Autotransfusionist

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An autotransfusionist, also known as a perioperative blood management technologist, is a specialized allied health professional who operates the cell saver machine during surgeries that expect significant blood loss.

Contents

The autotransfusionist is responsible for collecting shed blood from the patient during the operation, scrubs or cleans the blood of impurities, then makes it available to be reinfused into the patient. The process is commonly known as "cell-saver" and is considered far superior to the use of blood from a donor, because it reduces the possibility of infection and provides more functional cells back to the patient. [1] Because the blood is recirculated, there is no limit to the amount of blood that can be given back to the patient. [2]

Autotransfusion can be achieved in the operating room, intensive care unit, and emergency department and require varying degrees of expertise depending on the procedure. [3]

Procedures

Autotransfusionists are involved in many types of surgical procedures, including:[ citation needed ]

Education

Most autotransfusionists hold a bachelor's degree and have some form of credentialed medical background ranging from:[ citation needed ]

Currently, the International Board of Blood Management is the governing body for certification in autotransfusion (CPBMT). The IBBM's mission is to promote education and sound scientific principles to advance the safe and competent practice of perioperative blood management.[ citation needed ]

In order to become a Certified Perioperative Blood Management Technologist (CPBMT), one must: [4]

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Vascular surgery

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Aortic aneurysm Notable enlargement of the aorta (heart artery)

An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Occasionally, there may be abdominal, back, or leg pain.

Perfusionist

A cardiovascular perfusionist, clinical perfusionist or perfusiologist, and occasionally a cardiopulmonary bypass doctor or clinical perfusion scientist, is a healthcare professional who operates the cardiopulmonary bypass machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass to manage the patient's physiological status. As a member of the cardiovascular surgical team, the perfusionist also known as the clinical perfusionist helps maintain blood flow to the body's tissues as well as regulate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, using a heart–lung machine.

Perioperative mortality has been defined as any death, regardless of cause, occurring within 30 days after surgery in or out of the hospital. Globally, 4.2 million people are estimated to die within 30 days of surgery each year. An important consideration in the decision to perform any surgical procedure is to weigh the benefits against the risks. Anesthesiologists and surgeons employ various methods in assessing whether a patient is in optimal condition from a medical standpoint prior to undertaking surgery, and various statistical tools are available. ASA score is the most well known of these.

Surgical technologist Profession

A surgical technologist, also called a scrub, scrub tech, surgical technician, or operating room technician, is an allied health professional working as a part of the team delivering surgical care. Surgical technologists are members of the surgical team. The members of the team include the surgeon, surgeon's assistant, circulator nurse and anesthesia provider. They possess knowledge and skills in sterile and aseptic techniques. There are few mandatory professional requirements for surgical technologists, and the scope of practice varies widely across countries and jurisdictions. Surgical technologists attend junior colleges and technical schools, and many are trained in military schools. In the military they perform the duties of both the circulator and the scrub. The goal is for surgical technologists to be able to anticipate the next move the surgeon is going to make in order to make the procedure as smooth and efficient as possible. They do this by having knowledge of hundreds of surgical procedures and the steps the surgeon needs to take in order to complete the procedure, including the very wide range of surgical instruments they may need. Specialties can include, but are not limited to, the following: genitourinary, obstetrics and gynaecology, urology, ENT, plastics, general, orthopedics, neurology, and cardiovascular. They only work in surgical or perioperative areas and are highly specialized.

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) or intraoperative neuromonitoring is the use of electrophysiological methods such as electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and evoked potentials to monitor the functional integrity of certain neural structures during surgery. The purpose of IONM is to reduce the risk to the patient of iatrogenic damage to the nervous system, and/or to provide functional guidance to the surgeon and anesthesiologist.

Autotransplantation is the transplantation of organs, tissues, or even particular proteins from one part of the body to another in the same person.

Intraoperative blood salvage (IOS), also known as cell salvage, is a specific type of autologous blood transfusion. Specifically IOS is a medical procedure involving recovering blood lost during surgery and re-infusing it into the patient. It is a major form of autotransfusion.

Veterinary surgery

Veterinary surgery is surgery performed on animals by veterinarians, whereby the procedures fall into three broad categories: orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery, and neurosurgery. Advanced surgical procedures such as joint replacement, fracture repair, stabilization of cranial cruciate ligament deficiency, oncologic (cancer) surgery, herniated disc treatment, complicated gastrointestinal or urogenital procedures, kidney transplant, skin grafts, complicated wound management, and minimally invasive procedures are performed by veterinary surgeons. Most general practice veterinarians perform routine surgeries such as neuters and minor mass excisions; some also perform additional procedures.

