Top medical innovation for 2012 controls high blood pressure through nerves

A procedure that treats hard-to-control high blood pressure by delivering low-power radio-frequency energy through a catheter to surrounding nerves near the kidneys is being hailed as the medical innovation of the year, chosen from nearly 150 candidates by physicians at the Cleveland Clinic. The top 10 medical innovations for 2012 are being announced at the Clinic's ninth annual Innovation Summit. The groundbreaking medical inroads chosen hit almost every aspect of healthcare, from new treatments for diabetes and brain aneurysms, to technical advances that detect concussions in athletes, to the management of computerized medical data. The innovation of wearable robotic devices has implications far beyond helping patients with lower leg amputations resulting from disease, obesity and military injuries: It can help others design joint replacements that more effectively mimic natural movement, said Dr. Wael Barsoum, the Clinic's vice chair for orthopedic surgery."