Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common type of inherited heart disease, and one of the leading causes of sudden death in younger people and athletes. When you need treatment for this condition, you want a team with expertise.
Our Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Treatment Clinic offers the most up-to date diagnosis of and treatment for HCM. Our team applies the depth and breadth of their experience to give you effective care.
What Is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy?
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic condition that's usually passed down in families. It causes the muscle septum — the wall between the heart's lower chambers — to become abnormally thick.
HCM causes the heart to pump blood less effectively. The thickened muscle may bulge into the heart’s chambers, making them smaller and less able to pump blood. Or the heart muscle may not be able to relax between beats as it should.
There are two types of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:
- Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is the most common type of HCM. The thickened heart muscle bulges into the heart’s left ventricle (the bottom left chamber). This thickening reduces or blocks blood flow to the aorta (the body's main artery) and out to your body.
- Nonobstructive HCM occurs when heart muscle thickens but doesn't affect blood flow. If you have this type, we monitor you for symptoms and changes in heart function.
Untreated, HCM worsens and can lead to serious health conditions, such as:
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Heart rhythm problems, including arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation (A-Fib)
- Mitral valve regurgitation
- Stroke
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Treatment: Why Choose Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health?
As part of a large academic medical center, we have the expertise and technology to offer comprehensive HCM care, including specialized treatments. You get advanced care, closer to home.
When you come to us for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treatment, you find:
- Recognized expertise: Your team includes doctors from The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health and Lancaster General Health Physicians Cardiothoracic Surgery. They are board-certified, fellowship-trained leaders in cardiovascular surgery and minimally invasive heart procedures. Together, our interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons deliver the latest advances and high-quality care for HCM.
- Accurate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy diagnosis: We use the latest generation of heart imaging and tests, including 3D echocardiograms and cardiac CTs, to confirm HCM and rule other conditions. Our patient-centric approach means we make sure you have the information you need to feel confident about your choices.
- Comprehensive genetic testing and counseling: HCM is an inherited disease that may affect you and your loved ones into the future. Our genetic counselors help your whole family understand genetic testing and determine what type of testing you need. We explain what the results mean and monitor your family so we can provide treatment early, when it's most effective.
- One of the only hybrid ORs in the region: For people who require both catheter-based and surgical procedures, our interventional cardiologists and surgeons operate together in a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room at Lancaster General Hospital. Hybrid ORs have the technology and equipment to perform minimally invasive and open-heart surgeries at the same time.
- Advanced research: Our physician–researchers participate in heart and vascular clinical trials and research designed to advance diagnosis and treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This involvement means you have access to the latest treatments, often before they’re widely available.
- Skilled cardiac rehab: Our comprehensive cardiac and vascular rehab program is among the largest on the East Coast. We help hundreds of people heal faster and return to life on their terms.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Treatments We Offer
There's no cure for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but regular monitoring can pinpoint problems before they interfere with your health. Some people with HCM don’t require immediate treatment. In this case, we monitor your symptoms and watch for signs that HCM is causing heart failure or arrhythmia.
If you do need treatment, we offer all options for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Appropriate treatment can help you feel better and protect you from complications. We typically begin with the least invasive treatment method that’s appropriate for you.
Our HCM treatments include:
Medication
For people living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, medications can provide some symptom relief. Drugs that slow your heart rate can help your heart can pump blood more efficiently. Other medications treat symptoms such as chest pain, atrial fibrillation or shortness of breath (dyspnea).
Depending on your specific needs, we may recommend:
- Beta blockers or calcium channel blockers to slow your heart rate
- Blood thinners to improve blood flow and prevent clots
- Disopyramide to relax heart contractions (squeezing)
- Heart rhythm (antiarrhythmic) drugs to help restore normal heart rhythm
- Mavacamten, the first and only FDA-approved medication specifically designed to relax heart contractions (squeezing) and improve symptoms
- Statins to control high cholesterol by preventing plaque buildup in the arteries
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Our team has extensive training and experience in the latest minimally invasive interventional cardiology procedures to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. These procedures require only a small incision, so you avoid open-heart surgery and typically experience faster recovery, less pain and scarring, and fewer complications.
Minimally invasive options for HCM are:
- Alcohol septal ablation: An interventional cardiologist performs alcohol septal ablation by injecting alcohol into the blood vessel that supplies that part of the septum. The alcohol shrinks part of the thickened heart muscle to ease blood flow without harming healthy tissue.
- Catheter ablation: Doctors may use this procedure to treat A-Fib in some people with HCM. We perform a high volume of heart catheterization procedures—more than 4,200 diagnostic catheterizations and 1,200 interventional procedures each year, with excellent outcomes.
Surgical Procedures
If medications and minimally invasive options don’t effectively treat HCM, you may need surgery. Surgery for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy safely reroutes blood flow around a blockage or reduces the size of the enlarged part of your heart.
Surgical options for HCM include:
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery: Heart bypass surgery reroutes blood flow around the blocked or narrowed artery using a graft, a healthy artery from elsewhere in your body. Our cardiovascular surgeons perform CABG for people who’ve never had surgery as well as those who’ve had previous treatment for HCM.
- Implantable devices: If HCM is causing an abnormal heart rhythm, your doctor may recommend a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
- Septal myectomy: In this open-heart surgery, a surgeon removes part of your enlarged septum. Septal myectomy typically increases blood flow immediately, providing rapid relief.
- Heart transplant: In severe cases of HCM, heart transplant may be the best option. A heart transplant replaces a failing heart with a healthy donor heart. Our network has specialists with extensive training and experience in heart transplantation.
Contact Us
To learn more about our heart and vascular care, call 717-544-8300.