Perioperative Brain Health Centre

Administrative Assistant: Eva Delavinias
Phone: 416-480-4864
Email: eva.delavinias@sunnybrook.ca

Education:

• Hon. B.Sc., 2001, immunology, University of Toronto, Canada
• MD, 2005, University of Western Ontario, Canada
• FRCPC, 2010, anesthesia, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• M.Sc., 2014, health research methodology, McMaster University, Canada

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Affiliate scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Holland Bone and Joint Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Director of research, department of anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Staff anesthesiologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Professor, department of anesthesia, U of T
• Co-director, Perioperative Brain Health Centre

Research Foci:

• Regional anesthesia techniques
• Effects of anesthesia on cognitive outcome and recovery after orthopaedic surgery
• Perioperative outcomes

Research Summary:

Dr. Choi's research is focused on the following areas:

• Refining ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques to improve efficacy and safety. This involves developing novel techniques to reduce the amount of local anesthetic used and limit unintended spread, as well as using continuous catheter techniques to provide extended duration analgesia.
• Evaluating the effects of regional anesthesia on long-term functional outcome after orthopaedic surgery to determine if superior analgesia in the early postoperative period affects the incidence of chronic postoperative pain and functional outcome.
• Evaluating the effects of anesthesia on perioperative morbidity and mortality, recovery, and postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

Selected Publications:

See current publications list at PubMed.

1. Avramescu S, Wang DS, Choi S, Orser BA. Preventing delirium: beyond dexmedetomidine. The Lancet. 2017;389(10073):1009.
2. Choi S,Wang J, Awad IT, McHardy PG, Safa B, McCartney C. The minimal effective volume (MEAV 95) for interscalene brachial plexus block for surgical anesthesia under sedation: A prospective observational dose-finding study. Can J Pain. 26 Jun 2017;1(1):8–13.
3. Gleicher Y, Singer O, Choi S, McHardy PG. Thoracic epidural catheter placement in a preoperative block area improves operating room efficiency and decreases epidural failure rate. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2017 Sep/Oct;42(5):649–51.
4. Mendez LC, Choi S, D’Allmonte L, Barnes E, Barbera L, Leung E. Opioid consumption and pain in gynecological cancer patients treated with interstitial brachytherapy. Brachytherapy. 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.brachy.2017.04.246.
5. Rai A, Clark H, Khan JS, Choi S, Dhaliwal J, Busse J, Devereaux PJ. Preoperative pregabalin or gabapentin for postoperative acute and chronic pain among patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2017 Oct;70(10):1317–28.
6. Abdallah FW, Zhou C, Choi S, Brull R. Anterior suprascapular nerve block versus interscalene brachial plexus block for shoulder surgery in the outpatient setting. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2018 Jan;43(1):99–100.
7. Choi S, O'Hare T, Gollish J, Paul JE, Kreder H, Thorpe KE, Katz JD, Mamdani M, Moisiuk P, McCartney CJ. Optimizing Pain and Rehabilitation After Knee Arthroplasty: A Two-Centre Randomized Trial. Anesth Analg. 2016;123(5):1316–24.
8. Casanova M, McHardy P, Choi S. Ultrasound guided posterior cord and selective suprascapular block for shoulder surgery. British Journal of Anesthesia. 2016;117(6):835.
9. Gordon KG, Choi S, Rodseth RN. The role of dexamethasone in peripheral and neuraxial nerve blocks for the management of acute pain. Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. 2016;22(6):163–69.
10. Khan J, Margarido C, Deveraux PJ, Clarke H, McLellan A and Choi S. Preoperative celecoxib in noncardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Anaesthesiology. 2016;33(3):204–14.
11. Alam A and Choi S. Prophylactic use of tranexamic acid for postpartum bleeding outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Transfus Med Rev. 2015;29(4):231–41.
12. Choi S, Rodseth RN, McCartney CJ. The effects of dexamethasone on brachial plexus blocks: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Br Journal Anaesth. 2014 Mar;112(3):427–39.
13. McCartney CJ, Choi S. Does anaesthetic technique really matter for total knee arthroplasty? Editorial. Br J Anaesth. 2013 Sep;111(3):331–3.
14. Ladha A, Alam A, Idestrup C, Sawyer J, Choi S. Spinal hematoma after removal of a thoracic epidural catheter in a patient with unexpected coagulopathy. Anaesthesia. 2013 Aug;68(8):856–60.
15. Choi S, Trang A, McCartney CJ. Functional outcome after total knee rthroplasty and regional anesthesia: a methodologic primer. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2013 Jul-Aug;38(4):340–9.
16. Choi S, Awad IT. Maintaining micturition in the perioperative period: strategies to avoid urinary retention. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2013 Jun;26(3):361–7.

Related News and Stories:

• The post-op brain (Science Magazine, June 2017)
• That's a relief (SRI Magazine, 2017)
• Is there still a place for opioids? Doctors are grappling with how to relieve acute pain while minimizing opioid use and averting descent into chronic pain (SRI Magazine, 2016)

Related Links:

• U of T profile, department of anesthesia

• Perioperative Brain Health Centre