The Joseph Lunenfeld Cardiac Surgery Research Center of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery is  involved in pure research and in the development and testing of innovative devices.

The laboratory’s current research focuses on methods to improve the ability of the myocardium to withstand induced ischemia. Preconditioning and pharmacological alternatives are investigated in the isolated rat heart model and in cardiomyocyte preparations. In collaboration with the Department of Anesthesia, these approaches are also investigated in the canine model of regional ischemia, and in a prospective randomized study in patients undergoing off-pump myocardial revascularization.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation is recognized as a morbid complication of open-heart surgery, with an incidence of 30 percent or higher. Different aspects of this intriguing problem are now being studied. Mitochondrial function, adrenoreceptor function and endogenous cardiac glycosides are being investigated as possible contributing factors in the development of this phenomenon. A prospective randomized study in patients examines the optimal duration of medical treatment after the occurrence of this complication. The surgical treatment of chronic or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is investigated in patients undergoing valve surgery.

The response of the smooth muscle in blood vessels and airways to adrenergic stimuli may be genetically determined. The organ-bath model in the laboratory is used for ex-vivo experiments to study the influence of the polymorphism of the a and b2-adrenergic receptors on the reactivity of the human internal thoracic artery and bronchial segments from resected lungs. This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Division of Clinical Pharmacology.