Cardiovascular Genetics Program

Our services include complete genetic evaluation of all family members, along with coordinated heart screenings such as echocardiograms, electrocardiograms and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), when indicated. As cardiovascular genetic counselors and doctors, we are uniquely positioned to evaluate your family’s past medical history in order to determine inherited factors related to a patient’s heart disease.

Children born with a heart defect are cared for and evaluated by the Neonatology Department at Riley Children's to determine if genetic testing might benefit the patient and the rest of the family. A special test called a chromosome microarray can be performed to look for small additions or missing DNA in the chromosomes, which would indicate that the heart defect may be hereditary and that other family members may be at risk for heart disease. Some congenital heart defects are considered heritable, meaning that other family members and future children would have a higher chance of also having a heart defect.

In our treatment locations, we see children and adults with a wide variety of heart conditions, including syndromic cardiovascular diseases, which occur when a certain set of signs and symptoms appear together.

Our specialized teams include:

• Cardiomyopathy team. This team treats patients with heart muscle disease, which can be inherited from one generation to the next. The Riley Heart Center has been named an accredited center of care by the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF), a national nonprofit committed to improving the health outcomes and quality of life for children with cardiomyopathy, based on consistently providing high-quality cardiac care, dedicated research efforts, and specialized disease management to children with cardiomyopathy.
• Electrophysiology team. This team treats patients with electrical or conduction abnormalities in their heart leading to arrhythmia.
• Cardiovascular genetics team. This team treats patients with a wide variety of congenital and syndromic heart disease as well as familial disease of the blood vessels.

We offer the only comprehensive cardiovascular genetics program in Indiana. Our services are available at multiple convenient locations, and we work with providers across our statewide network of offices, so you can receive care close to where you live.

Our doctors are nationally recognized for their work in cardiovascular genetics by the Cardiovascular Malformations Consortium, a highly collaborative alliance of outstanding academic pediatric cardiovascular genetic centers. As a cardiovascular-focused genetics program, we deliver specialized counseling and services, including the most up-to-date information in a rapidly changing and expanding field.

We work hard to collaborate with other doctors and providers throughout Riley at IU Health and provide a multidisciplinary approach in order to deliver the best possible preventive care and treatments for cardiovascular conditions.