HARRISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Doctors at Harrison Memorial Hospital describe the rural area they serve as the 'cardiac belt of Kentucky' due to its high prevalence of heart disease.
Because of that, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kathy Tussey has put a focus on cardiac care.
Recently, the hospital began offering renal denervation - a procedure to combat high blood pressure.
"I feel 10, 15, 20 years younger," said patient Linda McCann, "It's amazing."
McCann was the first patient at HMH to have renal denervation done.
Dr. Matthew Shotwell performed the procedure, and explained it to LEX News as a way to deaden the nerves around the kidney, which send a signal to the brain to make blood pressure climb.
"My blood pressure got where it was 200 something over 100 something," said McCann.
HMH was one of the first hospitals in the region to offer the procedure.
"Treating high blood pressure is extremely important, having lower blood pressure lowers the risk of strokes, heart attacks, increases life expectancy," said Dr. Shotwell. "This is really about bringing high tech city technology to rural areas."
Dr. Tussey says there are challenges that come with rural medicine.
"We have farmers, we have smokers, we don't always eat very well," said Dr. Tussey. "We average 70 to 100 patients a day in our clinic and we take care of everything from hypertension, to cardiac disease to congestive heart failure."
So far three procedures have been completed; the next procedure is scheduled for June.
