Details.
A minimally invasive procedure for a select group of patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and refractory or persistent symptoms. The procedure uses a catheter to slowly inject 98 percent alcohol into a carefully selected artery supplying the overgrown heart muscle. It does not require general anesthesia or lengthy recovery time. Patients are monitored in the ICU for two days with a temporary pacemaker, followed by minimal physical activity restrictions for two to four weeks and follow-up echocardiograms in three to six months.