Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital

Open heart surgery requires the collaboration of a team of doctors, nurses and other allied health care staff to achieve a successful outcome. During surgery, a patient's heart and lungs may be temporarily stopped to make it easier for the surgeons to do the delicate work of cardiac repair. At that time, the patient's respiratory and circulatory functions are handled by a heart-lung machine operated by a perfusionist. The perfusionist is an allied health professional specially trained to keep these physiological functions as normal as possible until it is time to re-start the heart and lungs.

What Is Perfusion?

Perfusion is the artificial process of keeping the body's cells filled with oxygen so the heart and lungs can stay at rest for an extended period of time.

What Happens During Perfusion?

The surgeon, through the use of plastic tubing, diverts the patient's blood flow away from the heart and lungs and into the heart-lung machine, which oxygenates the blood and pumps it back to the body in a continuous circuit. As the blood travels through the body, it delivers fresh oxygen to every cell and carries away carbon dioxide, just as if the patient's heart and lungs were doing all the work.

Throughout the process, the perfusionist controls the blood pressure, flow and temperature by adjusting the pump on the heart-lung machine. He or she continuously monitors the patient's vital signs so that the patient's condition is optimized during every stage of the operation.

Individualized Protocols

Perfusionists at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital respect all patients as individuals with unique physiological needs. Variables such as the patient's age, size, condition and type of operation are all taken into consideration so that the perfusion can be customized to the situation at hand. Perfusionists also coordinate specialized care with the other members of the cardiac team, including the doctors and nurses in the cardiac intensive care unit, to help patients transition smoothly from their operation to their recovery.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the Cardiac Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, please call 954-265-3437