Kei Togashi
Biography
Kei Togashi, M.D., M.P.H., is Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at the University of California, Irvine, where he also serves as Director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at UCI Health. He received his M.D. from Wakayama Medical University in Japan and completed fellowships in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Iowa, followed by an M.P.H. in Health Services from the University of Washington. His clinical and research focus centers on cardiovascular anesthesiology, critical care medicine, perioperative echocardiography, and extracorporeal life support.
Togashi has served as principal investigator on multiple funded clinical trials, including studies on tricuspid valve repair in LVAD patients, cerebral monitoring in cardiac surgery, and hemostasis monitoring in ECMO patients, supported by the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and industry sponsors. He has published more than 25 peer-reviewed articles in journals including Anesthesiology, Anesthesia & Analgesia, and the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, with research contributions spanning neuromuscular blockade monitoring, patient safety systems, and outcomes in cardiac surgery and critical care. His work has included development of aviation-style surgical safety checklists, barcode-based drug administration systems, and simulation-based educational curricula for transesophageal echocardiography and ultrasound-guided procedures.
Togashi chairs the ECMO Task Force at UC Irvine and has developed institutional protocols for extracorporeal support and crisis management training. He serves on research committees for the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists and the International Anesthesia Research Society, and previously served on the Research Grant Award Committee for the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists. He maintains active involvement in international medical education, serving as a visiting faculty member and invited speaker in Japan and contributing to cross-cultural exchange programs in anesthesiology training.
Return to topEducation
- M.D., Wakayama Medical University, Japan, 2003
- M.P.H. in Health Service Program, University of Washington, 2014
Areas of Expertise
- Cardiovascular Anesthesiology
- Neuromuscular Blockade Monitoring
- Transesophageal Echocardiography
- Ventricular Assist Device Management
- Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
- Coagulation Management Systems
- Hypophosphatemia After Cardiac Surgery
Recent Publications
- Jelacic S, Bowdle A, Bussey L, Nguyen S, Ocol JM, Togashi K, “Should respiratory therapists routinely monitor neuromuscular blockade in the intensive care unit?”, Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, vol. 92, pp. 111310, 2023.
- Dang PT, Lopez BE, Togashi K, “A decrease in effective renal perfusion pressure is associated with increased acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery”, Cureus, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. e45036, 2023.
- Park FS, Shah AC, Rao S, Rinehart J, Togashi K, “Clinical outcome comparison of patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with or without COVID-19 infection”, Cureus, vol. 15, no. 5, pp. e39078, 2023.
- Steck DT, Jelacic S, Mostofi N, Wu D, Wells L, Fong CT, Cain KC, Sheu RD, Togashi K, “The association between hypophosphatemia and lactic acidosis after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a retrospective cohort study” (opens in new tab), Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 374-381, 2023.
- Katrivesis KH, Elia J, Glovaci D, Lombardo D, Sagebin F, Nikravan S, Togashi K, “Right" or wrong diagnosis? The importance of transesophageal echocardiography to assess the etiology of hypotension after left ventricular assist device implantation.” (opens in new tab), Chest, vol. 161, no. 2, pp. e121-e125, 2022.
- Bowdle A, Jelacic S, Togashi K, Wechter DG, Cain K, “Test and standard precautions"—Is it enough to protect us from false-negative severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test results?” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 132, no. 3, pp. 616-621, 2021.
Most Cited Publications
- Jelacic S, Bowdle A, Nair BG, Kusulos D, Bower L, Togashi K, “A system for anesthesia drug administration using barcode technology: the Codonics Safe Label System and Smart Anesthesia Manager™.” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 121, pp. 410-421, 2014.
- Jelacic S, Bowdle A, Togashi K, Vonhomeyer P, “The use of TEE simulation in teaching basic echocardiography skills to senior anesthesiology residents.” (opens in new tab), Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 670-5, 2013.
- Togashi K, Joffe AM, Sekhar L, Kim L, Lam A, Yanez D, Broeckel-Elrod JA, Moore A, Deem S, Khandelwal N, Souter MJ, Treggiari MM, “Randomized pilot trial of intensive management of blood pressure or volume expansion in subarachnoid hemorrhage (IMPROVES).” (opens in new tab), Neurosurgery, vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 125-134, 2015.
- McLean SR, von Homeyer P, Cheng A, Hall ML, Mulligan MS, Cain K, Togashi K, “Assessing the benefits of preoperative thoracic epidural placement for lung transplantation” (opens in new tab), Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, vol. 32, pp. 2654-2661, 2018.
- Krishnan S, Kuhl S, Ahmed W, Togashi K, Ueda K, “Efficacy of an online education program for ultrasound diagnosis of pneumothorax. Anesthesiology.” (opens in new tab), Anesthesiology, vol. 118, no. 3, pp. 715-721, 2013.
- Failor E, Bowdle A, Jelacic S, Togashi K, “High-fidelity simulation of lung isolation with double-lumen endotracheal tubes and bronchial blockers in anesthesiology resident training.” (opens in new tab), Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, vol. 28, pp. 865-869, 2013.
- Jelacic S, Togashi K, Bussey L, Nair BG, Wu T, Boorman DJ, Bowdle A, “Development of an aviation-style computerized checklist displayed on a tablet computer for improving handoff communication in the post-anesthesia care unit” (opens in new tab), Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing, vol. 35, pp. 607-616, 2020.
- Togashi K, Nandate K, Hoaglan C, Sherman B, Bowdle TA, “Multicenter evaluation of a compact, sterile, single-use pressure transducer for central venous catheter placement.” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 116, no. 5, pp. 1018-1023, 2013.
- Hata JS, Togashi K, Kumar AB, Hodges LD, Kaiser EF, Tessmann PB, Faust CA, Sessler DI, “The effect of the pressure-volume curve for positive end-expiratory pressure titration on clinical outcomes in acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review.” (opens in new tab), Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, vol. 29, pp. 348-356, 2013.
- Togashi K, Paez FJG, Sheu RD, “Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm rupture associated with a ventricular septal defect: the importance of multi-angle assessment by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography.” (opens in new tab), Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, vol. 34, no. 12, pp. 3376-3381, 2020.
Contact Information
Email: ktogashi@uci.edu
Address: 101 The City Drive South, B53-225, Orange CA 92868
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Last updated on 3/13/2026.