Douglas McKim

Dr. Douglas McKim a specialist in Respiratory Medicine with sub-specialty expertise in respiratory rehabilitation, particularly noninvasive ventilation and airway management in neuromuscular diseases as well as sleep medicine. He directs the in and out patient respiratory rehabilitation program and has developed the CANVent Program (Canadian Alternatives in Noninvasive Ventilation) with unique clinical management strategies including noninvasive airway clearance techniques, entirely out patient initiation of noninvasive ventilation and the provision of 24 hour NIV using mouthpiece ventilation. Over 200 patients using noninvasive ventilation in the community are managed through the out patient program. The same airway management techniques have been successfully introduced to the critical care areas to assist in weaning &ldquounweanable” NMD patients from invasive tracheostomy ventilation to facilitate discharge in to the community.

In spite of a very busy clinical practice, Dr. McKim has been dedicated to establishing evidence for the indications and effectiveness of noninvasive airway management techniques including lung volume recruitment (LVR). He was the first to establish that regular LVR may have a beneficial effect on the rate of decline of respiratory function in Duchene muscular dystrophy and publish these results and is the co-PI on the first RCT of LVR in NMD as well as a co-investigator on the first RCT of LVR in Duchene muscular dystrophy. His research work is directly intended to improve the respiratory care of individuals with NMDs. Dr. McKim is the first author of the Canadian (and one of the few international) guidelines on Home Mechanical Ventilation and is Co-Chair of the Home Mechanical Ventilation Clinical Assembly for the Canadian Thoracic Society. He is a founding member of the steering committee for the CANuVENT research group (PI- Dr. Louise Rose) which is actively involved in providing a programmatic approach to long term mechanical ventilation in Canada, funded by CIHR. This group has published recent information on LTV in Canada which will be important for health care providers and health ministries. Dr. McKim is currently Chair of the Scientific Committee for the Canadian Thoracic Society. Dr. McKim is one of two Canadians appointed to the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Home Mechanical Ventilation.