People with resistant hypertension may someday use a device instead of drugs to control their blood pressure, according to study findings published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Tuesday.

In trial tests, the device helped lower blood pressure by 33 points, a substantial drop that would otherwise require patients to take an additional three or four drugs to control their difficult-to-treat condition.

The device, called the Rheos System, was tested in a pivotal Phase III study presented on Tuesday as a latest clinical trial at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to the AAAS.

The pivotal trial included 265 patients with resistant hypertension treated at 40 medical centers in the United States and two in Europe, and is the latest in a series of studies that have shown the device is beneficial.

The Rheos System, developed by CVRx Inc. of Minneapolis, regulates blood pressure much like a pacemaker regulates heart rhythm. A battery-powered implantable generator is inserted under the skin near the collarbone and two leads, or wires, run from the generator to the carotid arteries, the two main arteries that supply blood to the head. The device triggers specific receptors on these arteries, known as carotid baroreceptors -- key regulators of blood flow in the body.

These receptors then send signals that are interpreted by the brain as a rise in blood pressure. The body responds to this phantom rise in blood pressure by taking action to lower it, including relaxing the blood vessels and reducing the heart rate.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet