Buzzard Roost’s own Allen Edwards made history last week as one of the first people nationwide to have a new procedure to treat high blood pressure.

Allen had the groundbreaking treatment Nov. 27 at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. The Symplicity™ Spyral procedure delivers radiofrequency energy to nerves near the kidneys that can become overactive and contribute to high blood pressure.

After suffering “really bad headaches,” Allen said he sought help and was diagnosed with high blood pressure. In the 15-plus years since then, his blood pressure has fluctuated with different medications. He also has experienced side effects, including swollen ankles, heart flutters and fatigue.

“I was tired all the time. I just had no energy whatsoever,” Allen says. “Nothing I was taking was doing any good.”

Allen, 59, owns a body shop in Starkville. He also owns five dirt cars that he “piddles with” and races. So when Dr. Bo Calhoun of Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi asked Allen if he would be interested in the new procedure, he replied, “I’d be interested in doing anything that will help me get back to working like I like.”

Interventional cardiologist Dr. Barry Bertolet, who performed the new procedure, says it offers hope for people when lifestyle changes and medications alone fail to adequately their control blood pressure.

“Medications for blood pressure don’t always work or they may cause undesirable side effects. Some people require several medications to control their blood pressure but don’t take them all because the combination makes them feel bad,” Dr. Bertolet said. “This technology now allows us to control blood pressure with less medication.”

Shortly after the procedure received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 20, Allen's’ case was scheduled.

Once he was sedated, Dr. Bertolet inserted a single thin tube (known as a catheter) into the artery leading to Allen's kidney. He then administered energy to calm the excessive activity of the nerves connected to the kidney. The tube was removed, leaving no implant behind. The procedure took less than an hour, and Allen was headed home that afternoon with only a small bandage on his leg.

Allen says he took it easy the first few days but hasn’t missed a beat since then. “I’m very happy about the procedure,” he says.

Dr. Bertolet was among a small group of cardiologists nationwide involved in clinical trials for the Symplicity™ Spyral procedure and performed about 20 cases at NMMC since the study began in 2021. He and a local patient who had the procedure during clinical trial also testified to the FDA about its benefits.

Dr. Bertolet’s involvement in the clinical trials is the reason NMMC was granted early access to the technology once it received FDA approval. Cardiologists Dr. Benjamin Blossom and Dr. Jonathan Blossom will also be performing the procedure at NMMC.

This technology has been available in Europe for a long time, and there’s an excellent track record for safety and effectiveness,” Dr. Bertolet said. “They have followed patients for several years—their blood pressure comes down and it stays down with less medication.”

Dr. Bertolet says the procedure is currently performed through the patient’s femoral (leg) artery; however, he anticipates that radial artery access (through the patient’s wrist) will be an option in the future.

High blood pressure affects about half of all adults in the United States and is the leading modifiable cause of heart attack, stroke and death. Dr. Bertolet says 80% of people who know they have high blood pressure don't have it under control.