The cardiology research team monitors the implementation of cardiology care protocols at the RDSL, and explores the data obtained from this care, particularly in cases of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, chest pain, and syncope that arrive at the emergency rooms of RDSL hospitals throughout Brazil. It is also developing projects on amyloidoses, a group of rare diseases caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins in tissues such as the heart, impairing its function.

In addition, IDOR scientists carry out cutting-edge research into cardiovascular imaging, using technologies such as magnetic resonance, PET-CT, and SPECT-CT. These three techniques are used, for example, to monitor patients with cardiac complications from Chagas disease. In this project, the scientists assess the presence of myocardial fibrosis as a prognostic factor for patients with arrhythmias, while also observing the impact of inflammation on patients’ cardiovascular health.

Patients with cardiological manifestations of Chagas’ disease, especially chest pain associated with electrocardiogram changes, can be misdiagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. For this reason, the cardiology research team is also working on new imaging modalities that allow for a more accurate diagnosis of this condition.

Other objects of study by the group are cardiac fibrosis and cardiovascular risk in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiac dysfunction generated by the use of chemotherapy drugs, the use of new devices such as implantable defibrillators, and the genetic analysis of channelopathies – genetic abnormalities that lead to an increased risk of arrhythmias and sudden death. The team also works on the development of clinical trials involving new drugs sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.