CVRx, a Brooklyn Park-based medical technology start-up, has received $84 million in venture capital to fund clinical trials on its Rheos device to lower blood pressure. Here's how it works:
A pulse generator is implanted underneath the collarbone.
Two thin lead wires connect the pulse generator to the right and left carotid arteries.
The generator sends electric pulses to the carotid arteries, which activate baroreceptors or signals that travel to the brain.
The brain interprets the signals as a rise in blood pressure and instructs organs such as the heart and kidney to relax blood vessels and stop production of stress-inducing hormones.
![Attendees of Frostbike made their way through the convention Saturday at the Quality Bike Products campus in Minneapolis. ] (AARON LAVINSKY/STAR TRIBUNE) aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com Frostbike 2016 was held at the Quality Bike Products Campus on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 in Bloomington, Minn.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/NH2BSHB74ND2V6GF2G2HI5X4MM.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
