Damon Scales
Research Assistant:
Dr. Scales conducts health services and translational health research that seeks to improve the outcomes of critically ill patients. He has conducted many large, pragmatic and cluster randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
He is conducting the Paramedic Initiated Treatment of Sepsis Targeting Out-of-hospital Patients (PITSTOP) trial, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (NCT03068741). This large, 2×2 factorial RCT is evaluating whether prompt recognition of sepsis followed by early antibiotics and/or intravenous fluids delivered by paramedics upon first response leads to improved survival compared with transportation of patients to the hospital for treatment with usual care.
He is also conducting the High-flow nasal Oxygen with or without helmet Non-invasive ventilation for Oxygenation sUpport in acute Respiratory failure (HONOUR) Trial. This CIHR-funded RCT (NCT05078034) compares helmet non-invasive ventilation combined with high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) versus HFNO alone in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.
With Sunnybrook Research Institute scientist Dr. Farhad Pirouzmand, he is leading the PROphylaxis for venous ThromboEmbolism in Severe Traumatic brain injury (PROTEST) study. This CIHR-funded RCT (NCT03559114) is comparing the efficacy and safety of early versus delayed thromboprophylaxis in patients with severe traumatic brain injury who are also receiving treatment with sequential compression devices.
Education
- B.Sc., 1993, Biochemistry, University of Ottawa,
- MD, 1997, University of Toronto,
- PhD, 2007, Clinical Epidemiology, University of Toronto,
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 2001, Internal Medicine, University of Toronto,
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 2003, Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto,
Appointments & Affiliations
- Senior Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Tory Trauma Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Chief, department of critical care medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
- Professor, Department of Medicine, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care, University of Toronto
- Adjunct scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
- Associate faculty, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
- Executive and Organizing Committee, Critical Care Canada Forum
- Toronto Regional Clinical Lead, Critical Care, Ontario Health
Research Foci
- Health services research to improve outcomes for critically ill patients
- Improving outcomes for critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury
- Improving outcomes for patients with sepsis and acute respiratory failure
- Improving survival after cardiac arrest
- System-level interventions to improve intensive care unit quality, safety and patient outcomes
Affiliated Labs & Programs
Selected Publications
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Cheskes S, Verbeek PR, Drennan IR, McLeod SL, Turner L, Pinto R, Feldman M, Davis M, Vaillancourt C, Morrison LJ, Dorian P, Scales DC. Defibrillation Strategies for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2022 Nov 24;387(21):1947-1956. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2207304. Epub 2022 Nov 6. PMID: 36342151.
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Ferreyro BL, Angriman F, Munshi L, Del Sorbo L, Ferguson ND, Rochwerg B, Ryu MJ, Saskin R, Wunsch H, da Costa BR, Scales DC. Association of Noninvasive Oxygenation Strategies With All-Cause Mortality in Adults With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2020 Jul 7;324(1):57-67. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.9524. PMID: 32496521; PMCID: PMC7273316.
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Scales DC, Cheskes S, Verbeek PR, Pinto R, Austin D, Brooks SC, Dainty KN, Goncharenko K, Mamdani M, Thorpe KE, Morrison LJ; Strategies for Post-Arrest Care SPARC Network. Prehospital cooling to improve successful targeted temperature management after cardiac arrest: A randomized controlled trial. Resuscitation. 2017 Dec;121:187-194. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2017.10.002. Epub 2017 Oct 5. PMID: 28988962.
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Scales DC, Golan E, Pinto R, Brooks SC, Chapman M, Dale CM, Jichici D, Rubenfeld GD, Morrison LJ; Strategies for Post-Arrest Resuscitation Care Network. Improving Appropriate Neurologic Prognostication after Cardiac Arrest. A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016 Nov 1;194(9):1083-1091. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201602-0397OC. PMID: 27115286.
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Scales DC, Dainty K, Hales B, Pinto R, Fowler RA, Adhikari NK, Zwarenstein M. A multifaceted intervention for quality improvement in a network of intensive care units: a cluster randomized trial. JAMA. 2011 Jan 26;305(4):363-72. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.2000. Epub 2011 Jan 19. PMID: 21248161.