Dr. George Nicolaou

nicolaou-gAssociate Professor
Director of City-Wide Clinical Services, Anesthesia
Director, Thoracic and Vascular Anesthesia

Biography

Dr. Nicolaou completed Medical School at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and an Anesthesiology Residency Program at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB. He followed this with a Clinical and Research Fellowship in Thoracic and Vascular Anesthesia with Acute Pain Management at Western University and then started working at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care.

He is currently an Associate Professor in Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine and the Director and Fellowship Coordinator of Thoracic and Vascular Anesthesia at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). He is also the Chief of anesthesia at Victoria Hospital, LHSC and the Citywide Anesthesia Director of Clinical Services, Scheduling and Human Resources.

Current Endeavors

1) Instrumental in the development and staffing of the LHSC Surgi-Center, an innovative, state of the art ambulatory surgical facility.

2) Instrumental in helping in the development of a multidisciplinary Pediatric Chronic Pain Program in South Western Ontario.

3) Contributed to the development of an advanced VATS surgery and anesthesia workshop using a pig model at Western University;

4) In April 2013, Dr. Nicolaou was part of a multidisciplinary team that planned the layout of the hybrid vascular operating room. This hybrid suite is equipped with integrated patient imaging and numerous large, high-definition, flat-screen monitors for viewing images as well as the patient’s vital signs. This new operating suite has been an integral part of the hospital’s endovascular program.

5) Dr. Nicolaou is a member of a multidisciplinary team that has developed the endovascular program for the perioperative management of thoracoabdominal aneurysms.

Current Research

Dr. Nicolaou’s main research interests include lung protection strategies in one lung ventilation and spinal cord protection strategies in thoracic aortic surgery and in trauma patients.

Dr. Nicolaou is currenting researching

  • Artifical Intelligence in real-time perioperative ECG monitoring
  • Protective ventilation with high versis low PEEP during on-lung ventilation for thoracic surgery - PROTHOR: A randomized controlled trial
  • SQUEEZE Study: Postoperative vasopressor usage: a prospective international observational study
  • QORVATS study. A randomized controlled, triple blinded to compare the quality of recover (QoR 40) between intercostal block and a combination of intercostal nerve block with serratus plane catheter for patient's undergoing VATS procedures
  • Effect of Continuity of Care with Digital Home Monitoring on Postoperative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Thoracic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial (CDHM:RCT)
  • Perioperative Data Collection of COVID-19 patients undergoing surgical procedure during pandemic at the London Health Sciences Centre and St Joseph's Health Care London: A retrospective observational study
  • POISE - 3 Trial
  • Colchicine for the prevention of perioperative atrial fibrillation (COP-AF) Trial, Department of Vascular Surgery and Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London Health Sciences Center, London, Ontario, Canada. 

Publications

Kidane K, Cho Si, Fortin D, O’Hare T, Nicolaou G, Badner N, Inculet R, Slinger P, Malthaner R. Use of lung-protective strategies during one-lung ventilation surgery: a multi-institutional survey. Ann Transl Med. 2018 Jul; 6(13): 269.

Nicolaou G, Lee D. Methylene blue-induced serotonin syndrome presenting with ocular clonus and failure of emergence from general anesthesia. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, 2016 Jun 14; 63 (7), Principal Author

Badner NH, Nicolaou G, Clarke CF, Forbes TL. Use of spinal near-infrared spectroscopy for monitoring spinal cord perfusion during endovascular thoracic aortic repairs. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2011 Apr; 25 (2):316-9. Co-Principal Author

Nicolaou G. Endovascular treatment of blunt traumatic thoracic aortic injury. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth [Internet]. 2009 Jun; 13 (2): 106-12, Principal Author

Nicolaou G, Chen A.A, Johnston C.E, Kenny G.P, Bristow G.K, Giesbrecht G.G. Clonidine Decreases Vasoconstriction and Shivering Thresholds Without Affecting the Sweating Threshold. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, 1997; 44: G; pp. 636-642, Principal Author

Clarke C, Rostas B, Nicolaou G. For single-source feedback, including the mean and percentile rank on feedback by nursing staff does not improve physician-nurse communication amongst anesthesiologists as compared to the raw score alone. Journal of Communication in Healthcare. Pages 234 – 238. Published online:07 Aug 2018.

Nicolaou G, Endovascular Management of Blunt Traumatic Thoracic Aortic Injury. In Transesophageal Echocardiography Multimedia Manual: A Perioperative Transdisciplinary Approach. Jean-Claude Tardif, Pierre Couture, Andre Denault, Jean Buithieu, Annette Vegas. Informa Healthcare. 2009

Nicolaou G, The Role of Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Perioperative Management of Blunt Traumatic Thoracic Aortic Injury and Aortic Dissection. In Transesophageal Echocardiography Multimedia Manual: A Perioperative Transdisciplinary Approach. Jean-Claude Tardif, Pierre Couture, Andre Denault, Jean Buithieu, Annette Vegas. Informa Healthcare.2009

Alain Deschamps, Eric Therasse, Oren Steinmetz, George Nicolaou, Endograft Placement in Aortic Disease. In Transesophageal Echocardiography Multimedia Manual: A Perioperative Transdisciplinary Approach. Jean-Claude Tardif, Pierre Couture, Andre Denault, Jean Buithieu, Annette Vegas. Informa Healthcare.2011

Nicolaou G, Ismail M, Cheng D. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair: update on indications and guidelines. Anesthesioly Clin. 2013 Jun 1, 31. (2): p.451-78, Principal Author

Clarke C, Rosta B, Nicolaou G. Single-source feedback fails to improve physician-nurse communication amongst anesthesiologists. Journal of Communication in Healthcare. 2018 Aug 7. Published online.

Kidane B, Choi S, Fortin D, O'Hare T, Nicolaou G, Badner NH, Inculet RI, Slinger P, Malthaner RA. Use of lung-protective strategies during one-lung ventilation surgery: a multi-institutional survey. Ann Transl Med. 2018 Jul;6(13):269. doi: 10.21037/atm.2018.06.02.

Nicolaou G, Ismail M, Cheng D. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair: update on indications and guidelines. Anesthesiol Clin. 2013 Jun;31(2):451-78.

Badner NH, Nicolaou G, Clarke CF, Forbes TL. Use of spinal near-infrared spectroscopy for monitoring spinal cord perfusion during endovascular thoracic aortic repairs. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2011 Apr;25(2):316-9. 

Badner NH, Goure C, Bennett KE, Nicolaou G. Role of continuous positive airway pressure to the non-ventilated lung during one-lung ventilation with low tidal volumes. HSR Proc Intensive Care Cardiovasc Anesth. 2011;3(3):189-94. 

Nicolaou G, Forbes TL. Strategies for accurate endograft placement in the proximal thoracic aorta. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2010 Sep;14(3):196-200.

Tran DT, Badner NH, Nicolaou G, Sischek W. Arterial pCO2 changes during thoracoscopic surgery with CO2 insufflation and one lung ventilation. HSR Proc Intensive Care Cardiovasc Anesth. 2010;2(3):191-7. 

Nicolaou G. Endovascular treatment of blunt traumatic thoracic aortic injury. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2009 Jun;13(2):106-12.