Matthew Spanier,MD
- Emergency Medicine
Critical care ultrasound, cardiac arrest care, airway management, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Undergrad: Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Central American Culture & Society minor, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO
- Doctor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
- Emergency Medicine, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
- Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, Hennepin Country Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
Philosophy of care
“The patients and families that I care for are often at some of the scariest and most critical moments in their lives. As their physician, my role is to be calm, supportive and ensure quality medical care that is tailored to each individual's values.”
Why Dr. Spanier went into medicine
“I went into medicine because I enjoy applying science and physiology to improve the lives of others. I feel fortunate to have a career where I spend every day learning and seeing new things.”
Favorite advice to give patients
“I like to remind my patients that they are in charge of their medical care. As their physician, my role is to provide care that aligns with their beliefs and desires. I spend a lot of time counseling families who are making decisions for critically ill loved ones. A discussion with family or advanced healthcare directive goes a long way in easing the burden on your family if you become ill and can no longer make medical decisions.”
Hometown
St. Cloud, MN
Hobbies
“My wife, Chelsey, and I have one adopted rescue pup. We are excited to have moved back to Duluth. We love this area and have been hoping to return since moving away after I attended UMD. We bought a 5 acre piece of land outside town and are in the process of renovating the house. In our spare time we like to hike, ski, camp, spend time off the grid at our family island cabin, and we've also now gotten into brushing, gardening, and other yard work after too many years living in a condo.”
Publications
Spanier, MJ and DC Mackenzie. 2019. Images in Emergency Medicine: Young Man with Hip Injury. Annals of Emergency Medicine 73(5):e69-70. PMID:31029299.
Spanier, MJ. 2018. Velocity Time Integral (VTI) and the Passive Leg Raise: Taking Volume Assessment to the Next Level. Down East Emergency Medicine (www.downeastem.org).
Spanier, MJ, CB Jara, DW Carter, et al. 2017. Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for Refractory Hypercarbic Respiratory Failure Due to a Severe Inhalational Burn Injury. American College of Surgeons Case Reviews in Surgery 1(2):12-15 (Editor’s Featured Case Report).
Haydar, SA, MJ Spanier, PA Weems, et al. 2017. Comparison of qSOFA Score and SIRS Criteria as Screening Mechanisms for Emergency Department Sepsis. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 35:1730-1733. PMID 28712645.
Spanier, MJ, SA Haydar, PA Weems, et al. 2017. Get Off the SOFA and Stand with SIRS? Use of qSOFA Criteria in the ED as a Screening Mechanism for Sepsis Identification May Lead to Delays in Identification and Treatment when Compared to the Use of Traditional SIRS-based Criteria. Academic Emergency Medicine 24(S1):S29.
Spanier, MJ, S Haydar, S Wood, et al. 2016. Does Use of a Sepsis Order Set Contribute to Unwarranted Antibiotics Utilization? Academic Emergency Medicine 23(S1):S96-S97.
Spanier, MJ. 2010. Beach Erosion as a Factor in Nest Site Selection by the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and Implications for Management Practices at Playa Gandoca, Costa Rica. International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation 58(4):1237-1246. PubMed ID: 21246989