prof.dr. D.W. Donker MD (Dirk)

Full Professor
TNW-BIS-CRPH
d.w.donker@utwente.nl
+31534897675
Business card

In March 2021, I was appointed on the chair of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiology (CRPH) at the faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Twente.

The chair is specifically intended to stimulate translational research and education. This, in order to allow patients and health care professionals to maximally benefit from the latest ingenious technologies integrated into modern clinical practice. In this sense, I consider my academic-clinical ambitions equally important as my dedication to professional education in technical medicine, biomedical technology and medicine.

I am indebted for the opportunity to combine my professorship with a position as a senior staff member and intensivist-cardiologist in the Intensive Care Centre at the University Medical Centre Utrecht.

The care for patients with acute and life-threatening disease remains complex and challenging. My experience from daily critical care underlines my enduring personal aspiration to advance technological innovation and improve clinical practice.  

After attending medical school in Essen, Germany, I received my PhD thesis entitled ‘Cardiac mechanomyopathy - integrating the picture from cell to beating heart’ from Maastricht University in 2008. Meanwhile, I completed my medical specialization in Cardiology followed by Intensive Care training at the Maastricht University Medical Center. In 2013, I joined the staff of the Intensive Care Centre at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and in 2019, I expanded my academic-clinical experience in Cardiological Critical Care at the La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris.

My clinical, educational and research interests center around complex cardiovascular and respiratory care. In recent years, I focused on cardiac and pulmonary extracorporeal life support to optimize its clinical use and expand practice-relevant mechanistic insights. My affinity with echocardiography and an inspiring collaboration on patient-specific computer simulation through the years has greatly enlarged my comprehensive physiological understanding and contributes importantly to my work as a physician.

I am actively involved in national and international scientific organizations in the field, collaborate with many dedicated clinicians, researchers and companies, authored many scientific publications and provided numerous presentations. All this, to foster professionals’ enthusiasm and strive to realize a continuing translation of technology, where it is most urgently needed: at the bedside of the individual patient.

Expertise

  • Medicine and Dentistry

    • Patient
    • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
    • Extracorporeal Life Support
    • Adult
    • Cardiogenic Shock
    • Inpatient
    • Extracorporeal
    • Resuscitation

Organisations

Ancillary activities

  • University Medical Center UtrechtIntensivist-Cardiologist
  • Sonion BVContract research
  • HBOX TherapiesResearch consultancy
  • Abiomed, Aachen, GermanyEducational consultancy
  • Consultancy research in the field of critical careContract research

Publications

2024
Advanced waveform analysis of diaphragm surface EMG allows for continuous non-invasive assessment of respiratory effort in critically ill patients at different PEEP levels, Article 195. Warnaar, R. S. P., Cornet, A. D., Beishuizen, A., Moore, C. M., Donker, D. W. & Oppersma, E.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-024-04978-0Mechanical circulatory support in cardiogenic shock: microaxial flow pumps for all and VA-ECMO consigned to the museum?, Article 203. De Backer, D., Donker, D. W., Combes, A., Mebazaa, A., Moller, J. E. & Vincent, J. L.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-024-04988-yUnderstanding the complexity of cardiogenic shock management: the added value of advanced computational modeling, 340-343. Meuwese, C. L., van Loon, L. M. & Donker, D. W.https://doi.org/10.1097/MCC.0000000000001164Left Ventricular Unloading in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Clinical Perspective Derived from Basic Cardiovascular Physiology, 661-667. Protti, I., van Steenwijk, M. P. J., Meani, P., Fresiello, L., Meuwese, C. L. & Donker, D. W.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-024-02067-wECPELLA as a bridge-to-decision in refractory cardiogenic shock: a single-centre experience, 245-253. Balder, J. W., Szymanski, M. K., van Laake, L. W., van der Harst, P., Meuwese, C. L., Ramjankhan, F. Z., van der Meer, M. G., Hermens, J. A. J. M., Voskuil, M., de Waal, E. E. C., Donker, D. W., Oerlemans, M. I. F. J. & Kraaijeveld, A. O.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12471-024-01872-wA patient-specific echogenic soft robotic left ventricle embedded into a closed-loop cardiovascular simulator for advanced device testing, Article 026114. Rocchi, M., Papangelopoulou, K., Ingram, M., Bekhuis, Y., Claessen, G., Claus, P., D'hooge, J., Donker, D. W., Meyns, B. & Fresiello, L.https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0203653Head-to-toe bedside ultrasound for adult patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, 632-645. Douflé, G., Dragoi, L., Morales Castro, D., Sato, K., Donker, D. W., Aissaoui, N., Fan, E., Schaubroeck, H., Price, S., Fraser, J. F. & Combes, A.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-024-07333-7The Hypotension Prediction Index and concurrent mean arterial pressure are comparable in predicting intraoperative hypotension: an observational study in non-cardiac surgery patients (Accepted/In press). Mulder, M. P., Harmannij-Markusse, M., Fresiello, L., Donker, D. W. & Potters, J.-W.Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for refractory cardiac arrest: an overview of current practice and evidence, 148-155. Ali, S., Meuwese, C. L., Moors, X. J. R., Donker, D. W., van de Koolwijk, A. F., van de Poll, M. C. G., Gommers, D. & Dos Reis Miranda, D.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12471-023-01853-5International Survey on Mechanical Ventilation During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, 300-304. Van Minnen, O., Jolink, F. E. J., Van Den Bergh, W. M., Droogh, J. M., Oude Lansink-Hartgring, A., Vlaar, A. P. J., Raasveld, S. J., Donker, D. W., Hermens, J. A. J., Cornet, A. D., Vermeijden, J. W., Oude Velthuis, B., Van Den Brule, J. M. D., Kraemer, C. V. E., Maas, J. J., Janson, J., Lopez Matta, J., Delnoij, T. S. R., Van De Poll, M., … Bunge, J.https://doi.org/10.1097/MAT.0000000000002101

Research profiles

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2022/2023

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