Biography

Igor Banjac has been in active practice in the field of perfusion since 2000. He was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – former Yugoslavia. Igor came to the United States as an exchange student in 1990. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1997 with a degree in Biological Engineering. For the next two and a half years, Igor worked at River Oaks Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi in their biomedical department. He has also donated his time to medical mission work in Matamoras, Mexico.

In December 2000 he graduated with a certificate in Perfusion Technology from Texas Heart Institute and immediately joined the perfusion team at Memorial Hermann Hospital Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. 

In July, 2013 Igor was appointed as Director of Perfusion Services/Chief Perfusionist with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He was assigned the task of building and developing the newly established Center for Advanced Heart Failure Perfusion Department. Igor’s vision is to provide the highest level perfusion services for the Operating Room, Cath Lab, Life Flight transports, ECMO, research, and perfusion school.

Igor is a primary organizer of the symposium for perfusionists and nurses at the Brano International Heart Failure Forum. He is committed to providing the highest quality leadership and perfusion services for the Center for Advanced Heart Failure.

Education

Certification in Cardiovascular Perfusion
Texas Heart Institute Perfusion Technology Program, 2000
Bachelor's Degree
Biological Engineering, emphasis in Biomedical/Instrumentation/Computers, Mississippi State University, 1997
Associate of Arts Degree
Meridian Community College, 1994

Areas of Interest

Research Interests

  • Biological Engineering
  • Extracorporeal Life Support
  • Blood Conservation
  • Perfusion Circuits Design

Publications

  1. Pivalizza EG, Merhav H, Lappin J, Sagi BH, Gebhard R, Warters RD, Abramson SI, Banjac I, Mieles LA. Introduction of Autologous cell salvage for liver transplantation. International Liver Transplant Society Annual Meeting, LA, July 2005. Liver Transplantation 2005. Vol. 11, No 7 page C-39.
  2. Banjac I, Loyalka P, Nathan S, Akay MA, Patel M, Radovancevic R, Kar B, Gregoric ID. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Procedural Rescue Strategy for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Complications. ASAIO 60th ANNUAL Conference Abstracts, Washington, June 2014, p190.
  3. L. Janowiak, K. Patel, M. Arcaro, I. Banjac, et al., “Transport Medicine: Let’s Take Off” AmSECT Today, vol. 17, Issue 1, pp.3, 2014.
  4. Banjac I, Petrovic M, Akay MH, Janowiak LM,   Radovancevic R, Nathan S, Patel M, Loyalka P, Kar B, Gregoric ID.  Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a procedural rescue strategy for transcatheter aortic valve replacement cardiac complications.  ASAIO J. 2016; 62 (1): e1-4.
  5. Akkanti, B., Hussain, R., Nathan, S., Gentry, B., Young, A., Raissi, F., Nascimbene, A., Rajapreyar, I., Banjac, I, Patel, K., Janowiak, L., Patel, M., Patel, J., Loyalka, P., Gregoric, I., Kar, B., Prolonged Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in a Patient with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, Mar/Apr 2016, Vol 62(2):e13-14
  6. Akkanti, B., Rajagopal, K., Patel, K., Aravind, S., Nunez-Centanu, E., Banjac, I, Hussain, R., Raissi, F., Hofstetter, W., Vaporciyan, A., Loyalka, P., Kar, B., Gregoric, I., Low-Flow Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal Using the Hemolung Respiratory Dialysis System® to Facilitate Lung-Protective Mechanical Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Journal of Extracorporeal Technology, 2017;49:112–114
  7. Masha, L., Peerbhai, S., Boone, D., Shobayo, F., Ghotra, A., Akkanti, A., Zhao, Y., Banjac, I., Gregoric I., Kar, B., Yellow Means Caution: Correlations between Liver Injury and Survival with the Use of VA-ECMO. ASAIO Journal: October 9, 2018 – Volume Online First