Overview
Fetal Cardiovascular Research
Pirooz Eghtesady, MD, PhD, FACC, FCCP is Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in the Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. His research is a multidisciplinary and collaborative effort reflective of ongoing clinical efforts at the Fetal Care Center and the Fetal Cardiology Program of the Heart Center.
Dr. Kenneth Clark, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati, has been studying uterine and placental circulations and the effects of altered uteroplacental blood flow on the fetus and fetal growth for nearly 30 years. He is currently the Program Director for the Interdisciplinary Women's Health Research Career Training Grant (BIRCWH), a multi-institutional NIH-funded program to enhance the research skills and expertise of basic scientist and clinical scientist beginning their faculty careers by providing three to five years of advanced research training in interdisciplinary approaches to women's health in the laboratory of a senior faculty mentor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Through our collaborative effort, we are conducting extensive translation studies toward developing and applying clinically applicable protocols for fetal cardiac intervention and surgery. Simultaneously, we have developed and continue to study ovine fetal models of various congenital heart diseases to better understand the mechanisms underlying in utero evolution of these lesions.
The laboratory's research areas include a particular emphasis on fetal aortic stenosis and Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome as the primary lesions of interest. Along those lines we are simultaneously conducting clinical and epidemiologic studies to better understand potential etiologic mechanisms in these defects. Finally, we are also studying the potential utility of natriuretic peptides as biomarkers of fetal cardiovascular well-being. Strong funding for the group's research is supported through a number of sponsors.
Contact Us
Pirooz Eghtesady, MD, PhD
pirooz.eghtesady@cchmc.org
Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 2004
Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039
Phone: 513-636-4770
Fax: 513-636-3847
