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6th November 2025
Meet the Team - Perfusionists
Have you ever wondered what happens to your heart and lungs during cardiac surgery? During this type of procedure, these vital organs are temporarily paused to allow the surgical team to work on the heart safely. During this time, a highly trained healthcare professional known as a perfusionist takes over the function of your heart and lungs using a specialised machine. Working closely with the surgical and anaesthetic teams, the perfusionist ensures your circulation and oxygenation are carefully maintained throughout the operation.
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Can you please describe the role of perfusionists?
The perfusionists play a critical role in supporting your vital functions during cardiac surgery.
Before any operation begins, you are placed under anaesthesia. As part of this, all your muscles are temporarily paralysed, including the diaphragm, which is the muscle that enables breathing. As a result, you are connected to a ventilator, which maintains your breathing throughout the operation.
During heart surgery, your heart is also stopped using a high-potassium solution, and the perfusion machine assumes control of your circulation, ensuring that oxygenated blood continues to flow throughout your body.
Throughout the procedure, the perfusion team closely monitors your vital signs and regularly analyses blood samples. If any readings fall outside the normal range, they can immediately adjust the perfusion system to keep everything stable.
Another key responsibility of the perfusionist is regulating your body temperature. By cooling your body, the perfusionist slows your metabolism and reduces the amount of oxygen your organs require. This controlled reduction in oxygen demand allows the surgeon more time to operate safely. Once the procedure is complete, your temperature is gradually brought back to normal.
What kind of procedures or surgeries are you most commonly involved in?
Almost all cardiac surgeries require the heart to be stopped, which means perfusionists are present for every cardiac surgery performed in the hospital.
In some cases, the heart may need assistance following surgery, and a temporary cardiac support device is connected to the patient. This device supports the heart for a period of days or weeks as it recovers. In other cases, patients may need longer-term support. Perfusionists are responsible for managing these cardiac support devices, which may occasionally involve being called in at night or during weekends to monitor and adjust equipment.
In addition, perfusionists assist with blood recovery systems during major general or vascular surgeries where significant blood loss is expected. Using specialised equipment, they collect, process, and return the blood to your body during the surgery. This process is particularly important if you have a rare blood type, where donor blood may be difficult to source.
What kind of equipment or technology do you work with on a daily basis?
Perfusionists operate life support systems that replace the heart and lungs during heart surgery. Modern perfusion equipment is largely computer controlled, requiring a strong understanding of both the technology and equipment. A significant part of perfusion training involves mastering medical and clinical instrumentation. Perfusionists must be proficient in operating various life support devices, including blood pumps that replace the heart, ensuring they function safely and effectively during procedures. A strong understanding of the computer systems and instruments that monitor the heart/lung machines is required, along with a high-level understanding of the anatomy of the heart and the condition affecting the patient. This is to ensure that we can adjust the connections, flows and pressures required to safely replace the heart, allowing the surgeon to operate on whatever condition the patient is suffering from.
How do you collaborate with the surgical and anaesthesia teams during the procedure?
Collaboration and communication are key to the perfusionists’ role. Prior to each surgery, the perfusion team works closely with the surgeon and anaesthetist to plan the procedure, discussing the choice of equipment and the placement of tubes that connect you to the perfusion machine for that operation.
Since perfusionists take control of your circulation and oxygenation during surgery, they also liaise closely with the anaesthetists to understand any specific medical considerations, such as issues related to kidney or liver function, haemoglobin levels, or respiratory conditions that may affect how the heart/lung machine operates on that patient.
This collaboration ensures the surgical team can operate under the best possible conditions, while your safety and stability are carefully maintained throughout the procedure.
What kind of training or background is needed for someone to enter this field?
To become a perfusionist, you must complete a post-graduate two-year master’s degree in perfusion science from Bristol University, including practical training in a hospital. Entry into the programme requires a bachelor’s degree in a related life science field such as physiology, biology, or general science. During the programme, students spend three weeks each month in the hospital, gaining hands-on experience in cardiac surgery and learning the practical aspects of perfusion. The remaining week is spent at the University of Bristol, attending lectures delivered by cardiac surgical and academic staff. The programme requires students to complete 150 procedures over the two years and undertake a thesis research project during their second year. At the end of the programme, students must pass the academic portion of the degree, and a practical and viva voce examinations administered by the Society and College of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland.
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