Cardiovascular Specialty Programs

Amyloidosis is a complicated group of diseases in which an unusual protein — amyloid — affects one or more organs. Amyloidosis Clinic specialists provide expert management for these complicated conditions.

The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Amyloidosis Clinic provides comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with amyloidosis. The program is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of experts in Cardiology (including Advanced Heart Failure, Electrophysiology, Imaging, Cardio-Oncology, and Genetics), Hematology/Oncology, Nephrology, Neurology, Pathology and Pharmacy to provide coordinated care.

The Amyloidosis Clinic is part of BIDMC’s Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic.

If you have amyloidosis, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy as a treatment option. You may want to consider cardiovascular genetic testing to understand the risks for you and your family members.

Meet the Team

Infectious endocarditis (IE) is an infection of the heart. The BIDMC Infectious Endocarditis Clinic provides comprehensive services for the prevention and treatment of IE, as well as existing cardiovascular illnesses, including coronary artery disease, stroke and heart failure.

These factors can increase your risk for developing IE:

• Abnormal heart valves
• Previous heart surgeries or valve replacements
• Substance use disorder

Be aware of the symptoms of IE:

• Chills
• Fast heart rate
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Persistent cough
• Swelling in the feet, legs or abdomen

Treatment usually consists of intravenous (IV) antibiotics. The choice of antibiotic and the length of treatment is based on the type of infection causing the endocarditis. In some cases, the care team may suggest surgery to repair or replace damaged heart valves.

Cardiologist Katherine Kentoffio, MD, and the clinic staff work closely with patients to reduce risk. Using a multidisciplinary approach to care, they also collaborate with each person’s care team — including primary care providers, infectious disease specialists, and specialty pharmacists — tailoring treatments and medications to improve outcomes.

Our Latinx Cardiovascular Clinic provides culturally sensitive heart care for Spanish-speaking patients and their families. We work to provide needed translator services to ensure that you fully understand your care options. We coordinate care with the Latino Diabetes Initiative at Joslin Diabetes Center.

Si necesita ayuda con el cuidado de la salud del corazón, la Clínica Cardiovascular BIDMC Latinx brinda servicios en Boston y Chelsea. Llame para una cita (617) 667-8800.

The Latinx Cardiovascular Clinic was co-founded by Eli Gelfand, MD, Section Chief of General Cardiology, and Fernando M. Contreras Valdes, MD. Dr. Gelfand sees patients at BIDMC in Boston. Pablo Quintero Pinzon, MD, a native of Colombia, directs the clinic now.

The clinic brings together a network of Spanish-speaking health care practitioners, eliminating the language barriers that often interfere with optimal care of acute and chronic cardiovascular conditions. In addition to enhancing communication between patients and providers, the Latinx Cardiovascular Clinic offers assistance with diagnostic and therapeutic procedure scheduling at BIDMC, medication management and navigating the healthcare system as a whole.

As a consultative service, the Latinx Cardiovascular Clinic welcomes patients with a variety of cardiovascular conditions, including:

Our Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic offers a full range of preventative, diagnostic and noninvasive outpatient services.

Our cardiologists also offer several programs designed to manage the cardiovascular disease needs of specific patient populations. Urgent consultations are generally available within 24-48 hours.

• Cardiovascular genetic testing
• Heart disease and diabetes support to manage heart risks related to having diabetes
• Heart health for cancer survivors for cardio-oncology and cardiotoxicity care
• High blood pressure care for those with complex or uncontrolled hypertension
• HIV and cardiovascular disease clinic
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Prevention and lipid clinic
• Sports cardiology

Heart disease is a substantial problem for Russian immigrants. This is due to a high rate of past and current smoking and a traditional Russian diet high in starch, animal fats and sodium, and relatively low in fruits and vegetables. Our Russian Cardiovascular Clinic provides culturally sensitive and relevant cardiovascular care for Russian-speaking patients.

As part of a network of cardiovascular specialty programs in BIDMC’s Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic, the Russian Cardiovascular Clinic offers a number of heart care services, including:

Meet the Team

Communication in native Russian and help in understanding the American health care system are two of the special services provided by Eli V. Gelfand, MD, FACC. A board-certified, Russian-born, fully United States-educated cardiologist, Dr. Gelfand has additional training in echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Also key resources in helping Russian-born patients in navigate American medicine are Alla Shamkhalova, manager of the Russian CardioVascular Clinic, and Nurse Practitioner Larissa Engleman, MSN, ANP.

Sarcoidosis is a group of diseases in which groups of abnormal immune cells develop in various areas of the body, including the heart and lungs. The Cardiac Sarcoid Center provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care for people with these complex conditions.

Depending on your sarcoidosis care needs, you may need some combination of these services:

Patients at the Sarcoid Center will undergo a thorough evaluation, including a detailed exam, and may include advanced imaging as appropriate. Cardiac sarcoidosis can be treated through medicine to decrease inflammation in the heart and potentially prevent the disease from progressing.

Contact Us

Call 617-667-8800 or email us to schedule an appointment for evaluation or treatment.

Meet the Team

The Women’s Cardiovascular Program team of female cardiologists specializes in the evaluation and treatment of a wide range of cardiac concerns and conditions including arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), cardiomyopathies, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, valve disorders and congenital heart disease. We work closely with women at all stages of their lives, with an emphasis on preventative cardiology.

Specialists in our program also support women with these situations:

• Cardiovascular disease during pregnancy
• Heart health for cancer survivors
• Heart-safe pain management during labor
• Preconception planning
• Pregnancy and birth

We also collaborate with our colleagues in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Anesthesiology to care for patients with cardiac disease during pregnancy, and offer pre-conception cardiac counseling to high-risk obstetric patients. Our doctors also provide specialized care for patients with cancer, who are at elevated risk of developing cardiac complications from cancer treatments.

Loryn Feinberg, MD, is the Director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Program at BIDMC. Her areas of focus include women and coronary heart disease, and pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, including congenital heart disease.

Meet the Team