Coronary artery disease (CAD) is caused by progressive accumulation of cholesterol in the vessel wall (atherosclerotic plaques) and is often marked by phases of sudden acceleration, often due to thrombus (clot) formation leading to heart attacks (myocardial infarction).
The CAD research team is led by Dr Ranil de Silva and includes cardiologists, senior academics, research nurses and other research staff.
Research areas
- apheresis in patients with refractory angina
- identifying special characteristics of the disease in women, often preventing early diagnosis
- new strategies or devices that simplify and increase success in the most challenging clinical scenarios.
Our ongoing research will provide valuable information for future treatment strategies, bringing benefits to the care and clinical outcomes of patients and includes:
- comparative treatments looking at long-term success of vein graft surgery compared with angioplasty using drug-eluting stents
- new coronary artery stent technologies
- new strategies for treating chronically occluded arteries
- conventional versus aggressive strategies in high-risk patients with acute coronary conditions.