Genetic Arrhythmia Center: Caring for Patients and Families at Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death and Advancing the Understanding of Rare Cardiomyopathies and Channelopathies

Abstract

Although rare in the general population, genetic arrhythmia syndromes have a significant public health impact due to their contribution to the incidence of sudden cardiac death, particularly in children and young adults. When sudden cardiac death occurs in the absence of ischemic heart disease, a genetic cardiac condition may be suspected and clinical and genetic screening of family members is recommended. The Genetic Arrhythmia Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute collaborates with local partners in the Sudden Cardiac Arrest network to connect patients and their family members with interdisciplinary care for diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The most common conditions seen in the Genetic Arrhythmia Center include arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction, long QT syndrome, and Brugada syndrome. In addition to providing clinical care and genetic testing and counseling services, the Genetic Arrhythmia Center is working to advance the scientific understanding of the clinical presentation and natural history of these rare conditions.