Medical Therapy and Other Invasive Procedures

Medical therapy has been shown to improve symptoms and include drugs that enhance diastolic filling, blunt tachycardic response to exercise and decrease myocardial contractility. Agents typically used include beta blockers, non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and disopyrimide.

While medical therapy may improve symptoms, it has not been shown to alter prognosis. Implantable defibrillators are recommended in those with one or more major risk factors to reduce the likelihood of sudden cardiac death.

Other invasive procedures may be used in the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, particularly in patients who are unresponsive to medical therapy or at increased risk for sudden death. These include surgical septal myectomy, septal ablation by alcohol injection of the septal vasculature, permanent dual chamber pacing, cardiac transplantation and implantation of a permanent ICD.