Victor Neira

Research Topics

• Stability of cardiac emergency medications
• Medication safety in cardiac anesthesia
• Simulation and crisis management
• Medical education research
• Coagulation and blood management
• Cardiac anesthesia
• Pediatric anesthesia

Administrative Role

• Cardiac Anesthesia & Perioperative Fellowship Director

Education

• Diplomate Re-Certified in Special Competence in Advanced Perioperative Trans-Esophageal Echocardiography (ReAPTE). National Board of Echocardiography. 2018
• Master's in arts and education- Concentration in Healthcare Education. University of Ottawa 2014
• Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship: University of Ottawa (Ottawa-Ontario) 2007-2008
• Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship: McMaster University (Hamilton-Ontario) 2006-2007
• Cardiac Anesthesia Clinical fellowship: Hospital Militar Central (Bogota-Columbia) 1994
• Anesthesiology Residency: Universidad del Rosario (Bogota-Columbia) 1988-1990
• Doctor in Medicine and Surgery: Universidad Javeriana (Bogota-Columbia) 1981-1987

Biography 

Dr. Victor Neira is an associate professor of anaesthesia at Dalhousie University. He received his titles of Doctor in Medicine and Surgery at the Universidad Javeriana, Anesthesiologist at El Rosario University, and Cardiac Anesthesia Sub-Specialty at Central Military Hospital in Bogota-Columbia. With the collaboration of the Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg (Sweden) he contributed to establishing the pediatric Cardiac Surgery service at the Fundacion Cardiovascular de Colombia, where he worked as Pediatric/Adult Cardiac Anesthesiologists, and was chief of Anesthesia and the Operating Rooms.

He moved to Canada to pursue a Clinical Cardiac Anesthesia and Transesophageal Fellowship at McMaster University, and after that a Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship at the University of Ottawa. He also completed a Master in Arts and Education at the University of Ottawa. He is certified in Advance Perioperative Echocardiography through the National Board of Echocardiography.  He is currently staff Cardiac Anesthesiologists and Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship Coordinator at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, NS.

Research interests

• Medication safety
• Bleeding and hemostasis in cardiac surgery
• Simulation and education in anesthesiology
• Malignant Hyperthermia

Selected publications 

• Kim WC, Kim SS, Neira V, Sapp JL, Elkhateeb O. Pilot Study on Integrating 3-D Printed Models Into Undergraduate Medical Education for Congenital Heart Disease. CJC Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjcpc.2024.11.001
• Neira V, AlFaraj A, Wisemann L, John R, Andreou P, Cohen A. Stability of Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and Phenylephrine for Intravenous Infusions stored in Three Commercial Plastic Syringe Brands. Anesthesiology, 2024, 140: (5); 1047-9.
• Cohen AM, Wiseman L, AlFaraj A, Andreou P, Hall R, Neira V. Use of Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method to Assess the Concentration of Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and Phenylephrine Stored in Syringes. Pharm Technol Hosp Pharm 2023, 81 (1) 2020010 https://doi.org/10.1515/pthp-2022-0010
• Neira V, Baghaffar A, Doggett N, Chen Ke JX, Stewart K. Coagulopathy Management of an Acute Type A Aortic Dissection in a Patient taking Apixaban. J Cardiothor Vasc Anesth 2022, 36: 1720-25.
• Neira V, Scheffler, Wong D, Wang V, Hall RI. Survey of the Preparation of Cardiovascular Emergency Medications for Adult Cardiovascular anesthesia. Journal Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. 2021, 35: 1813-20
• Neira V, Fagan B, Milne AD. Valve failure in the gas monitor. An unusual case of falsely low capnography values under general anesthesia. Anesthesia & Analgesia Practice, 2020, 14, e01173,1-3. PubMed ID: 3213258.
• Neira V, Al Madhoun W, Ghaffari K, Barrowman N, Berrigan P, Splinter W. Efficacy of Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States-Recommended Methods of Preparation for Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptible Patients Using Drager Zeus Anesthesia Workstations and Associated Costs. Anesthesia & Analgesia 2019, 129(1): 74-83.
• Neira V, Ghaffari K, Bulusu S, Moroz PJ, Jarvis JG, Barrowman N, Splinter W. Diagnosis accuracy for identification of new neurologic deficits in pediatric spinal fusion surgery. Anesthesia & Analgesia 2016: 123; 1556-66.
• Mir Gassemi A, Neira V, Ufholz L, Barrowman N, Mula J, Bradbury C, Bould DM. A Systematic review and meta-analysis of acute severe complications of pediatric anesthesia. Pediatric Anesthesia 2015: 25; 1093-1102.
• Neira V, Guerra L, Kovesi T, Campos M, Barrowman N, Splinter W. The impact of pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning on respiratory system mechanics during laparoscopic pelvic surgery in children: a prospective observational study. Canadian J Anesth 2015; 62: 798-806. DOI 10.1007/s12630-015-0369-0
• Neira V, Bould D, Nakajima A, Boet S, Barrowman N, Mossdorf P, Sydor D, Roeske A, Noseworthy S, Naik V, Doherty D, Writer H, Hamstra S. “GIOSAT”: a tool to assess CanMEDS competencies during simulated crises. Can J Anesth. 2013; 60:280-9. DOI 10.1007/s12630-012-9871-9.

