Alcohol septal ablation done on pregnant mother

Trichy: A 21-year-old pregnant woman who had thickened heart (HCM) with severe obstruction to blood flow underwent Alcohol Septal Ablation at Kauvery Hospital Heartcity in Trichy. A hospital release said the pregnant mother suffered from the genetic condition of thickening of heart muscles causing difficulty in breathing. She was diagnosed with this condition at six months of pregnancy, and it worsened, putting both mother and baby's lives at high risk. She was beyond the date for termination of pregnancy safely. "Only option was to do reduce the thickness of heart muscle by injecting alcohol into blood vessel supplying the muscle. This procedure known as Alcohol Septal Ablation (ASA) was performed," the release added.Dr T Joseph , lead electrophysiologist & interventional cardiologist at the hospital, injected alcohol into the heart muscle to get the desired results. Hospital executive director Dr T Senthilkumar said it is a very rare and high-risk procedure especially in pregnancy, and it was a valiant team effort to save both the mother and child.