Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

Alcohol ablation, also referred to as alcohol septal ablation and percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT), is a medical procedure used to treat patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HCM). This hereditary cardiovascular disease is characterized by a thickened septal muscle that blocks blood flow to and from the heart.

Features

• Alcohol ablation treatment involves the injection of 100 percent ethyl alcohol into the thickened septal muscle. This procedure is performed using cardiac catheterization.

Function

• Ethyl alcohol is toxic to cardiac muscle cells, so the small amount of alcohol injected causes a small, controlled heart attack in a specified location.

Effects

• Alcohol shrinks the enlarged septum and widens the tract so more blood can flow through. HCM symptoms frequently improve within a few days of alcohol ablation treatment.

Side Effects

• The most common side effect of alcohol ablation treatment is complete heart block, which requires the implantation of a permanent pacemaker. The Harris County Hospital District reports that this side effect occurs in about 15 percent of alcohol ablation treatment patients.

Rare Side Effects

• Other less common side effects include heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, infection and bleeding. Some individuals suffer from an allergic reaction to the alcohol.

History

• Alcohol ablation treatment was developed by a London physician and first used in the U.S. by physicians at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.