THE HEART OF THE OR

What are Perfusion Services?

Frequently, cardiac and thoracic surgeries are dependent upon still, unventilated lungs and a motionless heart, as a necessary component of vital surgery. A quiet, bloodless surgical field allows doctors the ability to perform highly complex, life-saving surgeries on their patients.

A heart-lung machine (HLM), containing an artificial lung and pump, can safely push blood throughout the body, and keep a patient’s organs and brain alive and functioning optimally. These intricate machines must be operated by skilled, focused perfusionists. Those same healthcare professionals, in close concert with supervising physicians, constantly scrutinize several diagnostic monitors, administer critical medications, and manipulate physiological conditions to ensure the safest, best patient care.

Perfusionists are also many times responsible for ancillary life support devices utilized in a modern cardiovascular operating room.

Autologous blood-saving devices (ATS) are used in conjunction with an HLM to save blood lost on the surgical field. The shed blood is then washed, concentrated, and re-infused. This minimizes the amount of donor banked blood given to surgery patients. ATS can also be used for non-cardiac procedures such as back, neuro, vascular, and trauma surgeries.

An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), generally inserted through a major leg artery, is an arterial catheter that is used to supplement a sick heart’s blood output, until it recovers sufficiently to beat unassisted.

A ventricular assist device (VAD) can help, or take the place of, a severely malfunctioning heart. The heart then is allowed time to recover at its own pace. In some instances, a VAD is used as a bridge to cardiac transplant, whether the patient’s heart is pumping, or not.

Finally, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation devices perform a task similar to a VAD, but also incorporate an artificial lung to provide the body with oxygen in place of native lungs.

Modern cardiac surgery is sometimes described as analogous to a ballet, with a team of perfusionists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and technicians working in a synchronized manner. Results are dependent on their ability to effectively communicate, and yet act independently, to achieve the common goal of the best, safest patient care.

 

Benefits of Partnership