Perfusionist

Duties and Responsibilities

The primary role of a perfusionist is to ensure patient safety and adequate blood flow and oxygenation during procedures where the heart and lungs are stopped or compromised. Duties often include:

• Operating Extracorporeal Equipment: Setting up and operating heart-lung machines, intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP), ventricular assist devices (VAD), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) systems.
• Monitoring Patient Vitals: Closely monitoring vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, blood gas levels, temperature, and coagulation status throughout the procedures that require perfusionist participation.
• Administering Medications: Administering blood products, anesthetic agents, cardioplegia, and other pharmaceuticals via the bypass circuit under the supervision of the attending surgeon or anesthesiologist.
• Patient Transport: Participating in the transport of patients who are on life support devices.
• Equipment Management: Performing quality control, maintaining equipment, managing supply inventory, and ensuring all equipment is sterile and functioning correctly.
• Collaboration and Communication: Working as part of a multidisciplinary surgical team, communicating patient parameters to surgeons and anesthesiologists, and adapting plans in critical situations.
• Documentation: Completing case-specific paperwork and accurately recording all data and procedures.
• On-Call Availability: Participating in on-call rotations to provide 24/7 coverage for emergency procedures.
• Adjusting blood flow rates and regulating oxygenation levels within the bypass circuit to maintain proper tissue perfusion.
• Interpreting laboratory values like arterial and venous blood gases, clotting times, and making necessary adjustments based on the results.
• Managing cell salvage techniques to reinfuse a patient's own blood, when required
• Assisting with research related to perfusion techniques, when required

Education Requirement

• Diploma / Degree in relevant field.

Experience / Knowledge Requirements

• At least 5 years' experience in relevant capacity
• Experience in managing off-pump cases will be an added advantage.
• Good interpersonal skills and able to lead the organization towards excellence.
• Good communication skills, both written and spoken.
• Must possess good leadership quality and effective management skills, able to lead and manage.
• Self-motivated and independent with a high degree of initiative and commitment.
• Ability to drive and to achieve company's objectives.
• Must be deft problem solvers, detailed planners and adept managers and decision makers.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to personally build and maintain relationships with consultants.
• In-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and sterile techniques; critical thinking; analytical and problem-solving skills; excellent communication skills; and the ability to work in a high-stress, fast-paced environment are all vital.