Specialties & Conditions Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic
Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic
Our Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic is designed to evaluate and treat families with genetic heart disease. We focus on those conditions that affect the heart muscle and heart rhythm. Our team includes experts in pediatric and adult cardiology, as well as experts in genetics, heart failure and heart rhythm abnormalities.
When you call our clinic for a referral, we will help you determine which of our experts are best suited to consult with your family.
The clinic provides comprehensive care, including diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling for inherited heart disease. The clinic also serves as a resource for families that may be at risk for inherited heart disease.
Genetic Testing for Heart Disease
Conditions Evaluated & Treated
These are some of the disorders that we evaluate and treat:
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVC/ARVD)
- Brugada Syndrome
- Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT)
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
- Family history of Sudden Death
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Left Ventricular Non-compaction (LVNC)
- Long QT Syndrome (LQTS)
The Connective Tissue Disorder Program at Lurie Children’s provides comprehensive care and genetic counseling to patients — from infants to young adults — who have disorders of the connective tissue, such as Marfan syndrome.
Make an Appointment
To make an appointment, call 312.227.4100 or email cardiogenetics@luriechildrens.org.
In addition to in-person visits, we now offer telemedicine visits via video or phone. Some appointments will still require you to be seen in-person, but your physician and care team will let you know if a telemedicine appointment is available.
Second Opinions
For families or providers seeking a second opinion, we offer a Priority Second Opinion Clinic.
What to Expect at the Clinic
You may meet with a genetic counselor along with a cardiologist at your visit. Because genetic conditions are often inherited (passed from parents to children), the genetic counselor will carefully review your family history at the first visit. We will focus on any history of heart disease or on a history of sudden, life-threatening events that may have been due to a heart problem.
Before your visit, it may be helpful to talk within your family and ask if anyone has had heart disease. In particular, we try to determine if any of the following are present:
- Sudden death at age 40 or younger
- A need for CPR or a shock to restart the heart
- Implantation of a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
- Childhood or early adult heart disease, especially requiring surgery or medication
In addition, some children and parents have had testing before they arrive at our clinic. If you or your children have had any of the following tests, please bring a copy of the test or test report to the visit with you:
- An electrocardiogram (often called an ECG or an EKG)
- An echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart, usually done in a cardiologist’s office)
- An exercise stress test (having your heart observed while running on a treadmill or riding a bike)
- A cardiac magnetic resonance scan (MRI), where the heart is observed using a large MRI machine.
- Genetic test results
In some cases, we can help you obtain those documents. Please call 312.227.4100 or email CardioGenetics@luriechildrens.org prior to the visit if you need help obtaining these documents from other providers.
If the tests listed above have not been completed prior to the visit, or if updated results are needed, they may be completed on the day of your visit. For more complex tests such as genetic testing, the benefits and limitations of these options will be discussed during your visit.
Release of Information
It is important for our team be able to view a patient's medical records prior to their appointment with us. Please complete the Release of Information form below and send it back to us via fax (312.227.9640).
Insurance
We can work with you to determine if Lurie Children’s is in-network for your plan. If you would like to talk to one of our insurance counselors directly, the number is 312.227.1230. View a list of insurance plans we accept.
If Lurie Children's is not in-network, we are often able to help connect you with an in-network provider.
Patient Family Testimonials
"My daughter Karina and I came to Dr. Webster and Sara Cherny scared and desperate for answers….Sara Cherny has such a sincere and witty personality that I was immediately drawn to her, and I can see my daughter was too. She explained step by step of what the genetic testing was for and how it would help us seek those answers we were looking for. She was so patient with us. We laughed and cried with her. She was a breath of fresh air for us, and I finally felt like we were on the right path to helping my daughter. She made us feel safe and…she refueled me with the strength to get my daughter through this."
- Rosa Moy, mother of a Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic patient
Resources & Support
For additional information, please refer to the resources included below:
- Collect and draw your own family health history at My Family Health Portrait
- Get more information on when to refer to Cardiovascular Genetics
Our Locations
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
225 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Lurie Children's Hospital Outpatient Center in Lincoln Park
2515 N. Clark Street/467 W. Deming Place
Chicago, Illinois 60614-3393
Lurie Children's at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Pediatric Outpatient Center
25 N. Winfield Road
East Entrance
Winfield, Illinois 60190
Related News
Heart Center Family Resource Guide
To help prepare families for their care with Lurie Children's Heart Center, we have compiled a list of resources about treatment and recovery. Learn how to get ready for an inpatient stay or outpatient visit, and read about our support services for patients and families.
