Dr. Girardi's main research interests lie in the field of thoracic aortic aneurysms. Because of his extensive experience in aneurysm surgery, the department of cardiothoracic surgery here at Cornell was one of 17 international surgery centers chosen to study outcomes for aortic valve sparing surgery in patients with ascending aortic aneurysms due to Marfan's syndrome. So far the durability of this surgery is excellent and patient enrollment is ongoing. In addition, he is working in collaboration with the division of molecular cardiology on the genetics and natural history of thoracic aneurysms and aortic dissections. They are trying to examine the genetic makeup of patients with aneurysms and potentially develop a screening test that will allow for the early detection of aneurysms before they become symptomatic or need surgery. He also has ongoing projects examining the effects of antifibrinolytic drugs in reducing blood loss and the need for blood transfusions in patients undergoing high risk surgery of the aortic root and aortic arch. Other areas of ongoing research include developing alternative energy sources for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, molecular genetics on patients with atrial myxomas and elucidating the genetics of patients with bicuspid aortic valves and ascending thoracic aneurysms.