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Nicole Renee Guinn

Professor of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology, Neuroanesthesia
DUMC Box 3094, Durham, NC 27710
2301 Erwin Road, 5670 HAFS Building, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Dr. Guinn attended Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY, where she graduated with AOA honors.  She then completed her anesthesiology residency and fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesia at Duke University Medical Center, staying on as faculty after completing her training. Dr. Guinn served as the Medical Director of the Center for Blood Conservation at Duke University Medical Center from 2013-2022, working with patients who decline transfusion to receive safe care and improved outcomes, and developing an institutional Preoperative Anemia Clinic to diagnose and treat anemia in operative patients at risk for transfusion. She is known nationally for her expertise in management of patients “When Blood is Not an Option” and for preoperative optimization of anemia in surgical patients and is the current Chair for the ASA Committee on Patient Blood Management.  Dr. Guinn is also involved with the American Board of Anesthesiology, serving as an OSCE Committee member and APPLIED examiner for board certification in the anesthesiology. She is the current Interim Division Chief of neuro-anesthesiology, otolaryngology and offsite anesthesia at Duke University.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Anesthesiology · 2024 - Present Anesthesiology, Neuroanesthesia, Anesthesiology
Chief, Division of Neuro Anesthesiology · 2023 - Present Anesthesiology, Neuroanesthesia, Anesthesiology

Recent Scholarly Works


Spinal Anesthesia With Use of an Erector Spinae Plane Block Is Associated With Reduced Opioid Use and Improved Clinical Outcomes in Single-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusions: Evolution of Techniques and a Single-Surgeon Retrospective Analysis.

Journal article Int J Spine Surg · July 1, 2026 BACKGROUND: General anesthesia (GA) has long been the preferred modality of anesthesia for spine surgery, including transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions (TLIFs). However, recent advances in regional anesthesia, including spinal (awake) anesthesia and re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early Use of Cryoprecipitate Versus Plasma and Clinical Outcomes in Major Spine Surgery.

Journal article J Clin Med · October 21, 2025 Background/Objectives: Major spine surgery often leads to significant blood loss and coagulopathy, necessitating blood product transfusion. Cryoprecipitate and plasma are two blood products commonly used to manage coagulopathy, but outcomes associated with ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Education


Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · 2003 M.D.