How can I pursue alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thickened and enlarged, possibly interfering with blood flow and leading to heart failure or sudden death.

For patients unable to undergo surgery or those who may benefit from (or strongly prefer) a less invasive procedure than septal myectomy, alcohol septal ablation is an option to consider with your physician. It offers similar results to septal myectomy (a surgical procedure where part of the heart wall is cut away) in patients who qualify, but is much less invasive. During the procedure, a small amount of alcohol is injected into the protruding heart wall, causing the excess muscle to die and eventually shrink, which allows blood to flow more freely. The procedure is done through a small tube called a catheter that is threaded through a leg vessel and to the heart, similar to how angioplasty is performed to restore blood flow when a person is suffering a heart attack.

Not all medical centers are currently able to perform alcohol septal ablation. If you are considering alcohol septal ablation, be sure to work with your physician to find a qualified hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) center of excellence with specially trained physicians experienced in the procedure. According to recently released national guidelines on HCM, physicians qualified to perform this procedure should ideally have performed at least 20 such procedures successfully, and also should work within a comprehensive HCM program that follows the outcomes of these procedures over time.