Kookal Ramunni Krishnan

Kookal Ramunni Krishnan (KR Krishnan) (1929 – 1999) born in a Nair family in Kerala, was an Indian physician. He was former director of Southport Regional Spinal Injuries Centre in Southport, United Kingdom, a lecturer in the department of neurological science at University of Liverpool, and visiting professor of rehabilitation at University of Salford. He is credited with pioneering the spinal injuries service at Southport.

Dr. Krishnan worked for a time with Sir Ludwig Guttmannand he developed his interest in spinal cord injury (SCI) then. Dr. Krishnan spent 30 years working with, and for, those with SCI and was an internationally respected clinician, researcher and advocate in the field. He made many notable contributions to the field of SCI authoring almost 100 peer reviewed publications and numerous book chapters. He co-authored of one of the widely cited clinical algorithm for the urological management of spinal cord damaged patients. He did notable work on long term impact of patients with spinal cord injury. Dr. Krishnan was a key member of a fifty year investigation examining long-term survival in a population-based sample of spinal cord injury (SCI) survivors in Great Britain, a study that identified risk factors contributing to deaths and explored trends in cause of death over the decades following spinal cord injury. His paper on 20 year outcomes of persons with spinal cord injury is highlighted as one of the most important papers on the clinical practice committee suggested reading list of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers.

Dr. Krishnan was also a known as an advocate for patients with Spinal Cord Injury; as a member of the SCI Consensus group, a multinational group of clinicians and researchers, he assessed health-related quality of the life (HRQL) for SCI patients and available instruments for its measurement. He was also the president of the CALIES Network (Computer-Aided Locomotion by Implanted Electro-Stimulation), a pan-European non-profit organization of rehabilitation centres focusing on pioneering mobility using implanted muscle stimulation. At the time of his death, he was writing a book on tetraplegic ventilatory management.

Dr. Krishnan was known for his ability to remember the names of patients and their families years after he treated them. In retirement, he had begun to spend more time in his garden and he also had a reputation an excellent cook and host. He is survived by his wife, Patsy; a son; and a daughter.

Dr. Krishnan received his medical degree MBBS from Chennai in 1951. Later, he also received his FRCS. Dr. Kookal's sister Dr. Devaki Kutty Mataji was a Professor of Medicine at King George's Medical College, Lucknow, India.