Perfusion technology

A perfusionist operates extracorporeal circulation and autotransfusion equipment during any medical situation where it is necessary to support or temporarily replace the patient’s circulatory or respiratory function. The perfusionist is knowledgeable concerning the variety of equipment available to perform extracorporeal circulation functions and is responsible, in consultation with the physician, for selecting the appropriate equipment and techniques to be used. Perfusionists conduct extracorporeal circulation and ensure the safe management of physiologic functions by monitoring the necessary variables. This can be in the form of cardiopulmonary bypass as well as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The perfusionist provides consultation to the physician in the selection of the appropriate equipment and techniques to be used during extracorporeal circulation. During cardiopulmonary bypass, the perfusionist may administer blood products, anesthetic agents, or drugs through the extracorporeal circuit on prescription and/or appropriate protocol. The perfusionist is responsible for the monitoring of blood gases and the adequate anticoagulation of the patient, induction of hypothermia, hemodilution and other duties, when prescribed. On the business side of things, a perfusionist may be administratively responsible for purchasing supplies and equipment, as well as for personnel and departmental management. Final medical responsibility for extracorporeal perfusion rests with the...

Advantages of perfusion cell culture Perfusion processes have many advantages. For example, they help to protect product quality. In addition, they support efficient facility utilization by offering the possibility of using smaller bioreactors. Compared with batch or fed-batch processes, perfusion cell culture allows cells to stay in exponential growth phase for an extended time and reach higher viable cell densities. Options for cell retention Several cell retention methods are available for perfusion cultures. One of these is tangential flow filtration (TFF). In contrast to normal flow filtration (NFF), where the medium is pumped through a membrane filter, a peristaltic pump is used to recirculate the cell culture supernatant over the permeable membrane surface. This process reduces the risk of filter fouling. In TFF, liquid and compounds with molecular weights less than the membrane cut-off can pass through the membrane (permeate), whereas larger molecules are retained (retentate). Alternating tangential flow filtration (ATF) uses the TFF technique, but a diaphragm pump alternates the flow direction over the membrane surface. Perfusion in rocking and stirred-tank bioreactors In previous work, perfusion culture was conducted in rocking bioreactors using ATF or TFF as cell retention method. Similar cell growth and productivity were achieved with both methods (1, 2). The current study shows perfusion culture conducted in the single-use XDR-10 stirred-tank bioreactor system...

As integral members of the cardiovascular surgical team, perfusionists are in the operating room in any situation where it is necessary to support patients’ cardiopulmonary and circulatory functions. This cardiovascular perfusion master’s degree program (formerly known as Perfusion Technology) prepares you for a career as an advanced perfusionist. You’ll also train to be a leader in your chosen specialization, whether it’s education, research or clinical. The rigorous curriculum includes coursework and clinical field work, which are completed at RUSH University and its affiliated clinical sites. After graduating from the perfusion program, you will be qualified to sit for the certification examination of the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion. Tuition: Program Outcomes Graduation Year: 2020 2019 2018 2017 Four Year Average Enrollment Year: 2018 2017 2016 2015 Attrition Rate: 0% 0% 5.3% 5.5%% 2.70% Positive Placement: 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Clinical Application in Perfusion Examination Pass Rate Success: 86.67% 100% 100% 100% 96.70% Perfusion Basic Science Examination Pass Rate Success: 100% 95.24% 94.44% 88.24% 94.48% Source: ABCP Perfusion Examination Results and AC-PE Annual Report.

