Dr. Nicholas Johnson's research on cardiac arrest focuses on improving the survival and neurological outcomes of patients who experience this life-threatening condition. As a critical care physician and researcher, Dr. Johnson investigates all facets of care for cardiac arrest patients, from prehospital interventions to post-arrest management in the intensive care unit (ICU).
A key focus of Dr. Johnson’s research lies in refining post-cardiac arrest care, particularly temperature control, hemodynamic management, mechanical ventilation, and neurological prognostication. and approaches to mitigating ischemia-reperfusion injury. Working across disciplines and collaborating with colleagues in neurology, cardiology, emergency medicine, engineering, and basic science discipline, Dr. Johnson has explored strategies to optimize neuroprotection in the vulnerable post-arrest period with the goal of improving neurologic recovery. His studies also seek to identify biomarkers that could help predict prognosis, provide early insights into brain injury, and guide individualized treatment.
Dr. Johnson also collaborates closely with the robust Seattle Fire Department and King County Medic One programs, a longtime leader in resuscitation science, to explore novel approaches to personalized intra- and post-arrest care. Among these projects are a series of studies focused on ventilation during and after cardiac arrest, as well as efforts to harness biometric waveform data to predict response to intra-arrest treatments, and eventual prognosis.
Additionally, Dr. Johnson is deeply involved in clinical trials designed to test novel therapeutics and interventions for cardiac arrest patients. His efforts include evaluating new pharmacologic therapies, resuscitation techniques, and ICU protocols.
