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Heart Specialties

Cardiac Amyloidosis

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Specialized Care for Amyloidosis of the Heart

Cardiac amyloidosis is a serious condition that develops when an abnormal protein called "amyloid" builds up in your heart, interfering with its ability to pump blood effectively. There are two main types of cardiac amyloidosis, based on the type of protein involved:

  • Light chain or AL amyloidosis
  • Transthyretin amyloidosis or ATTR

The buildup of amyloid deposits in your heart can lead to heart failure. NewYork-Presbyterian offers specialized expertise in the care of people with heart failure due to cardiac amyloidosis. Our team will create a regimen of therapy that is personalized to your needs.

How We Diagnose Cardiac Amyloidosis

Because cardiac amyloidosis is often mistaken for other conditions like heart disease, it is essential that you see an experienced doctor to determine the cause of your symptoms. The longer cardiac amyloidosis remains untreated, the more your heart function can decline. At NewYork-Presbyterian, we use a combination of tests to diagnose cardiac amyloidosis accurately.

  • AL amyloidosis requires a biopsy to make the diagnosis. The biopsy does not need to be from the heart, but a heart biopsy is the best way to diagnose this form of amyloidosis.
  • ATTR can be diagnosed using a combination of blood tests and a heart scan called a PYP (pyrophosphate) scan. Biopsies are also sometimes also needed.

Cardiac Amyloidosis Treatment

NewYork-Presbyterian has internationally known programs for amyloidosis. Columbia University Irving Medical Center is a Center of Excellence for Cardiac Amyloidosis and features one of the largest cardiac amyloidosis programs in the country. Weill Cornell Medicine also features multidisciplinary expertise for people with amyloidosis. In addition to access to state-of-the-art treatments, we offer promising new therapies through clinical trials.

Your treatment will depend on the type of amyloidosis you have. Your doctors will let you know if you may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial.

Pioneering New Cardiac Amyloidosis Therapies through Research

Columbia University has been at the forefront of developing therapies for ATTR. Our investigators led the pivotal study of tafamidis for cardiac amyloidosis, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May 2019. Our physicians have the longest and largest experience in the use of tafamidis for ATTR. Today researchers at both Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medicine are partnering to lead late-phase clinical trials of other novel therapies for this type of cardiac amyloidosis, with the goal of developing more effective options for patients.

Call for an Appointment

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center ‒ Milstein Family Heart Center
Heart Failure & Transplantation Program
Call: 212-305-7600
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center ‒ Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute
Heart Failure Program
Call: 646-962-5555
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Related Links

Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center, NYP/Columbia

Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute, NYP/Weill Cornell

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