Shadowing Practice: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Made Easy | (Includes Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy & SAM) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder of the cardiac muscle tissue,
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characterised by abnormal thickening of the cardiac muscle without any clear cause.
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It is the second most common cardiomyopathy with a prevalence of around 1 in 500,
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and it is the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death in young patients.
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Overall, males and females are equally affected.
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However, females are more likely to present at an older age with more significant heart failure.
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All ethnicities can be affected.
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However, a form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affecting the apex is significantly more prevalent in Asian people.
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It is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion and the genetic abnormalities occur primarily in genes that code for sarcomere proteins.
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40 % are in the gene coding for beta myosin heavy chains on chromosome 14
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and 40 % in the cardiac myosin binding protein C gene.
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In total over 150 mutations have been identified to be involved with this condition.
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These mutations lead to altered translation efficiency,
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followed by changes in the signaling pathways and ultimately leading to changes in the histology,
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including myocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis.
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This leads to parts of the heart becoming thicker than usual.
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The most commonly affected areas are the interventricular septum and the left ventricle, although any part can be affected.
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The left ventricular outflow tract is particularly susceptible to encroachment from the thickening of the septum,
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leading to obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract.
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This is known as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and is seen in around 25 % of those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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A unique feature of this obstruction is that it is dynamic, meaning it is not fixed.
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The left ventricular outflow tract is encroached in these patients due to the increased size of the interventricular septum,
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particularly evident during systole.
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Another feature that contributes to the obstruction is systolic anterior motion,
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or SAM, which is the anterior movement of the mitral valve during systole leading to worsening of the outflow tract obstruction.
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This is best seen on a parasternal view on echocardiography.
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Although it is not specific for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy it is more commonly seen.
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Several other factors can also contribute to the dynamic nature of the obstruction such as contractility for example during exercise
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which causes a more forceful contraction and a greater degree of obstruction.
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A reduction in preload can also worsen the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction,
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where preload is the volume in the ventricle at the end of diastole.
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Examples that reduce preload include hypovolemia, vasodilation, such as after administration of nitrates,
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and tachycardia that reduces preload due to shorter diastolic filling time.
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The smaller left ventricular volume facilitates the systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve.
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Over time, as the fibrosis increases, the ventricle becomes stiffer and less compliant, leading to diastolic heart failure,
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also known as heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction.
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A marker of this is increased pressure in the left atrium, which increases the risk of arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation.
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In long -standing cases, the interstitial fibrosis and the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction lead to thinning of the left ventricle,
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eventually producing a systolic failure.
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Often, patients are asymptomatic.
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When symptoms are present, they are usually the result of four main mechanisms.
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First is diastolic dysfunction, leading to increased left atrial pressure and pulmonary vein pressure.
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This is exacerbated in exertion, giving exertional dyspnea.
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It can also manifest as orthopnea, which is breathlessness when lying flat,
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and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, which is sudden onset shorness of breath during sleeping.
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Peripheral edema is another possible or finding.
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Secondly, we have obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract which can also cause dyspnea but can cause syncope,
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especially during exercise.
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Next we have arrhythmias which can include atrial fibrillation which is seen in around 25 % of patients,
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ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.
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These can lead to palpitations, lightheadedness or syncope, shortness of breath and chest pain.
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We also mentioned earlier
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that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young patients and this is largely due to arrhythmias.
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This brings us to the fourth mechanism, an imbalance between the myocardial oxygen supply and the demand.
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Oxygen supply is reduced because the flow of blood through the hypertrophy tissue is lower,
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while there is an increase in the demand due to the thicker myocardial tissue.
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This can cause chest pain that may have typical features of angina.
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For the diagnosis, a physical exam will often reveal a mid -systolic murmur best heard at the left sternal border.
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An ECG may show left ventricular hypertrophy voltages shown by large amplitude QRS complexes
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and possibly Q waves that are distinguished from previous infarctions by having a width of less than 40 milliseconds.
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The diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is based on abnormal thickening.
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This is defined as a thickness of the interventricular septum of 15 millimeters or greater,
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or 13 millimeters with a family history or genetic background.
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It can be difficult to distinguish between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and physiological hypertrophy seen in athletes.
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A possible distinguishing feature is that the volume of the cavity in physiological hypertrophy is not reduced,
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whereas the volume is reduced in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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An asymmetrical distribution of the hypertrophy also favours hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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The primary therapy is the use of beta blockers as they serve to reduce contractility and to increase diastolic filling time.
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Calcium channel blockers are options in patients not responsive to beta blockers or in patients in whom beta blockers are contraindicated.
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In patients who have developed heart failure, diuretics may be useful, however, must be used with care in order to avoid hypovolemia,
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which as we said, can precipitate the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.
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Higher risk patients, such as athletes, patients with previous ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia,
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symptomatic patients, patients with significant thickening of the septum or ventricular wall, typically defined above 30 mm,
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or a family history of sudden cardiac death should be considered for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, known as an ICD.
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Septal myomectomy or ablation can be considered in patients with severe obstruction that despite pharmacotherapy are still symptomatic.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Made Easy”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: ventricular, patients, cardiomyopathy, obstruction, hypertrophic. This video has 76 sentences and 1004 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:40. The speaker talks at a steady 116 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 67% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| obstruction noun | /əbˈstɹʌk.ʃən/ | The act of obstructing, or state of being obstructed. |
| tract noun | /tɹækt/ | An area or expanse. |
| cardiac adjective | /ˈkɑɹdiˌæk/ | Pertaining to the heart. |
| sudden adjective | /ˈsʌd.ən/ | Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly. |
| beta noun | /ˈbeɪtə/ | The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental… |
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form… |
| genetic adjective | /d͡ʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/ | Relating to genetics or genes. |
| tissue noun | /ˈtɪʃ.(j)u/ | Thin, woven, gauzelike fabric. |
| distinguish verb | /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ | To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics. |
| anterior adjective | /ænˈtɪɹ.i.ɚ/ | Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal. |
| thick adjective | /θɪk/ | Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension. |
| muscle noun | /ˈmʌs.əl/ | A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement. |
| commonly adverb | /ˈkɑmənli/ | As a rule; frequently; usually. |
| contribute verb | /kənˈtɹɪb.jut/ | To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole. |
| define verb | /dɪˈfaɪn/ | To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are equally affected · can be affected · is inherited |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | SAM, which is · orthopnea, which is · dyspnea, which is |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been identified · have developed |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: thick /θɪk/, athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/, thin /ˈθɪn/, width /ˈwɪtθ/, pathway /ˈpæθˌweɪ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: obstruction /əbˈstɹʌk.ʃən/, tissue /ˈtɪʃ.(j)u/, distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/, mutation /mjuˈteɪʃən/, reduction /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: anterior /ænˈtɪɹ.i.ɚ/, mechanism /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/, physiological /ˌfɪz.i.əˈlɑ.d͡ʒɪ.kəl/, primarily /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.ɹə.li/, efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like obstruction, tract, cardiac.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.