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Shamsuddin Akhtar, MD

Professor of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology
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Additional Titles

Medical Director of YNHH 7-1 Surgical Intensive Care Unit

About

Titles

Professor of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology

Medical Director of YNHH 7-1 Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Biography

Dr. Akhtar is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and a nationally recognized educator and leader of clinical anesthesiology. He is board certified in both Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Akhtar has conducted groundbreaking studies of surgical patients demonstrating that elderly patients are consistently administered higher than recommended doses of intravenous induction anesthetics and the incidence of hypotension provoked by these anesthetic induction doses was significantly higher in the elderly patients, which resulted in higher use of rescue pressor therapy to maintain adequate blood pressure. Currently, Dr. Akhtar is part of a clinical study which uses the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (MPOG) database to determine the association of anesthetic induction dose - with clinically meaningful hypotension that occurs prior to the initiation of the surgical procedures among patients age ≥ 65, and separately among those age ≥ 80.

He has also completed a textbook entitled “Principles of Geriatric Critical Care” published by Cambridge University. He is Past-President of Society for Advancement of Geriatric Anesthesia (SAGA), Board Member of ACE publication by the American Society of Anesthesiology.

Appointments

Education & Training

Fellow
Yale University School of Medicine (1998)
Fellow
Medical College of Wisconsin (1996)
Resident
SUNY at Stony Brook (1995)
Intern
SUNY at Stony Brook (1992)
MD
Aga Khan University (1989)

Research

Overview

Medical Research Interests

Anesthesiology; Critical Care Outcomes; Perioperative Care; Pharmacology

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Shamsuddin Akhtar's published research.

Publications

2022

2021

Clinical Care

Overview

Shamsuddin Akhtar, MD, is an anesthesiologist and critical care specialist who focuses on providing safe and effective anesthesia for patients undergoing surgery and those who require care in the intensive care unit. Much of his work centers on ensuring that elderly patients receive carefully adjusted doses of anesthesia to reduce complications such as low blood pressure.

As professor of anesthesiology and pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Akhtar conducts research aimed at refining anesthesia techniques for older patients, and he has authored a textbook on geriatric critical care. He also values mentorship and is committed to educating the next generation of medical professionals. “The mentorship of students, trainees, and junior faculty is something that I particularly enjoy and is a fulfilling aspect of my career,” he says.

He completed his medical training at Aga Khan University, followed by an internship in internal medicine and a residency in anesthesiology at SUNY at Stony Brook. He pursued a fellowship in critical care anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and an additional fellowship in major vascular and thoracic anesthesia at Yale School of Medicine.

Clinical Specialties

Anesthesiology; Critical Care Medicine

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Critical Care Medicine (Anesthesiology)

    Certification Organization
    AB of Anesthesiology
    Original Certification Date
    1997

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