Alcohol Septal Ablation
What is alcohol septal ablation?
Alcohol septal ablation is a non-surgical procedure to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is an inherited condition in which your heart muscle is abnormally thick. This procedure decreases your symptoms and to reduces future complications.
Your left and right ventricles are the 2 lower chambers of your heart. A muscular wall called the septum separates these 2 ventricles. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the walls of your ventricles and septum may thicken abnormally. The septum may bulge into your left ventricle and partially block the blood flow out to your body. This places extra pressure on your heart. It also contributes to many symptoms of the disease. These may include fatigue and shortness of breath.
Alcohol septal ablation requires a thin, flexible tube called a catheter. It has a balloon at the tip. Your doctor threads the tube through a blood vessel in your groin all the way to the artery that carries blood to your septum. Your doctor then injects alcohol, through the tube, into the area where the heart is too thick. The alcohol is toxic and causes some of your heart muscle cells to shrink and die. Remaining scar tissue is thinner than the heart muscle. This improves blood flow through your heart and out to your body. Your healthcare provider then deflates the balloon and guides the tube back out of your body.
Condition & Treatment
Alcohol Septal Ablation
What is alcohol septal ablation?
Alcohol septal ablation is a non-surgical procedure to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is an inherited condition in which your heart muscle is abnormally thick. This procedure decreases your symptoms and to reduces future complications.
Your left and right ventricles are the 2 lower chambers of your heart. A muscular wall called the septum separates these 2 ventricles. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the walls of your ventricles and septum may thicken abnormally. The septum may bulge into your left ventricle and partially block the blood flow out to your body. This places extra pressure on your heart. It also contributes to many symptoms of the disease. These may include fatigue and shortness of breath.
Alcohol septal ablation requires a thin, flexible tube called a catheter. It has a balloon at the tip. Your doctor threads the tube through a blood vessel in your groin all the way to the artery that carries blood to your septum. Your doctor then injects alcohol, through the tube, into the area where the heart is too thick. The alcohol is toxic and causes some of your heart muscle cells to shrink and die. Remaining scar tissue is thinner than the heart muscle. This improves blood flow through your heart and out to your body. Your healthcare provider then deflates the balloon and guides the tube back out of your body.