PTSMA (ALCOHOL SEPTAL ABLATION FOR HOCM)

Alcohol septal ablation (ASA, TASH, PTSMA) is a minimally invasive, percutaneous treatment procedure performed by interventional cardiologists to treat patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Patients must go through a selection process that evaluates them on strict clinical, anatomical and physiological criteria before the physician recommends the procedure. It allows a majority of symptomatic patients to avoid open heart surgery.

HOCM is a condition where the heart muscle grows abnormally thick without any physiological causes like hypertension or aortic valve disease. This thickening of the heart muscle is usually noticed in a particular part of the interventricular septum in a large number of patients suffering from HOCM that causes an obstruction in the flow of blood from the left ventricle.

• Alcohol Septal Ablation (also known as PTSMA) reduces this obstruction, allowing improved blood flow from the heart.
• The cardiologist performing the procedure creates a small, controlled heart attack by pushing a small amount of pure alcohol through the catheter into the artery to destroy the excess septal tissue, thereby reducing the thickness and allowing flow of blood to resume.
• Patients might experience some mild discomfort or chest pain at this point in the procedure.
• Unlike other minimally invasive procedures, patients who undergo PTSMA procedure have to stay in the hospital for several days for constant monitoring.
• Activity is restricted for a few months to allow complete recovery.
• Patients also need to return for follow-up visits regularly in order to evaluate healing and resumption of full heart function.