Tumul Chowdhury

Brain and Heart Interactions: Dr. Chowdhury is curious about a wide variety of cardiovascular perturbations during various neurosurgical procedures. Why these changes happen and what its significance in terms of short and long-term outcomes remain his area of prime interest. In the very early phase of his career, Dr. Chowdhury reported many cases that helped to understand some of the phenomena and further enhanced pathways to the knowledge creation. He worked on an exhaustive systemic review that challenged the Advance Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines in neurosurgical emergencies, and created various algorithms to manage cardiac arrests in such population. Simultaneously, he devoted his attention to various literature reviews in the relatively untouched domain of the brain and the heart interactions and worked extensively on a unique brainstem reflex “Trigemino-cardiac reflex”. Various hypotheses and systemic reviews, as well as meta-analysis published on this topic by him, have created a great interest to other researches across all over the world and boost the knowledge for other clinicians. Dr. Chowdhury is at present trying to develop models to carry out research in the field of the brain and the heart connections.

Research Synopsis

Neurological outcome based research: Dr. Chowdhury believes that majority of the neuroanesthesia related research is being focused during operating period or immediate postoperative period. Due to this limitation, we are not able to fully understand various physiological and pathological implications of anesthetics on long-term outcomes. He is presently exploring effect of anesthetics on brain cancer progression and survival benefits.

Recent Publications

1. Gray K, Avitsian R, Kakumanu S, Venkatraghavan L, Chowdhury T. "The effects of anesthesia on brain cancer progression: Time to rethink? -A narrative review". J Neurosurg Anesth June 2020 (Accepted).

2. Chowdhury T, Golanov E, Gelpi R, Bayford R, Schaller B. The Trigeminocardiac Reflex: The course of the emerged definition during the last 21 years. Future Neurology (Accepted May 2020).

3. Chowdhury T, Zeiler FA, Singh NP, Gray K, Beiko J, Cappellani R, West M. Awake craniotomies under 3-Tesla Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Descriptive Study and Canadian Institutional Experience. J Neurosurg Anesth. (Published ahead of print May 29, 2020).

4. Qadri A, Sproule S, Girling L, West M, Cappellani R, Chowdhury T. Effect of daytime versus nighttime on outcome in patients undergoing emergent neurosurgical procedures. J Neurosurg Anesth. Published Ahead of Print (May 03, 2019).

5. Wilkinson MF, Chowdhury T, Kaufmann A. Strength-duration analysis of the lateral spread response does not support trigeminal nerve involvement in hemifacial spasm. J Clin Neurosci. 2020 Apr; 74: 6-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2020.01.075.

6. Rogan K, Chowdhury T, Venkatraghavan L. Year in Review: Synopsis of Selected articles in Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care from 2018. J Neuroanaesthesiol Crit Care. 2019; 6:18–23.

7. Chowdhury T, Sternberg Z, Golanov E, Gelpi R, Rosemann T, Schaller B. Photic sneeze reflex – another variant of the trigeminocardiac reflex? Future Neurology. 2019; 14(4).

8. Chowdhury T, Zeiler FA, Singh GP, Hailu A, Loewen H, Schaller B, Cappellani R, West M. The role of intraoperative MRI in awake neurosurgical procedures: A systematic review. Front Oncol. 2018; 8: 434.

9. Chowdhury T, Singh GP, Zeiler FA, Hailu A, Loewen H, Schaller B, Cappellani R, West M. Anesthesia for awake craniotomy for brain tumors in an intraoperative MRI suite: Challenges and Evidence. Front Oncol. 2018; 8: 519.

10. Chowdhury T, Rosemann T, Schaller B. The Trigemino-cardiac Reflex: An Overview. Rev Argent Cardiol. 2018; 86: 290-297.

Appointments

Consultant Anesthesiologist, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Health Network
Vice chair, Neuroanesthesia Section, Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society

Honours and Awards

Name: Thyroid Quiz During MD
Description:

2007 - 1st Prize - Residency in Anesthesia

Name: Pharmacology, Pathology and Social and Preventive Medicine
Description:

2002 - Paper of Awards (MBBS Second year)

Name: Honors Forensic Medicine
Description:

2001 - (MBBS Second year)

Name: Honors Biochemistry
Description:

2000 - (MBBS First year)