Department of cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology

Head of Department

doc. RNDr. Monika Barteková, PhD.
Members of Department

Research areas

  • Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury, arrhythmias and sudden death: prevention and protection
  • Ischemic tolerance in normal and diabetic myocardium
  • Cardiac adaptation, molecular mechanisms of endogenous cardioprotection
  • Risk factors of cardiovascular diseases related to lifestyle; molecular mechanisms of pleiotropic effects of various drugs
  • Gender-related differences and response to myocardial ischemia

EXPERIMENTAL MODELS

  • Models of hypoxia, global and regional ischemia and reperfusion, models of acute and chronic hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus I. type. Ischemic and pharmacological preconditioning and their modifications.

TECHNIQUES

  • Perfusion of the isolated heart (rat, guinea pig, mice) – Langendorff technique (paced and non-paced heart).
  • Computer-assisted monitoring of contractile function.
  • Measurement of parameters of arrhythmogenesis; changes of action potential by means of endo- and epicardial electrodes.
  • Determination of the size of infarction by computerized planimetry.
  • Monitoring of blood pressure by  means of “tail-cuff plethysmograpy”.