Sophisticated Care for Cardiomyopathy 

Cardiomyopathy is a condition that causes your heart muscle to enlarge, stiffen or thicken. It can create scar tissue in your heart muscle, making it harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your body. Over time, cardiomyopathy weakens your heart muscle and can lead to heart failure.  

Common types of cardiomyopathy we treat include: 

• Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: a rare condition where fat or scar tissue replaces damaged muscle and thins out the tissue in your heart’s right ventricle  
• Dilated cardiomyopathy: expands and thins out the tissue of your left ventricle, your heart’s main pumping chamber 
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a genetic type of this condition that is also the most common form of the disease  
• Ischemic cardiomyopathy: caused by a lack of blood that weakens and enlarges your left ventricle 
• Valvular cardiomyopathy: caused by stiff or leaky valves that reduce blood flow 

At the Keck Medicine of USC, our multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and geneticists offers complete cardiomyopathy care. We’ll work together to create a treatment plan customized to your unique needs to help you get back to doing the things you love.  

Symptoms of Cardiomyopathy 

Cardiomyopathy doesn’t always produce symptoms. Some people have no signs and don’t need treatment. Cardiomyopathy symptoms that do appear can worsen over time. The most common signs include: 

• Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) 
• Chest pain 
• Fainting 
• Fatigue 
• Heart palpitations 
• Shortness of breath 
• Swelling in your legs or ankles 

Depending on what type of cardiomyopathy you have, you may also experience: 

• Bloating 
• Coughing while lying down 
• Dizziness 
• Nausea 
• Weight gain 

Ways We Diagnose Cardiomyopathy 

Identifying cardiomyopathy starts with a physical exam. If we suspect you have this condition, we will ask about your personal and family history and any symptoms you experience. We may also need various tests to confirm your diagnosis. These tests may include: 

• Blood tests to check for proteins that are elevated with heart failure 
• Cardiac catheterization to reveal blockages in your blood vessels 
• Cardiac CT scan to reveal the size of your heart and heart valves, as well as any calcium deposits or blockages in your arteries 
• Cardiac MRI to capture images of your heart when an echocardiogram doesn’t show enough detail 
• Chest X-ray to examine your heart and lungs 
• Echocardiogram to examine your blood flow in real time 
• Electrocardiogram to measure your heart’s electrical activity 
• Exercise stress tests to determine how your heart responds to exercise 
• Genetic testing to identify any inherited cardiomyopathy 

Treatments We Offer for Cardiomyopathy 

There is no cure for cardiomyopathy. But treatment can help control your symptoms and improve your quality of life.  

Healthy lifestyle behaviors can maximize your treatment outcomes and strengthen your heart.  

To protect your long-term heart health, you should: 

• Avoid alcohol 
• Eat a low-fat, low-salt diet 
• Exercise regularly 
• Get enough sleep 
• Maintain a healthy weight for you 
• Quit smoking or using tobacco products 
• Reduce your stress 

In addition to these changes, we can recommend a wide range of treatment options based on your condition. Your treatment plan may include: 

Medication  

We may prescribe medication that can: 

• Improve your blood flow 
• Lower your blood pressure 
• Prevent blood clots 
• Remove extra fluid or salt from your body 
• Slow your heart rate 
• Strengthen your heart’s pumping ability 

Therapies 

Nonsurgical treatments for cardiomyopathy can also improve your symptoms. We may suggest: 

• Septal ablation: This procedure uses a thin, flexible tube (catheter) to allow alcohol to flow through your artery, shrink the thickened heart muscle and improve blood flow. 
• Other ablations: These procedures use heat or cold to create small scars in your heart to block signals that create an irregular heartbeat. 

Devices  

Our experts may recommend an implantable device that helps your heart pump blood. There are several options for devices, including:  

• Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT): a specialized pacemaker that helps your heart squeeze more efficiently 
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD): a device that uses electrical shocks to control your heart’s rhythm and prevent cardiac arrest 
• Left ventricular assist device (LVAD): a mechanical circulatory system that pumps blood throughout your body 
• Pacemaker: a device that regulates your heart rate 

Heart Transplant 

If medication or other therapies don’t work, you may need a heart transplant. This surgery will replace your damaged heart with a healthy donor heart. The process and surgery are complex. We work closely with the world-class specialists in the USC Heart Transplant Program to ensure we deliver the most compassionate care and pioneering, leading-edge surgical treatment.