for this procedure. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to dye or shellfish.
If you suspect you are or may be pregnant. Your doctor will not do this procedure during pregnancy. The x-rays may harm your baby.When you need to stop eating or drinking before your procedure.If you have kidney disease.
Your doctor will do an exam and may order: ‚
- Lab tests
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- Echocardiogram
- Chest x-ray
- Stress test
You will not be allowed to drive right away after the procedure. Ask a family member or a friend to drive you home. ‚
What happens during the procedure?
- Once you are in the operating room, the staff will put an I.V. in your arm to give you fluids and drugs. You will be given a drug to make you sleepy. It will also help you stay pain free during the procedure. You will be awake enough to talk to the doctor.
- Small stickers will be placed on your chest so the doctor can watch your heart rate and rhythm.
- The staff will take your vital signs often during the procedure.
- The doctor will decide which area to use for your procedure. It will either be the area around your upper thigh (groin), arm, or wrist. This area will be shaved, cleaned, and numbed.
- The doctor will use a needle to enter the blood vessel. Your doctor will place a small catheter. This catheter will pass through the blood vessel until it reaches your heart.
- Your doctor will place a temporary pacemaker because the alcohol injection may cause damage to the heart, resulting in a slower than normal heartbeat.
- Your doctor will place a guidewire with a small balloon through the catheter. The doctor will take x-rays or an echocardiogram to see where the wire and catheter are found in the heart. Your doctor will blow up the small balloon once the catheter is in the right spot. Your doctor will inject a dye through the catheter to check the placement of the catheter and to make sure no leakage occurs past the balloon.
- Your doctor will then inject a small amount of alcohol into a vessel in the wall between the 2 lower chambers of the heart, causing the muscle cells in that area to shrink and the wall to thin out.
- When the injection, tests, and images are done, your doctor will remove the catheter and balloon. Your doctor will cover your cut site with clean bandages.
- The procedure takes about 2 hours.
What happens after the procedure?
- You will go to the Recovery Room for a few hours. The staff will watch your heart rate and blood pressure closely. The staff will check for groin or arm bleeding. Your doctor may give you drugs for pain.
- You will likely go to the ICU for at least 1 day so the staff can watch you more closely. You may still have the temporary pacemaker in place. You may have to stay in the hospital for 3 to 5 days.
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
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
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. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