‘An amazing relief’: implant offers hope for those with refractory angina
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- Cristian Jensen, 64, had a coronary sinus reducer fitted at Royal Brompton hospital in 2021; his weekly angina attacks dropped from five to one or two and he regained the confidence to climb stairs and exercise without fearing another heart attack.
- The largest study of its kind worldwide tracked 491 refractory angina patients from 2014 to 2024, with 474 receiving the implant across 19 hospitals in England and Scotland.
- 75% of patients experienced a significant reduction in chest pain within six months of implantation, according to findings co-led by consultant cardiologist Dr Ranil de Silva and Dr Kevin Cheng.
- The coronary sinus reducer is an hourglass-shaped device implanted via keyhole surgery through the neck, narrowing a vein behind the heart to redirect blood to oxygen-starved muscle; each unit costs the NHS £11,400.
- An estimated 300,000 people in England have refractory angina — pain that persists despite drugs, stents and bypass surgery — yet only a "tiny fraction" have received the device, which remains experimental and needs further trials plus NHS funding approval before becoming standard care.
- British Heart Foundation clinical director Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan called the findings "reassuring," saying the device "offers hope for people living with this challenging condition."
Why it matters: Roughly 300,000 people in England live with refractory angina that survives drugs, stents and bypass surgery, and only a handful have received the implant — so the 75% real-world success rate in the largest cohort to date gives the British Heart Foundation and Royal Brompton clinicians concrete ammunition to push for the NHS funding approval the device still lacks.
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