Craig Weinert, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Medicine

Contact Information

Clinical Focus 

My clinical interests are intensive care medicine, including acute respiratory failure and sedation of patients requiring mechanical ventilation. In the outpatient clinic I see patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung infections, lung cancer, asthma and unexplained shortness of breath. Currently I see ambulatory patients only at Fairview Northland Clinic in Princeton, MN.

Research Interests 

My primary research interest is to find interventions that improve patients’ tolerance of mechanical ventilation and accelerate their recovery from critical illness.

I have collaborated with Linda Chlan, PhD Associate Professor in the School of Nursing on observational studies and randomized trials on sedation practice, music therapy for mechanically ventilated patients and patient-controlled sedation during mechanical ventilation. We enroll patients at University of Minnesota Medical Center but also at other Fairview hospitals and community hospitals in the Twin Cities.

Since the late 1990s, the field of post-ICU outcomes has grown substantially. I’ve focused my studies on post-ICU psychiatric conditions such as depression and PTSD which complements the growing international research effort on ICU rehabilitation, post-ICU rehabilitation, cognitive dysfunction and neuro-muscular weakness.

Administrative Effort

• Medical Director, Fairview Tele-ICU program
• Associate Director, Fairview-UMP Critical Care Program. 16 FTE of physician and advanced practice nursing critical care services across five ICUs in three Fairview hospitals.
• Associate Director of the Academic Health Center's Center for Excellence in Critical Care
• Executive Medical Director for non-Surgical Services, University of Minnesota Medical Center.
• Chair, Critical Care Committee University of Minnesota Medical Center Medical Staff 

Selected Recent Publications

^{(For a comprehensive listing of Dr. Weinert's recent publications refer to PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine)}

• Weinert CR, Sprenkle M. Post-ICU consequences of patient wakefulness and sedative exposure during mechanical ventilation. Intensive Care Med. 2008; 34(1):82-90.
   
• Partnership for Excellence in Critical Care Writing Committee: Robertson T, Mann H, Hyzy R, Rogers A, Douglas I, Waxman A, Weinert C, Alapat, P, Guntupalli K, Buchman T. Multicenter implementation of evidence-based protocols: spontaneous breathing trials. Crit Care Med. 2008; 36(10):2753.
   
• Weinert C and Mann H. The science of implementation: changing the practice of critical care. Current Opinion in Critical Care. 2008;14:460-465.
   
• Robertson TE, Mann HJ, Hyzy R, Rogers A, Douglas I, Waxman AB, Weinert C, Alapat P, Guntupalli KK, Buchman TG; Partnership for Excellence in Critical Care. Multicenter implementation of a consensus-developed, evidence-based, spontaneous breathing trial protocol. Crit Care Med. 2008; 36(10):2753-62.
   
• Weinert CR, Kethireddy S, Roy S. Opioids and infections in the intensive care unit: should clinicians and patients be concerned? Neuroimmune Pharmacol, 2008; 3(4):218-29. Review.
   
• Weinert C. 2008. "Psychiatric illness during and after discharge from Intensive Care Units" Chapter 46 IN: Core Topics in Cardiothoracic Critical Care. A. Klein, A Vuylsteke, S Nashef editors. Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom.
   
• Guttormson JL, Chlan L, Weinert C, Savik K. Factors influencing nurse sedation practices with mechanically ventilated patients: A US National survey. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2010 Feb;26(1):44-50. 2009 Nov 27. PMID: 19945879.
   
• Chlan LL, Weinert CR, Skaar DJ, Tracy MF. Patient-controlled sedation: a novel approach to management of sedative therapy with mechanically ventilated patients. Chest. 2010 Nov;138(5):1045-53. E pub 2010 Mar 18 PMID: 20299632
   
• Nunally, M, Jaeschke R, Bellingan G, Lacroix, J, Mourvillier B, Rodriguez-Vega G, Rubertsson S, Vassilakopoulus T, Weinert C, Zanotti-Cavazzoni S, Buchman, T. 2011. Targeted Temperature Management in Critical Care: A Report and Recommendation from Five Professional Societies. Critical Care Medicine. 39:1-13.
   
• Skaar D. and Weinert C. 2011. “Sedatives and hypnotics” Chapter 186 in Textbook of Critical Care. JL Vincent, editor. 6th Edition. Elsevier.
   
• Needham DM, Davidson J, Cohen H, Hopkins RO, Weinert C, Wunsch H, Zawistowski C, Bemis-Dougherty A, Berney SC, Bienvenu OJ, Brady SL, Brodsky MB, Denehy L, Elliott D, Flatley C, Harabin AL, Jones C, Louis D, Meltzer W, Muldoon SR, Palmer JB, Perme C, Robinson M, Schmidt DM, Scruth E, Spill GR, Storey P, Render M, Votto J, Harvey MA. 2011. Improving long-term outcomes after discharge from ICU: Report from a stakeholders’ conference. Critical Care Medicine.40:502-9.
   
• Rayner S, Weinert C, Peng H, Jepsen S, Broccard AF. 2012. Dexmedetomidine as Adjunct Treatment for Alcohol Withdrawal in the ICU. Ann Intensive Care. 23;2(1):12. [Epub ahead of print]
   
• A Wilson and C Weinert. Psychiatric and Neurologic Recovery after Critical Illness. 2012. Clinical Pulmonary Medicine. 19:78-83 

Current and Recent Research Support

• R21 NR012795-01A1 Weinert and Chlan (PI) 5/2012-14
  NIH/NINR Testing the feasibility of patient-controlled sedation in ventilated ICU patients. The goal of this RCT is determine the feasibility of conducting a large scale RCT of patient –controlled sedation versus usual care for intubated patients.
   
• GIA # PRE-10-00 Weinert (PI) 2012-14
  Hospira, Inc. Testing the Feasibility of Patient-Controlled Sedation in Ventilated ICU Patients. Support for laboratory testing and study medication for subjects in the PCS study.
   
• R34MH082156 Weinert (PI) 6/1/08 - 5/30/12
  NIH/NIMH Feasibility study of primary prevention of post-ICU depression The goal of this RCT is to determine the feasibility and safety of a RCT whereby patients with acute respiratory failure are administered an SSRI medication or placebo early in the course of respiratory failure and continued for 8 weeks.
   
• R01NR009295 Chlan (PI) 4/1/2006 – 1/31/2010
  NIH/NINR Reducing Sedative Exposure in Ventilated ICU Patients
  The goal of this project is to conduct a multi-center RCT to test the effectiveness of a music therapy intervention to reduce sedative exposure in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.