Doctoral Defense in Medical Sciences - Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir

On Friday, June 27, 2025, Inga Lára Ingvarsdóttir will defend her doctoral thesis in Medical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland.
The thesis is titled: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: Indications and early and late outcome.

The opponents are Dr. Jan van der Linden, Professor at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden, and Dr. Julie Vishram-Nielsen, Professor at Zealand University Hospital in Denmark.

The main supervisor and academic advisor was Professor Tómas Guðbjartsson. Other members of the doctoral committee were Professor Göran Dellgren, who was also Inga Lára’s co-supervisor in Gothenburg, Professor Martin Ingi Sigurðsson, cardiothoracic surgeon Sigurður Ragnarsson, and anesthesiologist and intensive care physician Sólveig Helgadóttir.

Professor Þórarinn Guðjónsson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, will chair the ceremony, which takes place in the Ceremonial Hall of the University of Iceland and begins at 9:00 a.m.

Abstract

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of life support used in severe and refractory respiratory and/or cardiac failure. It includes oxygenating the blood with an artificial lung outside of the body. The aim of studies I and II was to examine the indications and outcome of ECMO in Iceland, including long-term outcome. Additionally, the aim in studies III and IV was to describe the 1-year outcome of venoarterial ECMO for cardiogenic shock in a larger Swedish center, with a focus on the etiology and the severity of the shock. This was achieved with retrospective studies on all adult venoarteral and venovenous ECMO patients treated in Iceland between 1991 and 2022, with a follow-up questionnaire for those that were alive in the years 2022-2023. Studies III and IV were also retrospective single-center studies, on all patients that received VA ECMO for cardiogenic shock at Sahlgrenska in the years 2004-2019. The results of studies I and II indicate that ECMO can be provided with an acceptable outcome in a low-volume and geographically isolated center, such as Landspitali. However, opportunities for improvement could be identified, such as stricter indications for ECMO in cardiac arrest. Additionally, 1-year survival was acceptable for patients receiving VA ECMO for cardiogenic shock at Sahlgrenska, with the most favorable outcome for patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. Poorer outcome for patients receiving ECMO for cardiac arrest imply the importance of timing of the ECMO treatment of all etiologies, as well as patient selection.

About the doctoral candidate

Inga Lára Ingvarsdóttir was born in 1983 in Reykjavík. She completed her medical degree (cand. med.) at the University of Iceland in 2010 and obtained her medical license in 2011 after completing her internship. In 2015, she moved to Gothenburg for further studies and became a specialist in anesthesiology and intensive care in 2020.

Since 2022, Inga Lára has been working as an anesthesiologist and intensive care physician at Landspítali – The National University Hospital of Iceland. The doctoral project was conducted alongside her clinical work at Landspítali and Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.

Her parents are Ingibjörg Bjartmarz and Ingvar Alfreð Sigfússon. Inga Lára lives with Jón Trausti Sigurðsson, a publisher, and they have three children: Flóki Forni, 11 years old; Ingvar Bragi, 8 years old; and Laufey Edda, 6 years old.