Today’s renewed interest in perfusion culture is due to an increased awareness of its advantages, some general improvement in equipment reliability, and a broadening of operational skills in the biomanufacturing industry. Some misperceptions persist, however, according to a 2011 review by Eric Langer ( A team of authors at Serono in Switzerland wrote in 2003: The major advantage of the perfusion mode is high cell number and high productivity in a relatively small-size bioreactor as compared with batch/fed-batch. In order to sustain high cell number and productivity, there are needs to feed medium during the cell propagation phase and the production phase. In contrast to batch and fed-batch processes, where there is no metabolites removal, in continuous processes medium is perfused at dilution rates exceeding the cellular growth rate. For this, a good separation device is needed to retain cells in the bioreactor. ( Many cell retention devices perform well, to a greater or lesser degree, at small scale, including gravity-based cell settlers, spin filters, centrifuges, cross-flow filters, alternating tangential-flow filters, vortex-flow filters, acoustic settlers (sonoperfusion), and hydrocyclones. All are described well in the 2003 paper mentioned above. But only a few types are reliable at larger scales and scalable enough for bioindustrial use. Perfusion performed at CMC Biologics () Here I compare the ATF System from Refine Technology with spin filters, cell settlers, and...

Although implementation of continuous manufacturing for biopharmaceuticals is in the early stages, continuous cell culture technology has been around for close to thirty years. Perfusion was initially developed in the late 1980s as a means for increasing protein titers ( 1). However, high costs driven by media consumption limited widespread commercial adoption. In the same time frame, advances in cell line engineering, media composition, and bioreactor design led to 10-fold increases in titers for batch and fed-batch modes, eliminating the first driver for adoption of perfusion technology. As a result, over the next 20 years or so, perfusion processes were largely used only for production of toxic or unstable proteins that degrade if exposed to culture conditions for typical batch/fed-batch residence times. Recently, however, growing recognition in the industry that there is a need for alternative manufacturing strategies that can boost efficiency and productivity while reducing costs has led to renewed interest in perfusion technology. What Is Perfusion Cell Culture? A perfusion cell culture process involves the constant feeding of fresh media and removal of spent media and product while retaining high numbers of viable cells (Figure 1). Removing spent media while keeping cells in culture can be done using alternating tangential-flow (ATF) and standard tangential-flow filtration (TFF). Another option is to retain the cells by binding them to a substrate (capillary fibers,...

Welcome The Perfusion Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a 22-month, post-baccalaureate certificate program. APPLICATION UPDATE: the application window for the 2023-25 Perfusion Program has been concluded. Program Status Update: The Cardiovascular Perfusion Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education ( Cardiovascular Perfusion Technology involves the study of physiology, pathology and associated equipment used to support and/or assume the function of the heart and/or lungs during medical procedures. The perfusion technologist prepares and operates the heart-lung machine and other sophisticated equipment as directed by healthcare physicians. Making Health Care Personal Our Vision:The world leader in advancing personalized health Our Mission:Personalizing the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation.We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled Copyright Vanderbilt®, Vanderbilt University Medical Center®, V Oak Leaf Design®, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt® and Vanderbilt Health® are trademarks of The Vanderbilt University.

The term "perfusion" is derived from the French verb 'perfuse' meaning to 'pour over or through'. When a patient's blood is continuously removed and returned through plastic tubing to allow health care professionals to perform an artificial organ function on the blood, it is called "extra-corporeal circulation (ECC)" - outside the body blood circulation. Presently there are many "artificial organs" that can be placed in an ECC to substitute for a patient's failing organs. The list of artificial organs presently available for clinical use includes artificial hearts (blood pump), artificial lungs (oxygenator), artificial kidneys (hemodialysis), and artificial livers. Perfusionists are capable of combining sterile tubing and artificial organs to build an ECC to meet the needs of several physician specialists to treat patients with specific operable diseases. Some diseases where ECC's are employed by physician prescription are coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure, heart valve disease, respiratory failure (smoker's lung), kidney failure and surgery to transplant hearts, lungs and kidneys. ECC's are also used to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs to cancer patients' organs and/or limbs. To connect an ECC to a patient, a surgeon must place special tubes called 'cannulas' into the patient's blood stream. The perfusionist controls the flow of blood through the ECC devices to help the physician treat the patient. By combining different ECC components, the perfusionist c...