Lahey Hospital & Medical Center Opens New Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center

Burlington, Mass. – Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) today announced the opening of its new Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) medical and surgical center. The Center has been established by internationally renowned leaders in the evaluation and management of HCM – Martin S. Maron, MD, Barry J. Maron, MD and Ethan J. Rowin, MD. Together, they have more than 75 years of unparalleled experience in caring for patients with the disease and have published numerous research and clinical studies which have changed the management of HCM and contributed to greatly improving clinical outcomes for patients.

It is estimated that one in every 500 people have HCM, which is a relatively common, inherited heart disease with diverse clinical presentation in which the heart muscle characteristically becomes abnormally thick. It is associated with risk for sudden death, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. As a Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA) recognized Center of Excellence, the Center offers comprehensive multi-disciplinary care and treatment of this complex cardiac disease.

“This critically important specialty center will have lasting impacts on the lives of patients diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and their families,” said Frederic S. Resnic, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at LHMC. “Drs. Marty Maron, Barry Maron and Rowin bring many years of expertise and clinical research in relation to this disease. As an academic medical center, we have the resources to help further support research and clinical care in this area. We look forward to partnering with physicians across the region and across the country to care for patients in need of this type of complex cardiac care.”

The new HCM Center is located at 67 South Bedford Street, Suite 302W, in Burlington, less than a mile from LHMC’s main campus. With 4,000 square feet of dedicated space, the Center consists of a patient and family lounge, consultation room, evaluation rooms, and team offices to diagnose, educate, and care for HCM patients and their families all in one location.

As part of the HCM Center’s comprehensive approach to patient care, the program will be supported with integrated services from LHMC’s Cardiac Surgery team, including Prem Shekar, MD, chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at LHMC and a nationally recognized cardiac surgeon in surgical myectomy for HCM, as well as colleagues in Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology and Advanced Heart Failure. The Center will also integrate social work, psychiatry and behavioral medicine, pharmacy, nutrition and wellness, and other services at LHMC. The Center is supported by three nurse practitioners with extensive experience caring for patients with HCM.

“Our team is thrilled to join Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and have the opportunity to further build on the HCM program through close clinic collaborations with experts while using world-class standard of care in electrophysiology- and catheter-based procedures such as alcohol septal ablation,” said Martin Maron, director of the HCM Center. “We are also so pleased to utilize the myectomy expertise of Dr. Shekar and the departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiovascular Medicine. Aligning with these teams is critical in our shared mission to provide HCM patients with outstanding care and the opportunity to achieve an excellent quality of life and normal life expectancy.”

Learn more about the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center and about the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine.