In an effort to expand the collection of real-world data on patients undergoing renal denervation (RDN) across hospitals in the U.S., the ACC and the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) are collaborating on an RDN module that leverages the ACC's CathPCI Registry and the Smith Center's RDN Registry.

Specifically, the collaboration aims to ensure the most vulnerable patients receive optimal, guideline-directed care to reduce uncontrolled high blood pressure.

"High blood pressure can have devastating health effects and for many people, lifestyle modification and medication aren't enough. Renal denervation can be an important therapy for some patients, but because it's a newer technology, we are lacking comprehensive data on who is receiving it, who would most benefit and who is seeing positive results," said Steve Bradley, MD, MPH, FACC, immediate past chair of the ACC NCDR Oversight Committee. "This collaboration would enable tracking and analyzing of how this technology is being used in the real world to help patients and provide insights on how to help more people with high blood pressure."

The Smith Center's RDN Registry is designed to enable research and analysis of real-world data to characterize baseline patient characteristics, disease progression and treatment-based outcomes for patients undergoing renal denervation. The knowledge gained will:

• Contribute valuable data on the safety, efficacy and durability of this novel interventional strategy for the management of uncontrolled hypertension.
• Provide data-driven insights on RDN to enable a deeper understanding of new disease areas of interest, inform study design and enhance the execution of clinical trials.
• Meet regulatory and stakeholder needs for assessing and monitoring long-term safety and efficacy of RDN.
• Expand research opportunities that contribute to a better understanding of RDN treatment in real world patients.

"The Smith Center is thrilled to collaborate with the ACC on this important endeavor," said Eric A. Secemsky, MD, MSc, director of vascular intervention at BIDMC and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "RDN is a new procedure in the United States, and it is critical to collect early procedural experiences, identify gaps in care, and monitor long-term safety and efficacy. Through synergizing our center's expertise in hypertension care and research with the ACC's extensive experience with clinical registries, we are confident that we will establish a robust database with far-reaching implications for the treatment of patients with uncontrolled hypertension. We also look forward to deepening the collaboration between the Smith Center and the ACC to advance evidence development and improve patient outcomes."

Hospitals interested in participating in the new collaboration should reach out to khannaga@bidmc.harvard.edu. For more information on leveraging the RDN Registry for research, contact ranson@acc.org.