admin • June 6, 2022
Cardiac implantable device infections

The HCMA participated in an American Heart Association summit of more than 40 health care professionals to bridge gaps in awareness, detection, and appropriate treatment of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections.


As many as one in 20 patients with a CIED, such as a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator, develops an infection within three years of implantation. Despite current guidelines, only one in five patients with a CIED infection undergoes timely extraction – the most appropriate treatment option. Early extraction is associated with a 41% lower risk of death. Female and Black patients are even less likely to undergo this lifesaving procedure.

During the summit, participants – including clinicians and patient advocates – shared insights to inform educational webinars and podcasts that will be promoted and disseminated across the American Heart Association’s extensive health care professional network. The multidisciplinary group also recommended:

  • development of patient and referring physician tools to drive earlier diagnosis,
  • creation of a care pathway and structures to support safe extraction, and
  • the launch of patient awareness and education campaign.


“To treat CIED infections well, you need a broad-based, interdisciplinary approach to gather and leverage the available experts,” said Dr. Bruce Wilkoff, MD, planning group chairperson of the Association’s CIED initiative and director of cardiac pacing and tachyarrhythmia devices at Cleveland Clinic. “The American Heart Association is the perfect organization to get the message out. We can improve awareness, detection, and treatment of CIED infections if we all work together.”

The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association recognizes the importance of monitoring patient health, especially post-implantation, and being alert to the potential for infection.


Learn more about this effort to drive evidence-based, equitable CIED infection care and sign up to receive the summit report and access related educational resources at www.heart.org/treat2beatciedinfection.

HCMA Blog

Lisa's Letter - July Newsletter

By Lisa Salberg • July 3, 2025
Summer, greetings to all our big-hearted friends As July approaches, our focus is already on the fall and preparing for some major events, including our annual meeting coming up in October. July will also find us on the west coast in Seattle conducting a regional patient education meeting as part of our big-hearted warrior tour. We have been following the generic drug quality issue in the United States very closely and encourage you to watch the series starting with our Hill briefing in April and following with the additional webinars with our partners at Medshadow and the People's Pharmacy, and of course the ProPublica series of articles. See them all here . We are happy to have a new team member on board - we welcome Pam as our coordinator of both our All Hearts Collaborative and Hearts and Minds project. Over the next few months, you're going to be learning more about these two amazing initiatives and how we are working to provide better services for big hearts regardless of where you live, so we are meeting all of our big-hearted friends where they are. Please stay tuned for updates from these projects coming soon. We are also creating new volunteer opportunities and engagements that we hope will make it easier for you to participate in spreading the message of the importance of diagnosis, the importance of community readiness related to CPR and AED use and, of course, helping patients get to their ultimate diagnosis and getting them on the proper treatment pathways. This July I would like to recognize all of the special birthdays in my family, including HCMA Center of Excellence coordinator, Stacey Titus-brown and my daughter Rebecca Salberg. It's a milestone birthday for Becca - it’s hard to believe I have a 30-year-old child. Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer. Go build some memories!
An official seal in black & red with white letters that say HCMS Recognized Centers of Excellence

July's Topic is COE Care at the HCMA

By Sabrina Cuddy • July 3, 2025
Getting HCM care at a HCMA Recognized Center of Excellence has a positive impact on patient's outcomes. Find out why in the post by Health Educator Sabrina Cuddy

Pro Publica Releases Results of FDA Investigation

By Erica Friedman • June 26, 2025
Investigative journalists Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose, Brandon Roberts and Irena Hwang from Pro Publica and NPR have concluded a 14-month long investigation into the quality of generic drugs coming into the United States from overseas. Among the many voices that spoke up for American patients was HCMA Founder and CEO, Lisa Salberg who has felt the effects of low-quality drugs personally. Salberg believes that fixing this problem is something we can do, even in this time, when even health care is highly politicized. Read the key takeaways from ProPublica’s 14-month investigation into the FDA’s oversight of foreign drugmakers in Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs .
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