Anesthetic technician

An anesthetic technician or anaesthetic technician is an allied healthcare worker who performs a patient care role predominantly assisting with the administration and monitoring of anesthesia and has an extensive knowledge of anesthesia techniques, instruments, supplies and technology.

The ASA physical status classification system is a system for assessing the fitness of patients before surgery. In 1963 the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) adopted the five-category physical status classification system; a sixth category was later added. These are:

  1. Healthy person.
  2. Mild systemic disease.
  3. Severe systemic disease.
  4. Severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life.
  5. A moribund person who is not expected to survive without the operation.
  6. A declared brain-dead person whose organs are being removed for donor purposes.
Endovascular aneurysm repair Surgery used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), is a type of minimally-invasive endovascular surgery used to treat pathology of the aorta, most commonly an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). When used to treat thoracic aortic disease, the procedure is then specifically termed TEVAR for "thoracic endovascular aortic/aneurysm repair." The procedure involves the placement of an expandable stent graft within the aorta to treat aortic disease without operating directly on the aorta. In 2003, EVAR surpassed open aortic surgery as the most common technique for repair of AAA, and in 2010, EVAR accounted for 78% of all intact AAA repair in the United States.

Autotransfusion is a process wherein a person receives their own blood for a transfusion, instead of banked allogenic (separate-donor) blood. There are two main kinds of autotransfusion: Blood can be autologously "pre-donated" before a surgery, or alternatively, it can be collected during and after the surgery using an intraoperative blood salvage device. The latter form of autotransfusion is utilized in surgeries where there is expected a large volume blood loss – e.g. aneurysm, total joint replacement, and spinal surgeries. The effectiveness, safety, and cost-savings of intraoperative cell salvage in people who are undergoing thoracic or abdominal surgery following trauma is not known.

Cardiothoracic anesthesiology is a subspeciality of the medical practice of anesthesiology, devoted to the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care of adult and pediatric patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery and related invasive procedures.

Aortic rupture Rupture or breakage of the aorta, the largest artery in the body

Aortic rupture is the rupture or breakage of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. Aortic rupture is a rare, extremely dangerous condition. The most common cause is an abdominal aortic aneurysm that has ruptured spontaneously. Aortic rupture is distinct from aortic dissection, which is a tear through the inner wall of the aorta that can block the flow of blood through the aorta to the heart or abdominal organs.

Patient Blood Management (PBM), also called blood utilization management (BUM), is a multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach to optimizing the care of patients who might need a blood transfusion. Blood management programs aim to minimize inappropriate transfusions and decrease the need for transfusions overall, with the goal of improving patient safety and reducing costs. Some strategies to accomplish this include ensuring that anemia is treated prior to a surgical operation, using surgical techniques that limit blood loss, and returning blood lost during surgery to the patient via intraoperative blood salvage.

Open aortic surgery Surgical technique

Open aortic surgery (OAS), also known as open aortic repair (OAR), describes a technique whereby an abdominal, thoracic or retroperitoneal surgical incision is used to visualize and control the aorta for purposes of treatment, usually by the replacement of the affected segment with a prosthetic graft. OAS is used to treat aneurysms of the abdominal and thoracic aorta, aortic dissection, acute aortic syndrome, and aortic ruptures. Aortobifemoral bypass is also used to treat atherosclerotic disease of the abdominal aorta below the level of the renal arteries. In 2003, OAS was surpassed by endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) as the most common technique for repairing abdominal aortic aneurysms in the United States.

Dr R Ravi Kumar graduated from Stanley Medical College and obtained the FRCS from Edinburgh. He worked at the Harefield Hospital, UK, under Sir Magdi Yacoub involving himself with adult cardiac surgery including heart and lung transplant and aortic homografts. Dr Ravi Kumar then underwent surgical residency in Boston, MA, United States. Following this he worked with Dr Albert Starr in Portland, Oregon. He pursued his cardiothoracic residency at the University of Texas, South Western Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, U.S. He continued at the same institution as an advanced fellow in Heart & Lung Transplant and is UNOS, certifiable for Heart & Lung Transplant.

References

  1. "Our Team". Asheville Heart. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  2. "Cell Saver (Intraoperative Cell Salvage Machine)". University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  3. "Autotransfusion". Bloodguys. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  4. "Certification". International Board of Blood Management. Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2012-02-10.