Each unit of the Division of Cardiology has active research programs that provide ample research opportunities for fellows at the clinical and basic science levels.
Acute Coronary Care
Research interests include use of thrombolytic agents in acute myocardial infarction and unstable ischemic syndromes, use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockers in acute ischemic syndromes, and rapid diagnosis of acute myocardial ischemia/infarction using serum markers and cardiac imaging techniques. Cardiac Catheterization
Research interests include primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction, new stent design, intravascular ultrasound imaging, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockers and other agents to prevent restenosis in coronary artery disease. Cardiac Electrophysiology
Research interests include the effects of autonomic tone on both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, mechanisms of ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, identification of high-risk subgroups with left-ventricular dysfunction, and treatment of ventricular arrhythmias with pharmacologic agents and defibrillators. Echocardiography
The laboratory has a large clinical and basic research focus. Ongoing studies include evaluating myocardial function, ischemia, and viability using routine and novel stress echocardiographic techniques, including contrast echo; and developing sophisticated agents and image processing techniques for tissue characterization. Nuclear Cardiology
Research interests include attenuation correction methods in tomographic perfusion imaging, new radionuclide perfusion tracers, the prognostic value of perfusion imaging in a variety of patient subgroups, myocardial viability in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and perfusion imaging to triage patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
The Division of Cardiology, Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute, and Department of Radiology have formed a research group to develop new methods for the physiologic evaluation of the heart and vascular system in animals and humans using MRI techniques. Research protocols are in place to evaluate myocardial viability using gated MRI and contrast-enhanced MRI techniques. Heart Failure
The division has active research protocols investigating the management of patients with ischemic left-ventricular dysfunction and participates in a large number of multicenter clinical trials on heart failure. Basic Research
Full-time faculty members are studying the cellular basis of arrhythmias using microelectrode techniques and the mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmias in animal models of acute and chronic myocardial infarction. An animal model of short-term hibernation allows study of the mechanisms of reversible contractile dysfunction and provides the foundation for an active interdisciplinary research group exploring a variety of clinical issues in myocardial stunning and hibernation. Laboratory facilities are available for examining myocardial cell growth in culture and the biochemical basis for myocardial hypertrophy. A large engineering-based, bench-to-animal laboratory (in collaboration with the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Northwestern) is devoted to the use of sophisticated ultrasonic imaging techniques to evaluate vascular alterations with developing atherosclerosis and modification of vascular function using new delivery agents and gene therapy. An interdisciplinary group, comprising facultymembers from several Feinberg School departments, sponsors studies to evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac, vascular, and endothelial function in atherosclerosis. | 
