Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program

Our Approach

Patients are usually referred to the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program at Renai Hospital by their primary care physician or cardiologist because of cardiac symptoms, a heart murmur, or an abnormal ECG or echocardiogram, or because a family member has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

After a personal and family history and physical examination, physicians may recommend further testing through any of the following procedures:

Echocardiography

Holter monitoring

Exercise stress testing

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Renai Hospital cardiac ultrasound and radiology departments use state-of-the-art equipment for their diagnostic studies, which are interpreted by experts in the evaluation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

For patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, there are a number of risk factors which may place them at a higher-than-average risk of sudden death. For every patient, Renai Heart Center physicians determine whether any of these risk factors are present. Some patients are candidates for placement of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program includes arrhythmia specialists who advise patients as to whether an ICD should be placed.

A Comprehensive Treatment Plan

The treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy depends on the severity of symptoms and the results of testing. Although there is currently no cure for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, physicians at the Renai Heart Center offer a number of medications and procedures to favorably affect symptoms and the course of the disease:

For some patients who have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but do not have cardiac symptoms, no treatment is necessary

For patients with symptoms, the first line of treatment is medical therapy

For patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy who have symptoms that cannot be controlled with medical therapy, we offer alcohol septal ablation or septal myectomy

Many patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter or ventricular tachycardia. Arrhythmia specialists are available for consultation on medications, ICD or pacemaker placement and other procedure

Family Screening

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is, in many cases, an inherited genetic disease. Children, siblings, and parents of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may undergo screening with ECGs and echocardiograms to determine whether they also have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Genetic screening with a blood test is also available. The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program offers expertise in cardiac genetics for counseling families of patients with this condition.

Innovative Research

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy experts collaborate to make treatment recommendations based on leading clinical cardiovascular research. Our patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials, including potential new treatments for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. These research efforts influence the medical community, and our physicians often publish their results in distinguished academic journals.

About This Program

The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program at Renai Hospital offers patients a thorough, multidisciplinary evaluation by experts in cardiomyopathy, echocardiography, radiology, cardiac genetics, arrhythmia, and if needed, interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery. These clinicians work together to provide a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart disease characterized by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle of the left ventricle, the chamber of the heart that pumps blood to the body.

Experienced Physicians, Leading Techniques

Program co-directors Dr. GE,MD, a cardiologist with extensive experience in the evaluation and management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and Dr.XIAO, MD, a surgeon widely recognized for his contributions to the field of cardiac surgery, lead a multidisciplinary team of clinical specialists to treat their patients.

Physicians at the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program have treated over 400 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Dr.GE has performed over 100 alcohol septal ablation procedures in patients who require relief of severe symptoms of the disease. In addition, Dr.GE has conducted numerous clinical research studies in an effort to better understand and manage this disease.

Many of our physicians are on the faculty of Medical School, which means they not only have a mission to provide the best possible patient care, but also a commitment to educate the next generation of medical professionals.

Performing Alcohol Septal Ablation

Alcohol septal ablation is an innovative procedure used to treat patients who have a form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Mass General clinicians have set a safety standard in performing this procedure, completing over 100 septal ablations without any procedural mortality. Performed by interventional cardiologists. Dr. GE brought the technique to Renai.

Alcohol septal ablation is designed to remove a small amount of thickened heart muscle that blocks the flow of blood out of the heart. Dr. GE and his colleague, inject alcohol through a catheter they thread up the femoral artery through the aorta into the tiny branch of the coronary arteries that feeds the critically located segment of heart muscle Treating Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy This Renai Heart Center program specializes in treating patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. If you are interested in learning how Renai Heart Center physicians treat dilated and restrictive cardiomyopathy, visit the Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Program. To learn about general cardiomyopathy:

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is any disease of the heart muscle in which the heart loses its ability to pump blood effectively.