What Is Cardiac Amyloidosis?

Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute, together with the American Heart Association (AHA), is advancing care for two serious and often underdiagnosed heart conditions: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and Cardiac Amyloidosis. For Alaskans living with these conditions, or who may have them and don’t yet know it, this recognition means world-class specialty care is available right here at home.

Cardiac amyloidosis, including Amyloidosis Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), is a condition in which an abnormal protein builds up in the heart, preventing the left ventricle from relaxing and filling properly and impairing the heart’s ability to pump blood. If left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and significantly shorten life expectancy. Despite how serious it is, ATTR-CM is frequently missed, often because its symptoms can resemble those of other, more common heart conditions.

Early detection is critical. When caught sooner, patients can access treatments that extend survival, preserve function, and maintain quality of life. As Columbia University’s Dr. Mat Maurer, a member of the AHA’s ATTR Amyloidosis Strategic Advisory Group, put it: “ATTR-CM is a life-threatening condition that is too often recognized late, when current disease modifying therapy is less effective.” But diagnosing and managing ATTR-CM requires specialized expertise and close coordination across multiple medical specialties; a level of care that, until now, many Alaskans had to travel out of state to access.

AHVI and the ATTR-CM Discovery Initiative

As part of its Cardiac Amyloidosis recognition, AHVI has been selected as one of just 10 health care centers nationwide to participate in the American Heart Association’s ATTR-CM Discovery Initiative, supported by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. AHVI joins institutions including Stanford Medicine, Duke University Health System, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and WashU Medicine in this three-year national quality improvement effort.

The initiative focuses on the full patient journey, from diagnosis and referral through treatment and long-term follow-up, with the goal of identifying successful, replicable models of care. Through shared learning and collaboration, participating sites will work to uncover gaps in care, amplify approaches that support earlier identification, and strengthen coordination across specialties. Insights will be shared nationally through professional education events and learning collaboratives.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Recognition

AHVI has also been recognized as an AHA center for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder to pump blood. More details about AHVI’s HCM program and what this designation means for patients will be shared in the coming weeks.

This recognition reflects years of dedicated work by AHVI’s clinical and support teams, who have been building protocols, refining referral and imaging pathways, educating the community, and walking with patients through some of the most challenging diagnoses in cardiology. We are proud of this milestone and excited for what it means for the future: expanding access, strengthening partnerships, participating in research and quality initiatives, and continuing to lead in the care of Alaskans with complex cardiovascular disease. Learn more about the ATTR-CM Discovery Initiative at heart.org/ATTRCMDiscovery.