About this topic
Cardiomyopathy is a problem with your heart muscle. It can affect people of all ages. One type of cardiomyopathy causes the heart muscle to get bigger, thicker, and stiff. Most often, this happens in the wall between the lower chambers of the heart, called the septum. This is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM. This illness: ‚
- Makes it harder for your heart to pump blood
- Leads to heart failure
- Makes it hard for blood to leave the heart to get to the rest of your body
- Is a common cause of sudden cardiac death
One way to treat HCM is with an alcohol septal ablation. With this procedure, your doctor will place a small catheter into an artery in your groin or arm. This catheter will go through the artery to the heart. Once the tip of the catheter is in the spot where the heart muscle is thick and stiff, your doctor will inject a small amount of alcohol. Over time, this area becomes smaller and allows for better blood flow to your body. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you understand everything the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work, driving, or sex
- If your cut site starts to bleed or feels like the lump is getting bigger, lie down. Put pressure on it until the bleeding stops. Call for emergency help if you are not able to stop the bleeding.
- Be sure to wash your hands before touching your wound or dressing.
- Take small walks around your house. Get enough rest.
- Talk to your doctor about how much fluid you should drink to flush the dye out of your body.
- Avoid straining when having a bowel movement. Eat a lot of fiber-rich foods like fruits, whole grains, and vegetables.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- You will likely need to have more echocardiograms to see how well your heart is working.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Increase the strength of your heart muscle
- Help heart function
- Remove extra water from your body
- Prevent blood clots
- Control your blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol levels
Will physical activity be limited?
You may have to limit your activity for 2 to 4 weeks. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for you. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Irregular heartbeat, stroke, or heart attack
- Blood clots or damage to the blood vessels
- Nerve injury
- Bruising or bleeding at the cut site
- Infection
- Buildup of air in the spaces of the lung and the chest (pneumothorax)
- Allergic reactions to drugs, dyes, or contrast agents
- Kidney problems
- Low blood pressure
- Need for a pacemaker
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a heart attack or stroke. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of heart attack:
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
- Signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Call your doctor if you have: ‚
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, or wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up; continuous or worsening pain at the site; or a lump near the site.
- Shortness of breath
- You feel faint or very tired
- Heartbeat feels very slow or pounding
- Arm or leg where the catheter was put in changes color, is cool to touch, or is numb
- Bleeding at the catheter site that does not stop, even with pressure
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if my cut site starts to bleed.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have signs of a heart attack or stroke.
Where can I learn more?
American Heart Association ‚
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/Cardiomyopathy/Prevention-and-Treatment-of-Cardiomyopathy_UCM_444176_Article.jsp ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