Alcohol Septal Ablation

Wellstar Treats Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with Minimally-Invasive Technique

For certain patients with an inherited condition called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a specific portion of a heart wall chamber is too thick and blocks the exit of blood out of the heart. When oral medications and lifestyle modification are unable to provide adequate relief, a minimally-invasive procedure known as alcohol septal ablation can be life-changing.

With this procedure, performed via a small balloon catheter inserted through the groin or wrist, alcohol is delivered to a very defined area of the thickened heart muscle. This causes an eventual scarring and retraction of that thickened area, thus enabling improved blood flow out of the heart. This approach is is an alternative to open-heart surgery. If a patient is not a candidate for this procedure, the interventional cardiologist may refer you to a cardiac surgeon for open heart septal myectomy/myotomy.

Wellstar interventional cardiologists are experts in providing this kind of state-of-the-art heart care. We create a personalized plan to address your specific heart care needs with input from multiple specialties including cardiac surgery and heart failure teams. Our cardiac imaging experts create detailed pictures to guide your cardiologist, and our clinical support team leads you through the process of preparing for your procedure, ensuring you understand the details and answering any questions you may have. With Wellstar, your complete care always comes first.

Learn more about Wellstar’s Structural Heart & Valve Program.