Inherited Cardiovascular Disease Care

Helping hearts for generations

Grandmother helping granddaughter with homeschooling - stock photo
Grandmother helping granddaughter with homeschooling

Our approach to inherited cardiovascular disease care

Inherited cardiovascular disease is about more than you — it affects your entire family. That's why we're committed to a family-oriented approach that considers each family member's risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Our multidisciplinary team of experts provides comprehensive care including imaging, genetic testing, prognosis and coordination of procedures. We specialize in cutting-edge advances and collaborate with leading institutions to offer the most current treatments to you and your family.

Conditions we treat

Cardiomyopathies

  • Hypertrophic – thickening of the heart muscle
  • Arrhythmogenic – rhythm changes in the heart muscle
  • Dilated – enlargement of the heart muscle
  • Restrictive – stiffness of the heart muscle leading to heart failure
  • Noncompaction - abnormal finger-like projection in the lining of the heart muscle
  • Inflammatory – swelling of the heart muscle
  • Sarcoidosis – collections of immune cells in the heart muscle
  • Myocarditis – swelling of the heart muscle
  • Amyloidosis – amyloid plaque replaces normal heart muscle

Arrhythmias

  • Long QT Syndrome – heart rhythm issue where the heart takes too long to relax
  • Short QT Syndrome – heart rhythm issue where the heart relaxes too quickly
  • Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) - abnormal heart rhythm during times of exercise or stress
  • Brugada syndrome –abnormal heart rhythm during time of rest that can sometimes lead to sudden cardiac arrest
  • Familial atrial fibrillation
  • Sudden death syndrome (SCD, SUDS, SADS, SUDEP), including idiopathic ventricular fibrillation

Genetic disorders that can lead to aortopathy

  • Marfan syndrome
  • Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS)
  • Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE)
  • Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
  • Hereditary thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (HTAAD)

Tests and treatment

  • cardiac imaging, including echocardiogram, EKG, cardiac MRI and cardiac CT
  • cardiac surgery
  • electrophysiology, including catheter ablation
  • device implantation
    • leadless PPM
    • physiologic pacemaker
    • defibrillators
  • medications, including tafamadis and mavacamten
  • voltage-guided biopsies 

How we can help

If you would like to contact our clinic to learn more, please give us a call at 717-356-4660 or contact us via email at ICVD@WellSpan.org.

Meet our experts

Renowned experts in inherited cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular genetics, supported by compassionate specialists — all here for you.

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Why choose WellSpan for inherited disease care?

Our team of experts will work closely with you and your family to develop personalized treatment plans that meet each of your individual needs. Together, we'll deliver the care you need to live long, healthy lives.

Multidisciplinary approach

Our specialists have broad expertise across the fields of cardiology, genetics, imaging, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery and genetic counseling. This wide range of experts means we have the skills and tools to address your unique condition and concerns.

Whole-family care

Our team approaches care from a family perspective, considering the unique genetic factors and risks that may affect multiple family members. This approach provides you and your family with personalized care that addresses your specific needs. We even see large family groups together, to give every relative the attention they need.

Genetics advantage

We use both clinical and genetic information to make more accurate diagnoses. Beyond simple gene panels, we offer whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing to families where panel testing cannot identify the hereditary cause of disease. We can also provide specialty pharmacy services for some conditions.

We offer leading-edge medical and therapeutic treatments that relieve symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common form of genetic heart disease. We are working to become a Center of Excellence through the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA), a nonprofit organization that provides support, education, advocacy and research for people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A Center of Excellence (COE) is a multidisciplinary approach to care that provides expertise in a specific clinical area. Team members collaborate to provide patients with coordinated care, education, and support, including but not limited to heart failure specialists, cardiac electrophysiologists, cardiac imaging specialists, nurses, advanced practice providers, genetic counselors and supportive care specialists. This collaborative approach provides advanced treatments in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that aims at improving quality of life and reducing the risk of hospitalization or death from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Collaboration and research

We're committed to providing you with access to the latest advancements in care. Our team is actively involved in clinical trials, publishing research and pushing the boundaries of knowledge in the field of inherited cardiovascular disease. We're also a critical collaborator in The Gene Health Project, an ongoing population genomics study.

Leading-edge technology

We leverage the latest advances to provide comprehensive care for inherited cardiovascular disease. These tools and technologies include cardiac computed tomography (CT), photon CT, cardiac MRI, PET imaging, surgical myectomy and various electrophysiology procedures.