The Oxford Renal Denervation Team are specialist interventional cardiologists, working at the pioneering edge of hypertension treatment, and overseeing clinical trials at the prestigious John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford.
Dr Giovanni Luigi De Maria, MD, PhD
Dr Giovanni L. De Maria is a consultant cardiologist with a special interest in Interventional Cardiology. He has been working within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for almost 10 years.
He is actively involved in both patients’ care and clinical research, with his main research interests spanning from novel/additional therapies for heart attack (STEMI), coronary physiology and intravascular imaging as guidance to optimise revascularization procedure, and renal denervation for treating patients with resistant hypertension.
Dr De Maria completed in training in Cardiology at Policlinico A Gemelli in Rome in 2014, then moved to Oxford to work at Oxford University Hospitals as a Clinical Fellow in Interventional Cardiology. He completed his PhD in ‘Clinical, Cellular and Molecular Research’ in 2019.
He currently works in Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospital and provides Private Cardiology and Hypertension care at The Manor Hospital.
Professor Banning, MB, BS, MD, FRCP, FESC
Professor Banning has been the senior Interventional Cardiologist at the Oxford John Radcliffe Hospital since 1999.
During his career, Professor Banning has focused on non-invasive cardiac techniques, including the pioneering TAVI treatment for aortic stenosis. He was also an early advocate of ‘drug eluting stents’ as an alternative to the coronary bypass. He has also been President of the British Cardiac Intervention Society.
Professor Banning lives and works in Oxford, both at the John Radcliffe and at his own private practice at The Manor.
Prof Adrian Banning’s Website: The Cardiologist
As shown above, hypertension is diagnosed when your systolic blood pressure is above 140 mmHg, and your diastolic blood pressure is above 90 mmHg (i.e., 140/90). Any treatment you undergo will aim to bring your blood pressure values below this threshold, and ideally achieve a systolic blood pressure between 120 and 130 mmHg. This is especially important if you have diabetes, history of heart disease, or have suffered a stroke.
There are three main treatments available for bringing your hypertension under control:
For mild hypertension with no other risk factors, making lifestyle changes may be enough.
For moderate to severe hypertension, or mild with other risk factors, you may need a combination of medications.
For resistant hypertension or intolerance to medications, you may benefit from a renal denervation procedure.