohol as a chemical neurolytic agent delivered into the adventitial/peri-adventitial area of the renal arteries for the purpose of renal denervation, using the Peregrine System™ Infusion Catheter, in patients with hypertension. In order for the study to be valid, only one chemical neurolytic agent can be used. The Coordinating Investigator has chosen to use dehydrated alcohol (not less than 95% by volume) for therapeutic neurolysis, therefore all participating sites will use this agent.