Extended Myectomy for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Early Outcomes From a Nascent Centre of Excellence in Canada

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the commonest inherited cardiac abnormalities. The disorder is clinically and genetically heterogeneous and is characterized by left ventricular wall thickening that is not explained by abnormal loading conditions. HCM is estimated to affect between 1 in 200 and 1 in 500 people in the general population. In the majority of cases, HCM patients have a relatively benign course; however, if left untreated, this abnormality can lead to sudden cardiac death, especially in young adults and athletes. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial to help implement the proper management for patients with HCM. In response to the growing need for more HCM centres of excellence in Canada, we developed one such centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute from the start of 2018. This centre will help in the early diagnosis and management of HCM patients, especially those with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction who might benefit from myectomy surgery. This paper describes our early experience with surgical myectomy in adult HCM patients between January 2018 and December 2020. We report the results of 27 patients with HCM who underwent myectomy surgery during the study period. All 27 patients survived to discharge, and all were still alive at 6 months postdischarge. Our experience highlights the crucial role that preoperative and perioperative imaging play in the management of this condition, in addition to the vital role of having a committed “heart team” of cardiologists, surgeons, and anesthesiologists.