“It is so rewarding to work in transplantation — to be a part of so many critical parts of the journey of those fighting for a second chance at life”
Perfusionist, Penn Transplant Institute
"In most cases, patients will never get to meet me. But I'm right there with them anyway, in the operating room on transplant day, right beside their surgeon. Many people have never even heard of a cardiovascular perfusionist, let alone know what they do. It's what I do. I'm responsible for operating the heart lung machine that literally takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery, from outside the body, allowing surgeons to work while the patient's blood is diverted to the heart lung machine rather than returning to the heart. Throughout the entire surgery, this machine will keep oxygenated blood flowing through the body to keeps a patient's organs alive and healthy.
The saying, 'it takes a village' couldn't be more appropriate than when it comes to the operating room team for organ transplants. I truly enjoy working with this amazing team - the surgeons, the nurses, anesthesiologists and physician assistants. We are a close-knit group which helps us function like a well-oiled machine. It is inspiring to see the dedication, skill, focus and precision in the operating room when we come together. It's challenging work which makes it even more rewarding.
COVID-19 brought a whole new set of challenges. Being part of the solution for patients succumbing to COVID-19 complications has been a bit of a silver lining during a very difficult time. Many patients needed support prior to transplant, some in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for weeks on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) waiting to see if their lungs would recover. Our team of perfusionists was responsible for managing those ECMO machines along with the multidisciplinary team in the ICU. It challenged us to utilize our resources in new ways and led to some great successes.
Another way that our perfusion team contributes to transplant care is with our work to increase organ availability through the use of ex-vivo perfusion. We use machines to 'recondition' organs outside the body before transplant. We infuse the organs with nutrients, proteins and oxygen to reverse injury and repair them. With the national shortage of organs available for transplant, this helps us get more organs - and patients - to transplant sooner. The process is still new, but it's incredible to watch it unfold.
It is so rewarding to work in transplantation — to be a part of so many critical parts of the journey of those fighting for a second chance at life."