AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Center

Resistant hypertension — high blood pressure (HBP) that persists in spite of changing your diet, exercising, and taking medication — is frustrating to deal with. AHN offers a multidisciplinary center focused on discovering the root cause of hypertension and developing a care plan to lower your blood pressure.

Uncontrolled and resistant hypertension

Uncontrolled high blood pressure, or refractory hypertension, is a condition where blood pressure is consistently high enough that it can cause damage to the heart and other organs. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms but, if untreated or unrecognized, it can still cause problems in the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels.

In some cases, patients may have resistant high blood pressure, a condition that doesn’t respond well to aggressive medical treatment. Chronic high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, such as heart attack and stroke. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected through regular physical examinations. Once the condition is diagnosed, your doctor can create an individualized treatment plan to help regulate it.

The AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Centers at Allegheny General Hospital and West Penn Hospital are American Heart Association-certified* (the only such centers in the region), thanks to the wide array of multispecialty resources for diagnosing and caring for difficult-to-treat high blood pressure.

About the AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Center

The providers at our center are dedicated to treating resistant hypertension, and they come from a wide variety of medical backgrounds. Hypertension specialists include:

When you visit the AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Centers at Allegheny General Hospital and West Penn Hospital, these specialists will examine you and team up to develop a care plan tailored to your unique situation.

Resistant hypertension diagnosis and treatment

In addition to access to multiple specialists, patients can also take advantage of the latest technology for diagnosing and treating resistant hypertension. This includes procedures like:

Imaging

Ultrasound, Doppler, X-ray, CT, MRI, and angiography.

Autonomic function testing

Measures how your heartbeat and breathing react during certain activities.

Sleep evaluations

Poor sleep may lead to high blood pressure at night and sleep apnea can also lead to high blood pressure during the day.

Surgery

This includes renal angioplasty and stenting (for improved blood flow) and laparoscopic adrenalectomy (minimally invasive procedure to remove an overactive adrenal gland that may be causing high blood pressure).

In addition to these services, patients with hypertensive disorders may also have access to clinical trials when they’re available.

AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Center: Who should choose us?

Anyone diagnosed with high blood pressure who:

• Is currently taking three or more hypertension medications at the highest dose, and still has blood pressure consistently over 130/80.
• Has a history of stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), or worsening kidney disease.
  

AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Center: How to seek care

A doctor's referral

If you’re currently taking three or more medications at the highest dose, and still not seeing the results you want, talk to your current doctor about the benefits of our treatments and resources. Your doctor may then refer you for treatment at the center.

A self-referral

If you believe the Comprehensive Hypertension Center is the right treatment choice now, you can refer yourself for treatment by calling the AHN Cardiovascular Institute directly at (412) 359-4744. Before you call, make sure you have your current insurance information and the contact information for your primary care physician (if you have one).

You can also complete a short form to request a call from a Hypertension Center representative at a more convenient time.

Don’t ignore your health concerns. Make an appointment for the right follow-up care now, or ask to be contacted later.

Other AHN locations for hypertension care

AHN offers other convenient locations where patients with resistant hypertension can receive expert care from specialists, including:

• Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion
• AHN Outpatient Center - Waterworks
  

Schedule the right appointment, right now

AHN makes it easy to schedule an appointment at convenient times and locations.

Call (412) DOCTORS (412) 362-8677 to schedule an appointment with your PCP for an annual checkup or to discuss your health concerns.

New and existing patients can call the AHN Cardiovascular Institute at (412) 359-4744 to schedule an appointment for an annual cardiac checkup, to discuss heart health concerns, or to begin self-referral for treatment at the Comprehensive Hypertension Center.

You can also complete a short AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Center Request a Call form requesting a call from a representative at a more convenient time.