Details.
A minimally invasive catheter procedure for a select group of patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and refractory or persistent symptoms. It involves the slow injection of 98 percent alcohol into a carefully selected artery supplying the overgrown heart muscle in the enlarged septum. The procedure does not require general anesthesia or lengthy recovery time. Patients are monitored in the ICU for two days with a temporary pacemaker, then typically go home with minimal physical activity restrictions for two to four weeks. Follow-up echocardiograms are performed three to six months after the procedure.