Dr Ricardo Petraco is a Consultant Cardiologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Honoury Clinical Lecturer at Imperial Collage London. He is internationally recognised for his expertise in coronary artery disease and the advancement of coronary physiology, having developed pioneering diagnostic techniques for assessing coronary blood flow and lesion severity which is now used worldwide.
After earning his medical degree in Brazil, Dr Petraco completed specialist training in London. His research achievements encompass over 100 peer-reviewed publication, supervision of PhD students, and the integration of novel diagnostic method, including advanced diagnostic techniques and AI-guided assessments into both research and clinical practice.
His work focuses on translating scientific discovery into improvements in patient care with precision medicine.
Imperial College Profile: Imperial College London – Ricardo Petraco
Imperial College NHS Trust Profile: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/consultant-directory/ricardo-petraco
Historically, deciding where to put stents was done using x-ray images alone. Advances in technology now allow these decisions to be supported by specialist images taken from inside the artery. However the interpretation of these images to support decision making requires years of training and experience and uptake is poor despite evidence that using it saves lives. Dr Petraco is working to improve the use of such techniques, including the incorporation of AI, so that operators performing stenting procedures have the best support.
Previous work including Dr Petraco’s research group and others led to the widespread availability of tests using measurements of pressure and flow to better understand a patient’s cardiovascular disease during an angiogram procedure. This information can help doctors and patients come to the right decisions for treatment in each case. However, many operators find these technologies difficult to use in clinical practice and do not offer it. Dr Petraco’s work has led to new innovations, including the use of AI and contrast agents, to improve the ease of use and accuracy of these techniques, supporting greater use of advanced technology and more personalised treatments for coronary artery disease.
