Alcohol septal ablation to overcome shock.

A 69-year-old man, known with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), was referred to our hospital because of progressive hypoxaemia and sepsis after admission for respiratory infection. Once at the emergency department, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intubation and mechanical ventilation were necessary. Despite vasopressors and colloids the patient remained haemodynamically unstable. Because of the conviction that the distributive shock, caused by sepsis, was worsened by an associated obstructive shock related to the HOCM, an alcohol septal ablation (ASA) was attempted in these acute circumstances. Immediately after the ASA the gradient over the left ventricular outflow tract disappeared and the mean arterial pressure and oxygenation increased. Despite his cardiovascular recuperation the patient died a couple of days later. Nevertheless we achieved an improvement of the haemodynamic situation of this patient with HOCM by performing an urgent ASA.