Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
(HCM)
Treatment
Treatment for HCM aims to reduce any obstruction of blood flow from the left ventricle, improve overall heart function, and maintain a normal heart rhythm. Reducing the obstruction typically improves symptoms but doesn’t necessarily decrease the risks of a sudden cardiac event, however.
Treatment for HCM includes the following:
- Medications – Medications such as beta blockers are used to calm any excessive “adrenaline surges,” reduce the resting heart rate, eliminate the obstruction, and help prevent the development of arrhythmias. Sometimes, more powerful antiarrhythmic medications or combinations of medications must be used. In addition, in early 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug for the treatment of HCM called mavacamten (Camzyos).
- Destruction of the excessive heart muscle tissue – Your doctor may choose to destroy the excessive heart muscle tissue blocking blood outflow. A cardiac catheterization procedure is performed by a specially trained cardiologist who inserts a thin, flexible tube (catheter) into a blood vessel and injects alcohol into the small-branch heart arteries that supply blood to the area of obstructing muscle, which causes the muscle to die. These alcohol septal ablation procedures are not typically performed in children but are effective in adults with HCM. These procedures are typically not as effective as open heart surgery but are a good option for people who can't tolerate it or are older and prefer not to have surgery.
- Open-heart surgery (surgical myectomy) – A cardiologist may choose to perform open-heart surgery to remove some of the thickened heart muscles.
- Implantable cardiac defibrillator – A cardiac defibrillator may be implanted to monitor abnormal and dangerous heart rhythms. If a dangerous arrhythmia develops, these devices can shock the heart back to a normal rhythm.