Sheldon Cheskes

MD, CCFP (EM), FCFP

Scientist

Research Programs

Biography

Dr. Sheldon Cheskes is an Associate Professor with the Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the Medical Director for the Regions of Halton and Peel with the Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine. He is one of the principal investigators for the Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (CanROC) and is a recognized international authority in the area of CPR quality and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation. Dr. Cheskes has published over 100 manuscripts in high impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation, CMAJ and Resuscitation that have changed resuscitation practice around the world.

He is the principal investigator of the DOuble Sequential External Defibrillation in Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation (DOSE VF) trial. This study will be the first cluster randomized trial to clinically evaluate two novel therapeutic defibrillation strategies (double sequential external defibrillation and vector change defibrillation) against standard practice for patients remaining in refractory ventricular fibrillation during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. He is also studying methods to improve public access defibrillation in rural and remote areas through the use of community responder programs and drone delivery of automated external defibrillators.

Recent Publications

  1. Strum, RP, Drennan, IR, Hillier, M, Cheskes, S. Ventricular Fibrillation Simulated Electrocardiogram Artifact by a Deep Brain Stimulator. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2023; :1-6. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2023.2194407. PubMed PMID:36947432 .
  2. 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 .
  3. Cheskes, S. Volunteer Response for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Strength in Numbers?. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023;81 (7):681-683. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.048. PubMed PMID:36792283 .
  4. Cheskes, S, McLeod, S, Scales, DC. Double sequential external defibrillation for refractory ventricular fibrillation. Intensive Care Med. 2023; :1-3. doi: 10.1007/s00134-023-06993-1. PubMed PMID:36754880 PubMed Central PMC9907872.
  5. Fernando, SM, Mathew, R, Sadeghirad, B, Rochwerg, B, Hibbert, B, Munshi, L et al.. Epinephrine in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Network Meta-analysis and Subgroup Analyses of Shockable and Nonshockable Rhythms. Chest. 2023; :. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.01.033. PubMed PMID:36736487 .
  6. Cournoyer, A, Grunau, B, Cheskes, S, Vaillancourt, C, Segal, E, de Montigny, L et al.. Clinical outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: The minute-by-minute impact of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Resuscitation. 2023; :109693. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2023.109693. PubMed PMID:36646371 .
  7. Brill, H, Handler, A, Floh, A, Dickinson, V, Cheskes, S. Cardiac arrest in a 14-year-old at an overnight camp. CMAJ. 2022;194 (47):E1610-E1614. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.211796. PubMed PMID:36507792 PubMed Central PMC9828976.
  8. Cheskes, S, Verbeek, PR, Drennan, IR, McLeod, SL, Turner, L, Pinto, R et al.. Defibrillation Strategies for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2022;387 (21):1947-1956. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2207304. PubMed PMID:36342151 .
  9. Heidet, M, Freyssenge, J, Claustre, C, Deakin, J, Helmer, J, Thomas-Lamotte, B et al.. Association between location of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, on-scene socioeconomic status, and accessibility to public automated defibrillators in two large metropolitan areas in Canada and France. Resuscitation. 2022;181 :97-109. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2022.10.016. PubMed PMID:36309249 .
  10. Kwong, JL, Drennan, IR, Turner, L, Cheskes, S. Predefibrillation end-tidal CO2 and defibrillation success in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: an observational cohort study. Emerg Med J. 2023;40 (1):48-55. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2021-211951. PubMed PMID:36171074 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Medical Director, Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine