Cardiovascular Center

Discoveries
Pushing the frontiers of research to help those who suffer 

The following medical advances were discovered by Medical College of Wisconsin cardiovascular researchers:

• Discovered substances produced by brain cells to trigger the growth of new blood vessels, an important clue as to how the brain works to combat the effects of a stroke.
• Discovered how the body's reflexes control the heart and lung systems making general anesthesia safer.
• Discovered the critical link between kidney blood flow regulation and the development of high blood pressure.
• Discovered that female athletes experiencing amenorrhea (cessation of menstrual cycle) are at high risk for both cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
• Discovered that solutions used to protect an adult heart during surgery can damage a child's heart.
• Discovered that the most dangerous form of coronary artery blockage is also the most inheritable.
• Discovered that automated external defibrillators, used in conjunction with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, double the chances of survival for cardiac arrest victims.
• Discovered as part of a team, a gene that helps regulate trigylceride levels in the body. Elevated trigylcerides, a fat component in the blood, are a significant risk factor in heart disease.
• Discovered that African Americans with high blood pressure have higher levels of a hormone that promotes salt retention than do Caucasians with the disease.
• Discovered techniques used during surgery and after surgery that resulted in the nation's best outcomes for a form of pediatric heart surgery (hypoplastic left heart syndrome surgery).
• Were the first to identify the genetic causes of high blood pressure in African Americans.