Jai Raman, MD, MMed, FRACS, PhD
Professor of Surgery
Section of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery
Director of Adult Cardiac Surgery
Director of Cardiothoracic Research
The University of Chicago
5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC5040
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: (773) 702-2500
Fax: (773) 702-4187
Secretary: Karen Bradfield
Direct line: (773) 834-3707
Jai Raman, MD, MMed, FRACS, PhD, currently has three interesting studies in progress:
The NaBic Study is an international, multicenter trial looking at ameliorating renal injury that can occur following cardiac surgery. This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Renal failure is a common problem after cardiac surgery and is presumed to be related to oxidative stress. Post-operative renal failure in cardiac surgery carries a mortality rate ranging from 40 to 50 percent. Part of the problem with treatment of renal failure is that conventional methods of diagnosis with rising serum creatinine have a lag phase of about 24 hours. In this study, Dr. Raman proposes to test the hypothesis that sodium bicarbonate (which has been very effective in contrast-induced nephropathy) may protect the kidney from the damage that commonly occurs with cardiac surgery.
The FixSternum study is an international, multicenter trial evaluating the difference between conventional wire closure with plating in closure of the sternum. Cardiac surgery grew into a specialty in the 1950s when bone was being repaired with wire. The most common access for the heart is through the sternotomy, where the breast bone is divided down the middle at the beginning of the case and closed at the end of the operation. As cardiac surgery boomed in the 1970s and 1980s, the original technique of bone closure with wire was used extensively. Over the past 20 years, most surgeons that handle bone (e.g., orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons) have switched to using plate fixation. Dr. Lawrence Gottlieb initially suggested the use of sternal plating in 1995 and then Dr. David Song improved the technique in 2000 at The University of Chicago. Since then, Dr. Raman and his colleagues have developed this area and gained experience on over 1,000 patients. To establish this as an accepted therapy in the wider medical community, they have proposed a multicenter trial, which they hope will get started later this year. This trial will evaluate pain and bone healing in patients undergoing conventional wire closure and those that are closed with plates.
The VIVA (Viagra IntraVenous Administration) study is an international multi-center trial looking at the efficacy of intravenous sildenafil(Viagra) in the treatment of high risk cardiac patients with pulmonary hypertension. Sildenafil was initially developed as a cardiac drug with specific efficacy in pulmonary hypertension and poor cardiac function. However, this drug has been marketed for its side-effect, which is to improve erectile dysfunction. Dr. Raman and his colleagues are about to embark on a clinical trial testing the efficacy of intravenous sildenafil in high risk patients that have severe pulmonary hypertension who are undergoing cardiac surgery, and to evaluate their right ventricular function in response to the use of sildenafil compared to a placebo control.
Section of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery
Director of Adult Cardiac Surgery
Director of Cardiothoracic Research
The University of Chicago
5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC5040
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: (773) 702-2500
Fax: (773) 702-4187
Secretary: Karen Bradfield
Direct line: (773) 834-3707
Jai Raman, MD, MMed, FRACS, PhD, currently has three interesting studies in progress:
The NaBic Study is an international, multicenter trial looking at ameliorating renal injury that can occur following cardiac surgery. This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Renal failure is a common problem after cardiac surgery and is presumed to be related to oxidative stress. Post-operative renal failure in cardiac surgery carries a mortality rate ranging from 40 to 50 percent. Part of the problem with treatment of renal failure is that conventional methods of diagnosis with rising serum creatinine have a lag phase of about 24 hours. In this study, Dr. Raman proposes to test the hypothesis that sodium bicarbonate (which has been very effective in contrast-induced nephropathy) may protect the kidney from the damage that commonly occurs with cardiac surgery.
The FixSternum study is an international, multicenter trial evaluating the difference between conventional wire closure with plating in closure of the sternum. Cardiac surgery grew into a specialty in the 1950s when bone was being repaired with wire. The most common access for the heart is through the sternotomy, where the breast bone is divided down the middle at the beginning of the case and closed at the end of the operation. As cardiac surgery boomed in the 1970s and 1980s, the original technique of bone closure with wire was used extensively. Over the past 20 years, most surgeons that handle bone (e.g., orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons) have switched to using plate fixation. Dr. Lawrence Gottlieb initially suggested the use of sternal plating in 1995 and then Dr. David Song improved the technique in 2000 at The University of Chicago. Since then, Dr. Raman and his colleagues have developed this area and gained experience on over 1,000 patients. To establish this as an accepted therapy in the wider medical community, they have proposed a multicenter trial, which they hope will get started later this year. This trial will evaluate pain and bone healing in patients undergoing conventional wire closure and those that are closed with plates.
The VIVA (Viagra IntraVenous Administration) study is an international multi-center trial looking at the efficacy of intravenous sildenafil(Viagra) in the treatment of high risk cardiac patients with pulmonary hypertension. Sildenafil was initially developed as a cardiac drug with specific efficacy in pulmonary hypertension and poor cardiac function. However, this drug has been marketed for its side-effect, which is to improve erectile dysfunction. Dr. Raman and his colleagues are about to embark on a clinical trial testing the efficacy of intravenous sildenafil in high risk patients that have severe pulmonary hypertension who are undergoing cardiac surgery, and to evaluate their right ventricular function in response to the use of sildenafil compared to a placebo control.
