​Transplant Anesthesia

Unit Head

Mission

The Division of Transplant Anesthesia provides exceptional clinical care for some of the most critically ill patients that present to the operating room. Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) is a world leader in solid-organ transplantation. The Center of Liver Disease and Transplantation is one of the busiest in the country (approximately 100 adult and pediatric liver transplants per year). We have a large living donor program and are currently performing most donor hepatectomies via laparoscopic guidance. CUIMC also has one of the largest renal transplant programs with 175–225 renal transplants per year. Our division provides anesthetic care for pancreas and small-intestine transplantation as well.

Education

The transplant anesthesiology experience provides our residents with the opportunity to provide anesthetic and postoperative care for some of the most critically ill patients presenting to the operating room. Our CA-2 and CA-3 residents are provided with ample opportunities to master invasive procedural skills and clinical management of critically ill patients.

The Transplant Anesthesiology Fellowship provides a one- or two-year combined clinical and research fellowship training in liver transplantation and major vascular procedures for those individuals interested in an academic career. The fellowship emphasizes comprehensive training in perioperative care of patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Research

Members of our division have significant NIH funding (currently three R01s in the division) and participate in both clinical (biomarker for acute kidney injury, novel detection markers for lung injury) and laboratory-based research (mechanisms and protective signaling pathways for liver, intestine, and kidney ischemia and reperfusion injury).