Vicente Corrales Medina

My research interests center around pneumonia and its immediate and long-term consequences on cardiovascular risk. My investigations have demonstrated that pneumonia substantially increases the risk of major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure) not only in the short-term but also in the long-term post-infection. This novel association represents an opportunity for improving the short and long-term outcomes of patients with pneumonia (the leading single diagnosis responsible for hospitalization in North America) and reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases (the number one cause of disease and death worldwide) in our population.

My current projects are investigating the mechanisms by which pneumonia increases cardiovascular risk. The goal is the design, testing, and eventual implementation of mechanistically-informed interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease  after pneumonia.

My current projects are investigating the mechanisms by which pneumonia increases cardiovascular risk. In collaboration with colleagues at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and University of Pennsylvania, we are using state-of-the art non-invasive techniques for in-vivo evaluation of the dynamic changes in the cardiovascular system that occur in patients with pneumonia during and after this infection. In addition, in collaboration with colleagues at University of Pennsylvania and Universisty of Pittsburgh, we are analyzing the effect of pneumonia on the progression of several parameters of cardiovascular structure and funciton using high quality longitudinal data from large North-American cohorts specifically designed to understand cardiovascular risk-factors. Our ultimate goal is the design, testing, and eventual implementation of mechanistically-informed interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease post-pneumonia.