Highlands County patients gain new hope in controlling high blood pressure

SEBRING, Fla. — You may be one of the more than 1.4 billion adults dealing with hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

For some of them, medication and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to manage it. Now, a minimally invasive procedure -- performed in Highlands County for the first time at AdventHealth Sebring -- is helping patients gain control of the condition.

Dale Brockman, of Frostproof, said he’s been on several high blood pressure medications for most of his life, but in recent years, it had become difficult to manage.

“I’ve ended up in the emergency room with chest pain and my blood pressure at 209 over 100,” Brockman said. “But I was often in the 190s over 90s on any given day.”

The 69-year-old ended up being referred to Thomas Shimshak, MD, chair of interventional cardiology at AdventHealth Sebring, who helped Brockman finally get some relief.

“He always listened to my concerns,” Brockman said. “He would always take time to sit down and explain things to me. I’m very, very happy.”

Dr. Shimshak believed Brockman was a candidate for an FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedure known as renal denervation, also called renal ablation, which is meant to help people who have high blood pressure that isn’t getting better with several medications and lifestyle changes.

“Your brain, heart and kidneys send messages to nerves throughout your body to help regulate your blood pressure, so in the case of this procedure, we ablate certain nerves near a patient’s kidneys to keep them from sending signals to their body to raise their blood pressure,” Dr. Shimshak said. “For many patients, this procedure can lead to a significant reduction in hypertension, which can cut down their risk of heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.”

As a minimally invasive procedure with just a small skin puncture to gain access, renal denervation involves a short hospital stay, and patients benefit from a quick recovery with less pain and faster recovery.

Brockman ended up being the first patient to undergo the procedure in Highlands County, when he had it in April 2025, performed by Dr. Shimshak and the Cardiac Cath Lab team at AdventHealth Sebring.

“I was somewhat of a celebrity at the hospital that day,” Brockman said with a chuckle. “Everybody treated me great. I’ve always been treated great at that hospital. That’s always the hospital I want to go to.”

Brockman said the procedure and commitment to lifestyle changes, including losing 50 pounds since September, has led to a massive improvement in his quality of life, including blood pressure readings consistently within normal range.

“With the six blood pressure medications, I was just washed out. I had no motivation,” Brockman said. “Since I’ve got my blood pressure down and everything, I have more energy and I feel like getting out and doing stuff.”

Brockman added he’s now down to three blood pressure medications. He retired last year from a career as an air conditioning contractor and technician, spending 35 years serving the Broward County School District while also running his own company.

Now, he’s looking forward to what’s next, including recently celebrating his 51st wedding anniversary with his wife.

“We’re thankful for the opportunity to help patients like Dale deal with the frustrations of persistent hypertension,” Dr. Shimshak said. “By offering advanced treatments like renal denervation here in our community, we’re able to provide new options for patients who haven’t found success with medications alone, give them peace of mind and get them back to living the life they love.”

To learn more about renal denervation or find out if you're a candidate, you can schedule an appointment at AdventHealth Sebring by going to AdventHealthSebring.com.