Fredrik Hessulf

Affiliated to Research

Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care

Mail

fredrik.hessulf@gu.se

Visiting address

Blå stråket 5, vån 3 SU/Sahlgrenska

41345 Göteborg

Postal address

Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset

41345 Göteborg

About Fredrik Hessulf

I am Associate Professor and Senior Consultant in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, and the University of Gothenburg. Head of Research in the Gothenburg Anasthesia & Intensive Care Group · GAICG. I am Head of research, development, education and innovation (FOUUI) at the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine in Mölndal and serve as the local course coordinator for Anaesthesiology in the medical programme. My teaching primarily focuses on anaesthesiology, intensive care medicine and clinical supervision.

I am Secretary of ETOS, the ethics working group of the Swedish Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine (SFAI), and a member of the Ethics Working Group of the Swedish Resuscitation Council.

Research

My research primarily focuses on intensive care medicine, artificial intelligence and prediction models, medical ethics and treatment limitations, cardiac arrest, and anaesthesia in older and frail patients. I supervise PhD students, residents and medical students within these fields.

1. Intensive care medicine and artificial intelligence

We develop and evaluate AI-based prediction models for intensive care, primarily using data from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry. Our work includes model development, external validation and assessment of clinical utility. The ICURE model for predicting 30-day mortality among Swedish ICU patients was published in 2024.

PhD student: Tobias Siöland, Specialist Physician.

2. Ethics and treatment limitations

Our research examines medical and ethical aspects of treatment limitations, patient participation and variations in clinical practice in intensive care and the care of older patients. The research is based on national registry data and clinical studies.

PhD student: Lisa Wiltz.

Resident research projects: Lisa Persson and Sofia Dahlgren.

3. Orthogeriatric anaesthesia

Patients undergoing emergency surgery for hip fracture are often among the oldest and frailest patient groups. Our projects aim to improve perioperative care and reduce complications, including studies of fascia iliaca compartment (FIC) blocks, temperature management and treatment limitations.

PhD student: Victor Linder (principal supervisor: Professor Mattias Lorentzon).

Resident research projects: Yang Cong and Selma Dögg.

4. ICU-treated poisonings – AI-Intox

This project investigates severe poisonings requiring intensive care in Sweden and explores how registry data and modern analytical methods can be used to identify risk factors and predict outcomes.

PhD student: Sara Lundin, licensed pharmacist.

5. AI and orthopaedic anaesthesia

This project investigates how artificial intelligence can be used to identify risk factors and predict complications associated with orthopaedic surgery.

PhD student: Anita Szell, Senior Consultant in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (principal supervisor: Professor Kristian Samuelsson).

6. TRAIL-ICU

TRAIL-ICU is an international multicentre project combining data from three European intensive care registries. The aim is to investigate the generalisability and external validity of AI-based prediction models in intensive care medicine.

7. Cardiac arrest

I conduct registry-based research on in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The research includes survival, adherence to treatment guidelines, and machine-learning models for predicting survival and neurological outcomes. This field formed the basis of my PhD thesis in 2023.

Collaborations include Professor Araz Rawshani, Professor Johan Herlitz and Professor Johan Engdahl.

8. Treatment limitations and end-of-life care

This research examines decision-making, patient participation and clinical practice concerning treatment limitations in critically ill and older patients.

Collaboration with Viveka Andersson, MD, PhD, and Professor Anders Bremer.

Supervision

I am principal supervisor for three PhD students: Tobias Siöland (AI and intensive care medicine), Lisa Wiltz (ethics and intensive care medicine), and Sara Lundin (ICU-treated poisonings).

I am co-supervisor for three PhD students: Anita Szell (AI and orthopaedic anaesthesia), Victor Linder (frailty and hip fracture), and Edda Palsdottir (haemodynamics in intensive care).

In addition, I supervise resident research projects and degree projects for medical students.

Former Students

Johan Cederquist: Medical Emergency Team at Sahlgrenska University Hospitals. Master's thesis, Medical Program, Term 10 (2024).

Sanna Olausson: Treatment limitations in the ICU at Sahlgrenska University Hospitals. Master's thesis, Medical Program, Term 10 (2024).

Tobias Siöland: ICURE. SSAI scientific project (2022–23), publication.

Nino Jönsson: Treatment limitations in the ICU in Halland (2022), publication.

Media

Nya riktlinjer ska bespara läkare tuffa beslut i operationssalen – Läkartidningen

Forskare om ojämlik vård: ”Svårt att upprätthålla kvaliteten” - Kvalitetsmagasinet

Key Publications

Hessulf, F., Bhatt, D. L., Engdahl, J., Lundgren, P., Omerovic, E., Rawshani, A., Helleryd, E., Dworeck, C., Friberg, H., Redfors, B., Nielsen, N., Myredal, A., Frigyesi, A., Herlitz, J., & Rawshani, A. (2023). Predicting survival and neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using machine learning: the SCARS model. EBioMedicine, 89, 104464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104464 IF 9.7

Siöland, T., Rawshani, A., Nellgård, B., Malmgren, J., Oras, J., Dalla, K., Cinà, G., Engerström, L., & Hessulf, F. (2024). ICURE: Intensive care unit (ICU) risk evaluation for 30-day mortality. Developing and evaluating a multivariable machine learning prediction model for patients admitted to the general ICU in Sweden. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. https://doi.org/10.1111/aas.14501 IF 1.9

Hessulf, F., Herlitz, J., Rawshani, A., Aune, S., Israelsson, J., Södersved-Källestedt, M. L., Nordberg, P., Lundgren, P., & Engdahl, J. (2020). Adherence to guidelines is associated with improved survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation, 155, 13-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.07.009 IF 6.5