Massachusetts General Hospital

Biography

Dr. Fifer received his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Harvard College and completed his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. Following internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he completed his subspecialty fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Fifer joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1984 and is currently an associate professor of medicine in the Cardiology Division at Massachusetts General Hospital.  At Massachusetts General Hospital, he is the medical director of the Knight Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, co-director with Dr. Gus J. Vlahakes of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program, and director of Interventional Cardiology Associates.  More than 500 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have been evaluated and managed in the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program.
In addition to his leadership roles described above, Dr. Fifer is active on a number of committees focused on quality improvement, including the Partners Health Care Cardiac Quality Measurement Committee. As a member of national expert writing groups, he participated in the drafting of Guidelines for the Use of Bedside Right Heart Catheterization and at the 31st Bethesda Conference on Emergency Cardiac Care. Currently he serves on the AC/AHA Author Committee on Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. His editorial activities include his tenure as section editor at Circulation for Contemporary Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine.
Dr. Fifer also maintains a general cardiology practice. Dr. Fifer is engaged in teaching courses ranging from preclinical to continuing medical education for peers at a national level, while mentoring fellows and junior attending staff with regard to career development.

Research

Dr. Fifer's research focuses on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and valvular disease.  He introduced alcohol septal ablation, an innovative procedure for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, to the northeastern United States.  He has published definitive reviews on the management of hypertrohpic cardiomyopathy in Circulation.  The research program of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program of the Heart Center of Massachusetts General Hospital is currently conducting basic, translational, and clnical studies aimed at elucidating the pathophysiologic mechanism of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and discovering new treatments for the disease.

Publications

View my most recent publications at PubMed

Fifer MA, Vlahakes GJ. Management of symptoms in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Circulation 2008;117:429.

Fifer MA. Controversies in cardiovascular medicine. Most fully informed patients choose septal ablation over septal myectomy. Circulation 2007;11:207.

Baggish AL, Smith RN, Palacios I, Vlahakes GJ, Yoerger DM, Picard MH, Lowry PA, Jang IK, Fifer MA. Pathological effects of alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Heart 2006;92:1778.

Kim AM, Fifer MA. Ventricular systolic discordance in pericardial tamponade: acute reversal by pericardiocentesis. Heart 2006;92:968.

Yoerger DM, Picard MH, Palacios IF, Vlahakes GJ, Lowry PA, Fifer MA. Time course of pressure gradient response after first alcohol septal ablation for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardiol 2006;97:1514.

Chen AA, Palacios IF, Mela T, Yoerger DM, Picard MH, Vlahakes G, Lowry PA, Fifer MA. Acute predictors of subacute complete heart block after alcohol septal ablation for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardio. 2006;97:269.

Mueller HS, Chatterjee K, Davis KB, Fifer MA, Franklin C, Greenberg MA, Labovitz AJ, Shah PK, Tuman KJ, Weil MH, Weintraub WS. ACC expert consensus document. Present use of bedside right heart catheterization in patients with cardiac disease. American College of Cardiology. J Am Coll Cardiol 1998;32:840.

Semigran MJ, Aroney CN, Herrmann HC, Dec GW, Boucher CA, Fifer MA. Effects of atrial natriuretic peptide on left ventricular function in hypertension. Hypertension 1994;24:271.

Advanced blood analysis may speed diagnosis of heart attacks

Study of 'planned' heart attacks identifies markers that could improve treatment, save lives.

U.S. congressman tours MGH labs

MGH Hotline 6.10.11 U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, co-chair of the Medical Technology Caucus, visited the MGH on May 18 to tour the Tissue Engineering and Organ Fabrication Laboratory in the Richard B. Simches Research Center and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory on Blake 9.