March 3, 2026: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Focus—MAPLE-HCM Trial, Myosin Inhibitors & What Improvement Really Means | JACC This Week

In this episode of JACC This Week, Dr. Carolyn Lam and Dr. Harlan Krumholz spotlight a mini-focus issue on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a field undergoing rapid transformation. The discussion centers on the MAPLE-HCM trial comparing aficamten and metoprolol in symptomatic obstructive HCM, highlighting multidomain response analysis and what it means to measure meaningful improvement. Beyond gradients and biomarkers, the conversation explores a critical question: when physiologic surrogates improve, how should we interpret patient-centered outcomes? Framed by the Editor's Page, "What Does Improvement Mean?", this episode examines the evolving role of myosin inhibitors, disease modification, and the tension between surrogate markers and real-world clinical benefit. Additional highlights include disaggregation of Asian ethnicities in heart failure quality-of-care research and emerging evidence on AI-driven ECG models to predict incident heart failure—underscoring JACC's commitment to precision, equity, and innovation. This issue reflects a broader shift across cardiology: transforming once-static diseases into treatable chronic conditions guided by rigorous evidence.