Denervation or stimulation? Role of sympatho-vagal imbalance in HFpEF with hypertension

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) in the elderly is an increasingly large and complex problem in modern society. Notably, the cause of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is multifactorial and its pathophysiology is not fully understood. Among these, hypertension has emerged as a pivotal factor in the pathophysiology and therapeutic targets of HFpEF. Neuronal elements distributed throughout the cardiac autonomic nervous system, from the level of the central autonomic network including the insular cortex to the intrinsic cardiac nervous system, regulate the human cardiovascular system. Specifically, increased sympathetic nervous system activity due to sympatho-vagal imbalance is suggested to be associated the relationship between hypertension and HFpEF. While several new pharmacological therapies, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, have been shown to be effective in HFpEF, neuromodulatory therapies of renal denervation and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) have received recent attention. The current review explores the pathophysiology of the brain-heart axis that underlies the relationship between hypertension and HFpEF and the rationale for therapeutic neuromodulation of HFpEF by non-invasive transcutaneous VNS.

Keywords: Device therapy; HFpEF; Renal denervation; Treatment-resistant hypertension; Vagus nerve stimulation.