Selected presentations 

• Doggett N, Neira V, Alfaraj A. A Generalizability Analysis of Workplace Assessment of Ultrasound Guided Internal Jugular Venous Catheterization using a Checklist and a Global rating Scale. Presented at the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 2023 Meeting. April 2023, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• Neira C, Neira V, Matheson K, Morton R, Mingo H, Chedrawy E, Aliter H. The use of Factor VII in Cardiac Surgery, a Propensity Matching Study. Presented at the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 2022 Meeting. May, 2023. Portland, Oregon, USA.
• Al-Faraj A, Cohen A, Andreou P, Wiseman L, Hall R, Neira V. Stability of Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and Phenylephrine in three Syringe Brands. Abstract 1157869. Presented at the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 2022 Meeting. May, 2022.
• Neira V, Altman D. Case Report of Intraoperative Hypoxemia Pre-Bypass for AVR and CABG: Bronchoscopy Finds an Unusual Tumor. Poster Presentation (SCA145). Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 41 Meeting and Workshops. Chicago (Il0. May, 2019.
• Neira V, Scheffler M., Wong D, Wang V, Hall R. International Survey on the Current Use of Emergency Cadiovascular Medications. Poster Presentation (SCA 119). Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 41 Meeting and Workshops. Chicago (Il), May, 2019.

Selected awards and honours 

• Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine Living Lab Grant: Feasibility Mixed Methods Exploratory Study of the Use of In-Situ High Fidelity Inter-Professional Simulation for Development and Testing of Cognitive Aids for Cardiac Crisis Scenarios Requiring Extracorporeal Life Support. May 2023. Funding: $ 9,555
• Maritime Heart Centre. QE II Foundation. Innovation Grant. Crisis Management in Advanced Cardiac Care: Cardiac Surgery & Interventional Cardiology. The use of in-situ high fidelity simulation for interprofessional curriculum development and evaluation. June 2021. Funding: $38,782
• Dalhousie University. Anesthesia Research Fund: Procedural Skill Wokplace assessment of internal jugular vein catheterization. A Generalizability study.Dec 2020. Funding: $3,899.
• Dalhousie University. Anesthesia Research Fund: Determination of Stability of Epinephrine, Norpeinephrine, and Phenylephrine for Intravenous Infusions in Three Syringe Brands. December 2019. Funding: 19,897.

Memberships

• Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society, Sections: Cardiovascular & Thoracic, and Pediatric Anesthesia
• Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists
• International Anesthesia Research Society
• American Society of Anesthesiologists
• American Society of Echocardiography
• Sociedad Latinoamericana de Anestesia Cardiovascular

Employment

• Nova Scotia Health Authority

Teaching

Participates actively in clinical teaching for cardiac anesthesia fellows, anesthesia residents, medical students, anesthesia assistants, respiratory therapist, anesthesia technicians, and nurses.

Other services & activities

• Comite de Anesthesia Peditrica Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiologia y Reanimacion.
• Journal reviewer: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia and British Journal of Anesthesia
• Canadian Association of Latin-Canadian Medical Students