Your Contribution:

Under the general supervision and direction of the physician, operates extracorporeal circulation equipment during medical procedures requiring support or temporary replacement of patient’s circulatory or respiratory functions for patients you will:
 

• Prepare, administer, and monitor flow of prescribed solutions (cardioplegic solution, hemodilution pump prime composition) used during cardiac procedures.  
• Determine patient factors (hematocrit, body size, osmolarity) to mix solutions for pumping into coronary arteries or solutions to clear air from bypass equipment.  
• Set automatic controls and observe meters and gauges to verify operation of equipment.  
• Operate equipment to achieve conditions ordered by surgeon, such as total bypass, coronary perfusion, recirculation or partial bypass.   
• Receive and interpret blood gas analysis reports from laboratory.   
• Adjust and monitor heart-lung machine setting as a result of lab reports from laboratory.  
• Adjust and monitors heart-lung machine setting as a result of lab report interpretation to maintain homeostasis. 
• Retain knowledge of, or proper use of, procedures and equipment (pharmacological intervention, normal routes or coagulation, assembly and design for bypass circuitry).

Aseptic Technique:  
 

• Follow the appropriate technique as defined by LRMC for the hand scrub.  
• Initiate correction action when a break in technique occurs.  
• Inspect/maintain sterility of supplies/trays.  
• Protect the integrity of the sterile field.

Surgery Participation:
 

• Consult with surgeon regarding type of procedure to be performed and any required modification to the extracorporeal circuit, equipment or methods to be employed.  
• Assemble, prime, circulate and test the extracorporeal circuit prior to initiation of heart/lung bypass. 
• Monitor and observe the operation of the heart/lung machine and the patient’s physiologic parameters during extracorporeal circulation, making adjustments as required maintaining adequate perfusion.   
• Administer medications and/or blood products to the patient via the heart/lung machine, in consultation with the attending surgeon or anesthesiologist.   
• Obtain patient specimens at appropriate times during the surgical procedure for laboratory analysis.  
• Disassemble the extracorporeal circuit at the completion of heart/lung bypass, appropriately disposes of single use items and cleans equipment.
• Participate in physiological monitoring – Direct/assist in the set-up testing and operation of physiologic monitoring instrumentation used for cardiac surgical procedures, i.e. blood pressure and electrocardiogram monitors, blood coagulation test devices, cardiac output computers, blood flow-meters, temporary cardiac pacemakers, defibrillators, intra-aortic balloon pumps, etc.

• Follow safety standards according to established guidelines, i.e. lifting, equipment, universal precautions, OSHA guidelines.  
• Maintain a safe patient environment by reporting faulty equipment, cleans and sterilizes instrumentation per procedure.  

• Perfusionist shall have broad education training in cardiovascular perfusion generally obtained by successful completion of an accredited cardiovascular perfusion training program and certification by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.
• At ease working under stress during emergency situations.
• Record of achievement working well in a team environment and autonomously without the need for much direct supervision.