Cardiac Amyloidosis Program

The Cardiac Amyloidosis Program provides highly specialized care to people with cardiac amyloidosis. Cardiac amyloidosis is a group of diseases caused by abnormal protein deposits in the heart. These protein deposits can also harm other organs, including the gastrointestinal tract and nerve tissue.

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Our Approach

We use a multi-disciplinary team approach to evaluate, diagnose, and treat amyloidosis and provide comprehensive, patient-centered care. Our team includes experts in cardiovascular medicine, advanced cardiac imaging, electrophysiology, heart failure and transplant, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, and neurology.

Our Services

Diagnosis:

Our clinicians may perform an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) or an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check for signs of cardiac amyloidosis.

Doctors may order more tests to determine if a patient has cardiac amyloidosis or to identify the type: AL (light chain) amyloidosis vs. transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis. The treatment for each type of amyloidosis is different, which makes it critical for patients to get a precise diagnosis.

Diagnostic tests may include:

State-of-the-art cardiac imaging (cardiac MRI, nuclear scans like PYP or HMDP SPECT/CT)
Tissue or bone marrow biopsy
Genetic testing may also be recommended when inherited cardiac amyloidosis is suspected.

Treatment and Care Management:

We develop comprehensive, personalized treatment plans for each patient based on their type of amyloidosis and other patient preferences. Treatments may include:

Advanced medication therapies to treat the underlying condition
Medical therapies, including diuretics, to alleviate symptoms of heart failure, like fatigue, shortness of breath, or leg swelling
In some cases, patients with cardiac amyloidosis may be candidates for heart transplantation.
Patient education to help patients make lifestyle and diet changes to help improve their quality of life.
Outpatient Specialty pharmacy and social worker services

Access to Novel Treatments:

Our patients can access novel treatments through various academic and industry-supported clinical trials.

For Referring Providers:

We pride ourselves in having robust relationships with our referring colleagues in the co-management of patients with cardiac amyloidosis.

Please feel free to refer your patients for complete work-up, initiation of specialized therapies, or to learn more about our clinical trials and ongoing research.