Jan. 11, 2022
Former engineer joins cardiac anesthesia team
Dr. Michael Gysel, MD, recently joined the Libin Cardiovascular Institute鈥檚 cardiac anesthesia team.
After a year away for training, Gysel is pleased to be returning to the University of Calgary, where he completed his anesthesiology residency and got to know鈥攁nd respect鈥攖he cardiac anesthesia team.
鈥淚 feel extremely lucky to have a job in the cardiac group here in Calgary,鈥 says Gysel. 鈥淭he team were incredible mentors to me throughout my training,鈥 says Gysel.
He is particularly drawn to cardiac anesthesiology because of the collaborative approach required for cardiac surgery.
鈥淓veryone is a critical part of the team,鈥 he says. 鈥淎s the anesthesiologist, you make a lot of important decisions in dynamic situations. It鈥檚 challenging and engaging.鈥
Gysel recently completed a fellowship in Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he cared for complex cardiothoracic surgical and medical patients.
鈥淚t was a great experience,鈥 he says. 鈥淒uke has a high volume of thoracic transplant patients and we also managed a lot of mechanical circulatory support. I鈥檓 hoping this experience will contribute to our management of patients in Calgary.鈥
Although he was always interested in medicine, Gysel hadn鈥檛 planned on it as a career. In fact, he first studied electrical engineering at the University of Alberta with a biomedical specialization; an experience that translates well to his research interests.
Specifically, he is attracted to applying patient data to machine learning algorithms, with the goal of improved clinical decision-making. During his fellowship, he was part of a team that used machine learning models to predict the risk of patient readmission and complications after cardiac surgery.
鈥淚n the future, I think these models will play a critical role in clinical decision-making.鈥 says Gysel.
He is now doing similar work in Calgary alongside colleagues and is excited about the promise this technology holds.
Gysel is an assistant professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary.