Treatment Options for HCM

The goal of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) treatment is to relieve symptoms of the condition and, in rare cases, to prevent sudden cardiac death.

Our center for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy offers several different treatment options such as medication, surgery or specialized procedures for HCM and its symptoms. 

Medication is usually the first option of treatment for people with HCM. In order to manage symptoms and improve cardiac functioning, physicians may prescribe common heart medications such as beta blockers, disopyramide, calcium channel blockers, heart rhythm medications, and anticoagulants.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Camzyos™ (mavacamten) for the treatment of adults with some  forms of symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  This is the  only FDA-approved medication that targets the underlying cause of obstructive HCM.  The Center for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at Atlantic Health System is the first facility in New Jersey to prescribe mavacamten for HCM.*

Implantable Defibrillators

To prevent sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an implantable defibrillator may be necessary.  Defibrillators have eliminated the vast majority of sudden death events in HCM.

To identify those patients who will likely benefit from an implantable defibrillator, all HCM patients undergo risk stratification assessment, to determine which would be ideal candidates for the procedure. 

If you are found to be high risk, we will discuss with you implanting a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), designed to identify and terminate these arrhythmias, thus preventing sudden cardiac death events. 

Only a very small proportion of patients with HCM are at increased risk for sudden cardiac death.