Perfusionist explains the heart-lung machine for cardiac surgery

A patient's heart needs to be arrested (not beating) for certain types of surgery. What happens to the blood that still needs to be circulated to the rest of the body? In this video, a perfusionist who runs the heart-lung machine shows how exactly this process works.
Many thanks to Caleb for his time and expertise, as well as Dr. Mike Smith at Quinnipiac for the opportunity to film in this simulation lab.
0:00 Start
2:12 The basics
7:01 Advanced components
10:57 Safety mechanisms
14:18 ECMO and VAD
20:10 Career in perfusion
The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional.
#Anesthesiology #Residency #MedicalSchool

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

Don't you DARE stop making these videos!! Your videos are among the VERY FEW that I can understand right off the bat!

[@stevehornett4896]

Amen!

[@anthonysullivan5197]

Amen! ❤

[@austinsteinour5052]

Perfusion is an awesome healthcare career that is definitely under-rated. Thank you for highlighting this lesser known field.

[@tylervalentine6401]

I have never seen someone who is so dedicated to making such informative and entertaining KZbin videos as well as having a full time career! It is truly a great day when I see the notification that you posted a new KZbin video. Thank you for all the awesome videos and content!

[@mollysullivan6414]

omg not perfusion summarizing 4 years of anesthesia residency in the last ten seconds LOL

[@scrumptious9673]

Savage 😂 loved Caleb’s sense of humour

[@dmorga1]

As always, what a well-done interview, Max. Caleb is obviously a very skilled perfusionist and good teacher, and your interview gave a broad and yet detailed sense of what the work is like.

[@emeksb4823]

Perfusionist do a lot. The first day I heard of this career I was amazed. The whole team in the OR are incredible in ensuring the safety of the patient.

[@matthewwelters6397]

Caleb! Awesome perfusionist! Nice of him to tell us some of his insights.

[@alptekinakturk4185]

The level of quality in this video is mind blowing.

[@edcasey9738]

Good job Max & Caleb!! Proud to work with you both.

[@jordinh4]

Love your videos Max, I’m a certified perfusionist here in Brazil 🇧🇷. Thank you for showing a little bit of love to this awesome job in healthcare. 👏🏼👏🏼

[@laurasnow7822]

This is so insane. For some reason this freaked me out.

[@apawstate]

I had a valve repair surgery years ago. Amazing to see what they did to keep me alive while the surgeon worked!

[@pilotmark2861]

Fantastic video. This machine is so hi tech compared to the machines I worked with 30 years ago !

[@frankdonagher7279]

my wife loves your videos, she has learned alot from you She had open heart surgery 12 years ago

[@ButterflyKissesHealing]

This is both fascinating and more complex than I ever imagined as a non medical individual. I am in awe at your level of expertise. Thank you both for dedicating your lives to improve the lives of others.

[@shelleyclow]

It’s just amazing what can be done nowadays. Thanks for sharing this.

[@acoker54]

Please don’t stop making videos. I enjoy and learn so much. I always wanted to be a CRNA but didn’t think I was smart enough.

[@llamalance]

Really appreciate you taking the time to make this very informative video!

[@nickmorgan8434]

I was on Ecmo for 21 days..i saw crazy things

[@javiTests]

Look how big that machine has to be in comparison to our lungs and heart... Our body is freaking amazing!! 😊

[@maxim9376]

The hospital trusting Windows to the extend of their patients lives is crazy. Like imagine this piece of spy/ malware hits you with the unskippable update mid surgery...

[@ReeceTheRipper]

I just finished my cardio thoracic surgery rotation, I wish this video came out before I started! Very educational, thanks Doc!

[@scrumptious9673]

🎉

[@CoThG]

Outstanding video!

[@robertwilliam9558]

Max, very interesting topic. Thank You

[@iaeeniaeen1898]

Awesome video! One question: if the bubble detector kills the pump, what happens next? Having the heart lung bypass machine shut down mid surgery doesn’t sound much better than an air embolus…

[@Wav3Me]

Are you finally an official anesthesiologist?

[@ethanb3299]

I work as a clinical technician at a hospital and I walk past the percussionists office often, always wondered exactly what it was that they do 🙌🏻

[@agilegold]

Yay bonus reel! And chair comments. Excellent video.

[@phyllojoe5346]

This was super interesting!

[@ShawnLangness]

What a smart and handsome perfusionist! Is he single? 😉🖤 great video guys!

[@DemDoolies]

Man your videos have me so excited to start medical school in a few weeks. Thanks for the great content

[@concealed4carry]

This video is great. I learned so much in the past 10 minutes. I had no idea this was a whole study in and of itself. Now I have a few questions. 1 Do not need to be a full board certified doctor for this?? Did I hear him right? Only a masters degree is needed? 2 who actually insert the canula into the patient him or the surgeon? 3 How in the world do you clean and sanitize that machine. I am guessing most of the tubing is discarded, but still, the machine still needs to be cleaned. That is a the video itself.

[@nekajuii]

Super informative, please keep them ocming

[@kaneda1674]

Dude thank you for this. Coming from a CA-1

[@Robby334]

Amazing we thank all medial staff in the world

[@HobbesBaxter]

Thanks Dr. Max!

