Paul Dorian

MD, MSc, FRCP(C)

Scientist

Research Programs

Biography

Dr. Dorian received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal in 1976.  He completed training in Internal Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, and Cardiology at the University of Toronto and completed a Fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology at Stanford University.  He is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Toronto, and a Staff Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and is Staff Cardiac Electrophysiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Dr. Paul Dorian was the Department Director, Division of Cardiology, University of Toronto (2009-2019), and President of the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society (2013-2014).

He is a recipient of the University of Toronto Department of Medicine Research Award, and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and Canadian Heart Rhythm Society Achievement Awards.

He has served and continues to serve on the steering committees of multiple multicenter clinical trials in arrhythmia care.

He was the principal investigator of the ALIVE RCT of antiarrhythmic drugs in cardiac arrest, the Family study on predicting and preventing sudden cardiac death, the CIHR funded EpiDOSE Trial, and the Program to reduce sudden death funded by the Canadian Arrhythmia Network.

He has led a basic science research program on the mechanisms of ventricular fibrillation, treatment of experimental cardiac arrest, and the circulatory and electrophysiology of cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

He has also been active in a research program on the establishment of optimum systems of care for patients with atrial fibrillation, including assessment of quality of life in patient reported outcomes.  He designed and led the implementation of scales to measure quality of life in AF, including the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Severity in Atrial Fibrillation (CCS-SAF) score, The AFSS scale, and the AFEQT scale, which are the most used methods for the measurement of quality of life in patients with AF.

He is one of the core participants of the University of Toronto Sports Cardiology Program which brings together academic researchers, academic and community cardiologists, physiology researchers, students, and patients in the establishment of a clinical and research program in sports cardiology.  He has led studies on the incidence and causes of sudden death in competitive sport, and the diagnostic accuracy of the ECG in athlete screening.

He has served on the CCS guidelines/position paper writing panel committee for atrial fibrillation, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, and athlete preparticipation screening.

He has published over 500 peer reviewed papers and is Associate Editor of the textbook Electrophysiological Disorders of the Heart.

Recent Publications

  1. Buhari, H, Fang, J, Han, L, Austin, PC, Dorian, P, Jackevicius, CA et al.. Stroke risk in women with atrial fibrillation. Eur Heart J. 2023; :. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad508. PubMed PMID:37647629 .
  2. Dorian, P, Angaran, P. Beta Blockers and Digoxin in Atrial fibrillation - Back to the Future. Can J Cardiol. 2023; :. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2023.07.013. PubMed PMID:37453646 .
  3. Shalmon, T, Hamad, FMD, Jimenez-Juan, L, Kirpalani, A, Urzua Fresno, CM, Folador, L et al.. Prognostic Value of Different Thresholds for Myocardial Scar Quantification on Cardiac MRI Late Gadolinium Enhancement Images in Patients Receiving Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2023;5 (3):e210247. doi: 10.1148/ryct.210247. PubMed PMID:37404790 PubMed Central PMC10316291.
  4. Stambler, BS, Camm, AJ, Alings, M, Dorian, P, Heidbuchel, H, Houtgraaf, J et al.. Self-administered intranasal etripamil using a symptom-prompted, repeat-dose regimen for atrioventricular-nodal-dependent supraventricular tachycardia (RAPID): a multicentre, randomised trial. Lancet. 2023;402 (10396):118-128. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00776-6. PubMed PMID:37331368 .
  5. Rahimi, M, Dorian, P, Cheskes, S, Lebovic, G, Lin, S. The Effect of Time to Treatment With Antiarrhythmic Drugs on Survival and Neurological Outcomes in Shock Refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Crit Care Med. 2023;51 (7):903-912. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000005846. PubMed PMID:37318289 .
  6. Shweikialrefaee, B, Ko, DT, Fang, J, Pang, A, Austin, PC, Dorian, P et al.. Statin Use and Stroke Rate in Older Adults With Atrial Fibrillation: A Population-Based Cohort Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023;12 (12):e028381. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.028381. PubMed PMID:37318025 PubMed Central PMC10356038.
  7. Davies, B, Allan, KS, Carroll, SL, Gibbs, K, Roberts, JD, MacIntyre, C et al.. Perceived self-efficacy and empowerment in patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023;10 :955060. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.955060. PubMed PMID:37255708 PubMed Central PMC10225561.
  8. Han, HC, Wang, J, Birnie, DH, Alings, M, Philippon, F, Parkash, R et al.. Association of the Timing and Extent of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infections With Mortality. JAMA Cardiol. 2023;8 (5):484-491. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2023.0467. PubMed PMID:37017943 PubMed Central PMC10077129.
  9. Allan, KS, Mason, KL, Garner, J, Dainty, KN, Huyer, D, Cunningham, K et al.. "It's Overwhelming With the Grief" A Qualitative Study of Families' Experiences When a Young Relative Dies of Sudden Cardiac Death. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2023;16 (4):e009524. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009524. PubMed PMID:37013814 .
  10. Cheskes, S, Dorian, P, Scales, DC. Defibrillation Strategies for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation. Reply. N Engl J Med. 2023;388 (9):861-863. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2216382. PubMed PMID:36856636 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Staff Cardiac Electrophysiologist, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Professor, Medicine and Cardiology, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto
  • Director, Division of Cardiology, University of Toronto