Through the development of the NYU Cardiac & Vascular Institute, the NYU Medical Center is establishing new programs in cardiac and vascular disease and enhancing existing ones -- programs that are second to none. These comprehensive programs bridge the gap between the laboratory and the clinic, setting the stage for extraordinary advances in patient care.
Cardiothoracic Surgery Program
Delivering a unique blend of scientific and compassionate care to patients from across the New York Metropolitan area and around the world, NYU's cardiothoracic surgeons are devising a new generation of surgical techniques and technologies. One of these is minimally invasive cardiac surgery, which allows major heart repairs to be made with minor incisions. Our cardiothoracic surgeons are also leading the advancement of laser revascularization (a technique for reestablishing blood flow to compromised tissue) and robotically assisted surgery. A research database, which has been amassed by following every patient for life, allows surgeons to learn how to tailor surgery to the individual patient, thereby reducing risks and improving outcomes.
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Marc and Ruti Bell Vascular Biology and Disease Program
Most strokes, heart disease, and peripheral vascular diseases stem from atherosclerosis -- the buildup of plaque within blood vessels. Because it is still not fully understood, atherosclerosis is a prime area for translational research, demanding the cooperation of physiologists, molecular biologists, pathologists, epidemiologists, surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists, and specialists in vascular medicine.
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Myocardial Biology Program
To advance the care of patients with congestive heart failure, we need to learn more about the heart muscle cells called myocytes. At NYU, recent advances in cellular and molecular biology are helping researchers understand how heart cells respond to various forms of stress. Armed with this knowledge, physicians can learn how vascular disease, hypertension, and viral syndromes cause congestive heart failure, resulting in better treatments.
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Endovascular Surgery
A revolution has taken place in the care of patients with vascular disease over the past 10 years, and NYU has been at the forefront. Advanced imaging and endovascular surgical techniques have converged to create new minimally invasive approaches to endovascular surgery, techniques that have resulted in less pain, shorter hospital stays, and reduced recovery times for patients.
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Heart Rhythm Program
Some abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, can cause sudden cardiac death The electrical properties of the heart must continue to be scrutinized to create better strategies to prevent and treat arrhythmias. While NYU researchers are already engaged in this area, additional studies will delve into the cellular basis of heart impulses, the development of mathematical models of rhythm disorders, and the genetic basis of sudden death.
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Cardiovascular
Development & Genetics Program
Some of the most common cardiovascular diseases in adults may have begun developing when the person was a growing fetus. Insights into cardiac development may therefore have significant applications for the prevention and treatment of such diseases as heart attack, cardiac hypertrophy (enlargement of the heart), heart failure, and arrhythmias. Unraveling the complexities of cardiac development requires input from a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including developmental biologists, embryologists, physiologists, and geneticists. NYU researchers are now studying heart development, signaling and regulation of heart muscle contraction, and genes implicated in blood vessel growth.
Genetics is increasingly being recognized as the key to understanding the risk of disease and the means to develop highly targeted therapies for patients. There has been a virtual explosion of knowledge identifying the genetic basis of various forms of congenital heart disease, as well as understanding how minor differences in our genetic makeup influence our susceptibility to common heart and vascular diseases. NYU investigators will exploit this new knowledge and utilize modern methods to diagnose, counsel, and treat individuals and families with various forms of cardiovascular disease.
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Congenital Vascular Malformations
Congenital anomalies can appear at any point from birth to adulthood, producing symptoms ranging from a birthmark to hemorrhage or even heart failure. While these lesions have been described since antiquity, they are still commonly misdiagnosed and mistreated. NYU Medical Center is internationally known as one of only a handful of institutions with expertise in this field. Our Vascular Anomaly Clinic is staffed by a multidisciplinary group of plastic surgeons, pediatricians, interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, and dermatologists who not only design and provide a course of treatment for each patient, but who also generate much of the scientific literature in this field. Research activities include new plastic surgical and endovascular approaches, as well as basic science in the areas of genetics and angiogenesis.
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Pediatric Heart Disease
The Pediatric Cardiology Program at NYU Medical Center provides modern, state- of-the-art comprehensive care and treatment for all types of pediatric heart problems. Staff are also actively engaged in research and teaching that keep them at the forefront of pediatric cardiology. Major areas of clinical research interest include cardiovascular pharmacology, management of heart failure, treatment of pediatric hypertension, and assessment of health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with heart disease. The basic science research team utilizes state-of-the art multidisciplinary approaches that take advantage of several complementary methodologies.
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