[@bermeter1671]

Thank you for the video;)

[@elisabetk2595]

When I had an extensive OHS last year, I think I was more afraid of being on bypass than of having the surgery itself. Since I'm one of those people who feel more calm and reassured when I know more about what is being done, I wish that this video had been available for me then. Thank you for doing this one!

[@johnb4183]

Hello @elisabetk2595 Did you experience any post surgery cognitive changes after your heart surgery? Have you ever heard of the term "pump head" check it out I think you will find it interesting. Take care......!

[@Rickytikkitavi]

You sir earned yourself a subscription 👍🏽

[@jenniferaustin6778]

Great video!!! 🙌🏻

[@charlenetrawick1647]

THIS is an amazing !

[@GregSr]

Having had a triple bypass about 5 years ago, it was fun to watch this in my rear view mirror. I'm 70 now and my heart is running well. One issue I had right after surgery was with my memory and focus. For about a month I could not focus mentally nor could I rely on my memory. Because of that, I went through a period of depression. My regular doctor didn't offer a good explanation except to say that maybe I had "pump brain". He said sometimes the blood cells get changed in some way as they pass through the external pump. That leads to some strange effects in the brain which eventually clear up. Is there really such thing as "pump brain"?

[@Dark_Helmet15]

making me want to back to school after finishing my Ph.D

[@zyncless]

cool stuff!

[@hawkeye454]

Those peristaltic pumps are pretty cool. I use a commercial version of them for transferring thick chemicals at work. Very different of course but similar design.

[@adriandeb2710]

Great video so interesting

[@darriontunstall3708]

Wow! That was very cool and amazing! I learned a lot! I really enjoy donating to the anesthesiologist foundation, since it was hard for me to go to college because of my cerebral palsy, I really wanted to be an anesthesiologist! Perfusionist are great too

[@sherrydawson6253]

OMG U HAVE THE MOST AMAZING VODEOS! So a perfusionist is not a doctor? From what all they need to know and do they should be. This was so interesting I bet there scared in the begining. He was so calm and informative. They must make great money. Imagine your 1 of only 5000¡ wow. Thank you both so much!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@CaptainApathetic]

Yea they're a very specialized role, one of the lesser known allied medical professionals. There's a lot more than just Doctors and Nurses.

[@scrumptious9673]

Sooooo good

[@mtnairpilot]

How much blood is in the circuit? Does the heat lung machine have to be preloaded with fluid?

[@jacksew]

i want to apply to perfusionist school :))

[@danbrodsky57]

There is part of the procedure I have watched where the Cardiothoracic surgeon has to remove air from the line or could be dangerous to the brain. Talk about serious risks these medical professionals take to have their patients achieve better outcomes... Wondering one day if Robotics would help these type of procedures. Thanks for sharing !

[@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241]

Bilateral pulmonary lobectomy

[@colb9260]

Although cardiac surgery is done in my country. They only want doctors to be the perfusionist so the nurses with a doctorate in the field are never hired for that role/department.

[@johnb4183]

Max , have you ever heard the term "pump head " in regards to cabg and being on the " pump" ? Thanks !

[@idoben-yair429]

It sounds like the perfusionist is not an MD? Is that correct, or did he just leave out the med school part?

[@AlexDumBanane]

Perfusionist usually have a Master degree and are not MDs.

[@mmoo1954]

A perfusionist is not an MD, it is a separate program at the college level in Canada

[@paulm4137]

So you have 4 years of Med School, and 3-4 years of Anesthesia residency with Board Certification soon to come (if not already). But the Perfusionist, with a 2 year masters degree, has control of the Anesthesia and Oxygen knobs on the equipment. I'm not belittling his ability or training, but what am I missing?

[@liam5487]

How does stopping the pump in event of an emergency help protect the patient? Wouldn't that be analogous to their heart stopping if they weren't on bypass?

[@jazzyboydc]

Do u need extra blood to be on a heart and lung machine? Because all the chambers of the heart and lung machine take up space. And I would think the body would be short on blood. I could be wrong.

[@newengland8126]

When an anesthesiologist broke my father's teeth, he did have a nurse give them to me in a jar. It was a $4000 bridge crown.

[@elizabetha.morgan1869]

AKA the pump man!

[@elizabetha.morgan1869]

Where did you learn how to do this job? and can you recommend where to learn how to do this since your job (profusionist) is in short supply?

[@Twinsen764]

We really need food coloring to see how that ventilator flow path works

[@mateuszcielas3362]

so basically why ECMOs cant be used during surgeries as they are pretty similar things?

[@DoctorWho14615]

So ECMO is nothing like ECTO, as in Ecto-Cooler.

[@BPantherPink]

At 15:30 there is a machine that says SECHRIST... That would be with or without an appointment ??? 😱😁

[@Boodieman72]

So you don't need a heartbeat in order to be alive.

[@ethanb3299]

Wish I could leave more than 1 like on a video 🥲

[@SymphonicNightO2]

max thy man, am waiting on you to make a video of how you would look after a brain dead organ doner juring organ harvesting surgury, with that anesthesia drugs, like fully general anesthesia, sedation, pain relief, amnesia, so on...