Our research

Our research focuses on mortality and morbidity following major surgical procedures and critical illness.

Approximately 50,000 patients are treated in intensive care units, and over 800,000 patients undergo surgery and anesthesia in Sweden each year. When perioperative and intensive care are provided to an older and sicker population, the risk of complications increases, contributing to elevated long-term mortality. Perioperative complications quintuple the risk of death. Perioperative mortality within 30 days after surgery has been reported as the third leading cause of mortality, surpassed only by heart disease and cancer.

Our group has several ongoing projects examining long-term risks of death and morbidity after perioperative care, with a focus on heart injury and infarction, acute kidney injury, as well as cognitive dysfunction and stroke. We investigate intraoperative blood pressure drops and other modifiable factors. To make future interventional studies effective, it is essential to identify high-risk patients, those with the greatest risk of complications; can we characterize this population? What are the perioperative risks for stroke, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury? We also explore the potential benefits of wireless monitoring of vital parameters for postoperative and post-intensive care patients.

Concerning critical illness and multi-organ failure, we study acute kidney injury (AKI) and how kidney injury and function markers can predict long-term outcomes. Can we detect patients at risk of future kidney function impairment, and can interventional programs reduce that risk?