London Health Sciences Centre's (LHSC) Inherited Heart Rhythm Clinic delivers comprehensive assessment and care for patients with inherited heart rhythm disorders. The clinic accomplishes this with an individualized, multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach that involve medical leadership and assessment, education, counseling, and lifestyle recommendations. The program is delivered by an interprofessional team of specialists including physicians, nurses, and research staff. There is a strong emphasis on research to improve our understanding of how these conditions may affect patients. This research is coupled with a commitment to educate patients regarding the nature of their care and the purpose of the research.
A Brief History
The Inherited Heart Rhythm Clinic formalized a long-term follow-up strategy that was embedded in the Arrhythmia Clinic. Formed in 2008, the Inherited Heart Rhythm Clinic provides care to more than 200 patients each year and continues to grow.
Our Strategy
The focus of this clinic is the careful detection and characterization of inherited heart rhythm disorders with the use of clinical and genetic testing. These findings are reviewed with patients in detail, and the implications for lifestyle and the role of condition specific treatment are discussed. Over the long term, patients will learn to understand the nature of the inherited condition, the way it affects them and their family, and the steps that can be taken to reduce the potential risk.
Our goal is to help patients better understand and manage inherited heart rhythm disorders and protect them from potential risks.
LHSC's Inherited Rhythm Clinic is a specialized clinic that deals with patients referred for management of inherited heart rhythm problems. Patients seen in the clinic are referred for assessment of a range of different cardiac conditions that can lead to abnormal heart rhythms that could result in fainting, cardiac arrest or sudden death. Many of these patients have a family history of individuals who may have been affected by one of these conditions. In addition, they may have findings from previous testing that indicates that they may be affected by one of these conditions. Patients are referred from Family Physicians, Emergency Rooms, Specialists and the General Arrhythmia Clinic.
The features of the LHSC Inherited Rhythm Clinic include:
- Medical evaluation by the heart rhythm team
- Comprehensive testing of the heart's electrical system and structure (see below)
- Genetic counseling and testing
- Treatment recommendations including lifestyle education
- Research to improve our understanding of these disorders and their optimal diagnosis and treatment
After referral to the clinic, information is collected regarding patients from their referring physician. Patients typically undergo a series of tests to assess the hearts electrical system. Many patients will undergo a combination of non-invasive tests that include heart monitoring and exercise testing. These findings will be reviewed after the information is collected and analyzed at a clinical consultation. The team includes a number of members, including physicians, nurses, exercise technologists, trainees, and research staff.
On this web site, you can find material that will provide information about the types of tests that are performed in patients, the nature of genetic counseling and testing that takes place, and the staff who work here. There is also a section that provides information regarding the conditions that are commonly assessed and managed in the clinic, and links to other sites that provide additional information that may be relevant to your care.
Testing:
Testing performed related to inherited heart rhythm disorders often includes a combination of assessments of the heart's electrical system, and imaging to look at the function of the heart. Assessment of the heart's electrical system may be in the form of a regular or special ECG, wearing a heart monitor or performing an exercise test during heart monitoring. In select cases, further testing is done with an electrophysiology study (EPS), which is an invasive test to look at the heart's electrical system with direct recording. Further information regarding these tests can be obtained on the Cardiac Tests and Procedures web page.
Imaging studies of the heart involve pictures of the heart's structure and function, typically performed with an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram), MRI of the heart, or a CT scan of the heart. Further details regarding these three tests can also be obtained at the Cardiac Tests and Procedures link.
Tests that are specific for the inherited heart rhythm clinic include genetic testing and drug infusions to look for changes in the EKG that represent electrical abnormalities. Details regarding these two forms of tests can be obtained by clicking on the following links:
- Visit the Drug infusion procedure web page
- Visit the Genetic testing information web page
