2022 Volume 59 Issue 1 Pages 21-26
Blood pressure is maintained at a constant level despite the presence of many external disturbances in daily life, such as gravity, stress, and exercise. On the other hand, the heart rate is appropriately varied, which is a sign of good health. A powerful circulatory control mechanism by autonomic nervous system can explain those phenomena. It is also well known that autonomic dysregulation plays a major role in the development and progression of major cardiovascular diseases. Recently, devices that electronically intervene autonomic nervous system have been developed from all over the world. In the field of cardiovascular medicine, various companies have entered the field and developed devices to treat hypertension and then heart failure. Numerous preclinical investigations have demonstrated the beneficial effects of autonomic modulation therapy on cardiovascular diseases. However, the clinical effectiveness of those devices remains controversial. In this review, we summarize the current situation and problems of autonomic modulation devices to treat cardiovascular diseases.
