Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

Reducing HCM-Related Heart Failure Symptoms Without Surgery

For many people, surgery is the best way to treat the symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It may reverse heart failure. But if surgery isn’t right for you, alcohol septal ablation may be an option.

At Lahey Clinic, highly skilled and experienced heart specialists provide this minimally invasive treatment. It may eliminate your symptoms and produce results similar to surgery.

What is Alcohol Septal Ablation?

HCM causes thickening of the muscle between your heart’s lower chambers (ventricles). This muscle tissue is known as the septum. When it gets thick, it’s harder for your heart to pump blood out through your left ventricle to the rest of your body. Because your heart must work harder than usual, heart failure can develop.

The alcohol ablation procedure thins the septal muscle, making it easier for blood to flow. This normalizes pressures in your heart and improves or eliminates heart failure symptoms, such as shortness of breath.

What Happens During Alcohol Septal Ablation?

Alcohol ablation for HCM is an interventional cardiology procedure. You receive this treatment in the catheterization lab.

Your doctor will insert a thin tube called a catheter into the femoral artery in your leg. They then thread it to the branch arteries that supply your thickened heart muscle. Once the catheter reaches the area, the doctor inflates its tip. They then inject a small amount of alcohol into your heart muscle. This damages the thickened area and triggers a repair process that thins the septal muscle.

Life After Alcohol Septal Ablation

Cardiac alcohol ablation makes it easier for blood to flow. It also stops the valve between your heart’s upper left chamber (atrium) and your left ventricle from contacting your septum.

It may take several months for your septal wall to fully thin. But you may notice significant improvement in your symptoms well before then.