Dr Andrew Cumpstey

Dr Andrew Cumpstey is the NIHR Clinical Lecturer in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine at the University of Southampton and a senior Specialist Trainee in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

Andrew works on 'bench to bedside' research investigating how the body handles oxygen (oxygen physiology) and how oxygen is used in clinical practice (oxygen therapy), particularly before, during and after major surgery (perioperative medicine) and during critical illness.

Andrew trained in general medicine, anaesthesia and intensive care medicine in Cambridge, Oxford, Taunton and Southampton. He completed his PhD at the University of Southampton, exploring the effect oxygen therapy has on oxidative stress in major surgery and critical illness, in 2022 and was awarded the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia's National Research Award for this work.

Andew's research interests include improving clinical outcomes from major surgery and intensive care, translational clinical studies in oxygen physiology and therapy, and physiological changes associated with extreme environments, particularly high altitude and space.

Andrew works collaboratively with the European Space Agency on studies using overwintering in Antarctica as a model to explore the physiological challenges of longterm isolation in remote environments such as experienced during space travel. As a member of the Xtreme Everest medical research team, he has worked on research projects in high altitude regions around the world including the European Alps and the Everest region in the Himalaya, trying to learn lessons that could help patients needing intensive care in hospital. He has climbed above 6000m and made a number of mountaineering first ascents in remote regions of Arctic Greenland.