Long-term outcome of alcohol septal ablation in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a word of caution.

BACKGROUND The impact of alcohol septal ablation (ASA)-induced scar is not known. This study sought to examine the long-term outcome of ASA among patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS Ninety-one consecutive patients (aged 54+/-15 years) with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy underwent ASA. Primary study end point was a composite of cardiac death and aborted sudden cardiac death including appropriate cardioverter-defibrillator discharges for fast ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation. Secondary end points were noncardiac death and other nonfatal complications. Outcomes of ASA patients were compared with 40 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who underwent septal myectomy. During 5.4+/-2.5 years, primary and/or secondary end points were seen in 35 (38%) ASA patients of whom 19 (21%) patients met the primary end point. The 1-, 5-, and 8-year survival-free from the primary end point was 96%, 86%, and 67%, respectively in ASA patients versus 100%, 96%, and 96%, respectively in myectomy patients during 6.6+/-2.7 years (log-rank, P=0.01). ASA patients had a approximately 5-fold increase in the estimated annual primary end point rate (4.4% versus 0.9%) compared with myectomy patients. In a multivariable model including a propensity score, ASA was an independent predictor of the primary end point (unadjusted hazard ratio, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.2 to 22.1; P=0.02 and propensity score-adjusted hazard ratio, 6.1; 95% CI, 1.4 to 27.1; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS This study shows that ASA has potentially unwanted long-term effects. This poses special precaution, given the fact that ASA is practiced worldwide at increasing rate. We recommend myectomy as the preferred intervention in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.