Dr. Juan B. Ochoa Gautier, MD, FACS, FCCM

Expert Publications

• Arginine availability, arginase, and the immune response.
• Regulation of arginase expression by T-helper II cytokines and isoproterenol.
• Patient safety: effect of institutional protocols on adverse events related to feeding tube placement in the critically ill.
• Citrulline can preserve proliferation and prevent the loss of CD3 zeta chain under conditions of low arginine.
• Interactions between fatty acids and arginine metabolism: implications for the design of immune-enhancing diets.
• A rational use of immune enhancing diets: when should we use dietary arginine supplementation?
• T lymphocytes.
• CD11b+/Gr-1+ myeloid suppressor cells cause T cell dysfunction after traumatic stress.
• Advances in surgical nutrition.
• Arginine and immunity.
• How many calories are necessary during critical illness?
• Separating pharmaconutrition from classic nutrition goals: a necessary step.
• Effect of calorically dense enteral nutrition formulas on outcome in critically ill trauma and surgical patients.
• Use of a colorimetric carbon dioxide sensor for nasoenteric feeding tube placement in critical care patients compared with clinical methods and radiography.
• Effect of citrulline and glutamine on nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells in an arginine-depleted environment.

Media Releases

Bringing Decades of Expertise in Critical Care Medicine and Surgical Innovation to New Jersey Community Hospital

Specializing in critical care medicine, Dr. Juan B. Ochoa Gautier, is a board-certified trauma surgeon whose journey began in Medellin, Colombia, amidst the turmoil of the “Drug Wars.” Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of innovative research and clinical practice, dedicated to improving the outcomes of trauma and surgery patients.

Since November 2020, Dr. Gautier has been serving as the Medical Director for the Intensive Care Unit at Hunterdon Medical Center, a 178-bed non-profit community hospital located in Raritan Township, New Jersey, near Flemington. His arrival marks a significant milestone for the hospital, bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for transformative medical care.

A native of Colombia, Dr. Gautier journeyed to the United States to pursue his interests in basic research. His groundbreaking work on nitric oxide production in humans revolutionized our understanding of hemodynamic instability in conditions such as sepsis. Following his medical training at Pontifical Bolivarian University in Medellín, Colombia, Dr. Gautier completed his residency in general surgery and surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Thereafter, Dr. Gautier decided to take the challenge of becoming an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Kentucky, where he continued his independent research on nitric oxide production in trauma and surgery patients. In 2001, he was invited back to the University of Pittsburgh, where he continued his clinical practice as Professor of Surgery and Critical Care and rose through the ranks to become the Associate Director for Trauma Services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His passion for research led to significant contributions in the field of arginine metabolism during critical illness, funded by the National Institute of Health.

With a deep-rooted belief in the power of nutritional therapy, Dr. Gautier served as the Chief Medical Officer of Nestlé Health Science North America, advocating for the benefits of nutritional support in surgical and trauma patients. His dedication to improving patient outcomes through holistic care has been a driving force in his career, inspired by his father’s pediatric surgery practice and his mother’s background in biochemistry.

“Growing up, my mother worked as a biochemist and my father was a pediatric surgeon, so I almost lived at the medical school and hospital. I actually had my first communion in the hospital. I remember doing rounds with my father when I was very, very young. Viewing every minute as a teachable moment, my father told me the story of how nutritional therapy helped his patients recover from surgery. I was fascinated by the whole idea that you could feed somebody a different type of food and that you could save lives by doing that,” stated Dr. Gautier.

His professional accolades include being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM), among other prestigious memberships, including the Alpha Omega Alpha University of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the American College of Chest Physicians, the Society of University Surgeons, the New York Academy of Science, the Nitric Oxide Society for Academic Surgery, the American Society of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition, and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

Board certified in both surgery and surgical critical care, Dr. Gautier is recognized as a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge.

In regards to his professional achievements, Dr. Gautier has published over 100 manuscripts, including multiple book chapters and peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals. In 2008, he was interviewed by Ms. Jean Marx in SCIENCE, the journal, with regards to the discovery of arginine destruction by myeloid cells. His work on arginine deficiency and immune dysfunction has paved the way for advancements in treating various illnesses, including surgery, trauma, and cancer.

In joining Hunterdon Medical Center, Dr. Juan B. Ochoa Gautier brings a wealth of expertise, compassion, and dedication to the community, embodying the hospital’s commitment to excellence in critical care medicine and surgical innovation.

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