Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program

At NYU Langone’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program, our heart surgeons and cardiologists are world-renowned leaders in the treatment of people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which causes the heart muscle to become thick and stiff, creating obstructions that limit the heart’s ability to pump blood through the body.

Our program is led by cardiologist Dr. Mark V. Sherrid and cardiac surgeon Dr. Daniel G. Swistel, who each have more than 40 years of experience and have together treated more than 2,500 people who have HCM. Our team specializes in treatments for people with the most complex and severe forms of HCM. We develop targeted treatment plans that start with finding the right medications to control your symptoms and improve your quality of life, and then move on to surgery when needed. Under the care of our doctors, our patients experience a greatly improved quality of life and can expect to have a normal lifespan.

We are innovators in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy surgery. The surgical procedures widely used to treat forms of HCM that involve the mitral valve were developed by Dr. Swistel and are performed regularly by our team. For people with severe disease that does not respond to standard medical and surgical care, we work with the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, which is home to the nation’s top heart transplant program.

Advanced Treatment for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

If it is not treated, HCM can cause heart failure and dangerous, irregular heart rhythm, especially during physical exertion. Although infrequent, HCM can lead to ventricular arrhythmia that can cause sudden death. We provide the early diagnosis and targeted symptom management that are vital to managing this condition.

Our cardiologists use imaging tests such as electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and MRI to diagnose HCM and understand its impact on the heart. Because HCM can be an inherited condition, we also offer genetic screening, DNA analysis, and counseling for family members who are at increased risk of developing HCM.

Treatment for HCM may include medications, surgery, or less invasive treatments, including alcohol septal ablation.

Innovative Medication Therapy

Treatment for HCM includes medications that decrease heart rate and prevent blood clots and abnormal heart rhythms. Dr. Sherrid is an innovator in the use of disopyramide, a medication used to treat obstructive HCM that does not respond to beta blocker therapy. Disopyramide prevents the heart from overcontracting, which occurs in some patients with obstructive HCM. By relaxing the force of each heartbeat, this medication helps to reduce the amount of obstruction and relieve symptoms.

For people with nonobstructive HCM, we use other medications including beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics when needed. Our program participates in research into new medications for treatment of obstructive HCM, and select patients might be candidates for these investigational therapies.

Our Surgical Expertise

Septal myectomy is the most common surgery for HCM, and our surgeons have performed more than 600 of these procedures. Septal myectomy reduces obstructions in the heart by thinning the septum, which is the wall between the left and right sides of the heart.

For some people with HCM, the heart’s mitral valve is the source of the obstruction. Dr. Swistel specializes in mitral valve treatment for people with HCM, and invented several surgical techniques now used to preserve the mitral valve in people with HCM, including horizontal plication and residual leaflet excision, or ReLex. Both procedures correct complex structural abnormalities in the mitral valve that obstruct blood flow.

In addition, we are one of only two centers in the country that provide surgical treatment for midventricular and apical HCM, which affect different areas of the heart. This procedure reduces a person’s symptoms of heart failure and the need for a future heart transplant.

Our team includes cardiac surgeons from the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, who are available to perform a heart transplant when conventional therapies are not adequate to control your symptoms.

Minimally Invasive Treatments

We also work with electrophysiologists from our Heart Rhythm Center, who use cardiac devices such as the implantable cardiac defibrillator and pacemaker to correct irregular heart rhythms. Our electrophysiologists also perform catheter ablation to treat atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.   

We also work with interventional cardiologists who perform alcohol septal ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that uses highly concentrated alcohol to remove obstructions and improve blood flow.

Leaders in HCM Research

Our doctors have a long history of participation in research. We participate in clinical trials for medications that relieve symptoms in people with obstructive HCM. Dr. Swistel has led research into novel surgical repairs to the mitral valve for treatment of obstructive HCM.

Our research also includes the role of weight loss in HCM treatment, the causes of apical aneurysm in people with HCM, and the role of mitral annular calcification in left ventricular outflow obstruction. Our participation in HCM research allows our patients access to medications and treatments that are not yet widely available.