Transcript
Announcer:
You’re listening to Heart Matters on ReachMD. On this episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Sumeet Mitter, Director of Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Research and the Infiltrative and Restrictive Cardiomyopathy Center at Inova Health in Virginia. He’ll be sharing his perspective on gaining experience caring for patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM. Here’s Dr. Mitter now.
Dr. Mitter:
One of the reasons why I've liked being in this disease state is, A, the technologies. There's been a lot of advancements in the technologies we use in clinical trials within the amyloid disease state itself. We're looking at RNA silencers, DNA editing technologies, and immunotherapy, which we wouldn't think about in terms of cardiovascular care a decade ago. So dealing with cutting-edge research and different therapies, that's really exciting for someone who's new entering the field. If you're excited about these technologies, then enter it. If you're not excited about those technologies, don't, because it can be a very complicated arena to be in because there's a lot going on and you'll be faced with a lot of questions. So just be comfortable with the idea of what's out there. But it's a fun time to be in the field.
In terms of advice, lean on your colleagues. Everyone in this disease state is actually very nice. Everyone's willing to drop whatever they're doing and talk to one another. Many of us around the country are on a shared platform to discuss cases with each other. And I have a few colleagues and mentors around the country who, if I message them, will call me within five minutes for us to weed through the nuances of a case.
And so for anyone beginning to care of these patients, whether in general cardiology, advanced heart failure, or you're an internist and you might be seeing an older geriatric population where I'm sure a lot of these patients lie, just reach out to colleagues, and everyone will help shepherd you through how to diagnose and manage these patients.
Announcer:
That was Dr. Sumeet Mitter discussing how clinicians can navigate the evolving field of ATTR-CM. To access this and other episodes in our series, visit Heart Matters on ReachMD.com, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!
