About the Critical Care Medicine Division

The Division of Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology cares for patients in the Memorial Hermann- Texas Medical Center Burns, Cardiovascular, Shock Trauma, Transplant Surgery (Memorial Hermann—Texas Medical Center) Intensive Care Units, Memorial Hermann Southwest Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit, and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital Surgical Intensive Care Unit.  State of the art equipment including surface and transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography (including high fidelity simulation), continuous cardiac output monitoring (such as the Edwards® Hemosphere), and thromboelastography are available in our facilities.

Our consult services are available 24/7/365 to ensure that every possible resource is in place to maximize our patient outcomes. Our growing division also hosts one of the most medically and disciplinarily diverse critical care fellowships in the US. Furthermore, the division of critical care is academically productive in applied clinical, translational and “Big Data” research. All critical care faculty actively contribute to the training of our critical care fellows, residents, medical students and visiting students.  We additionally take great pride in collaborating with other critical care specialties including emergency medicine, internal medicine, neurology and surgery.  We remain focused on keeping the patient first!

Donor Care Center (DCC)

The division also plays a central role in Memorial Hermann Hospital’s organ donor care center (DCC), a specialized intensive care unit founded by Dr. George Williams in 2020, focused on caring for organ donors and supporting their families throughout the donation process. Staffed by anesthesia critical care intensivists, the DCC provides comprehensive donor management, including hemodynamic optimization, ventilatory management, procedural care, and perioperative support for organ procurement operations. Faculty within the division work closely with the regional organ procurement organization and transplant centers across the country to help maximize organ viability while honoring the wishes and legacy of our donors, whom we proudly refer to as “heroes.” The division is also involved in donation after circulatory death (DCD) processes and in multidisciplinary efforts to advance the quality and coordination of donor care.

Division Members

	Sven Asmussen MD, PhD Associate Professor, Critical Care Medicine
	Akshay Chaku, MD Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine ACCM Assistant Fellowship Program Director
	Ray Hwong, MD Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine
	Rishi Kumar, MD, FACC, CMQ Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine Medical Director - Donor Care Center
	Osamudiamen Obanor, MD Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine
	Ryan Rihani, MD Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine ACCM Fellowship Program Director
	Kelly West, MD Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine