Perfusion

A Lindbergh perfusion pump, c. 1935, an early device for simulating natural perfusion

Perfusion is the passage of fluid through the circulatory system or lymphatic system to an organ or a tissue,[1] usually referring to the delivery of blood to a capillary bed in tissue. Perfusion may also refer to fixation via perfusion, used in histological studies. Perfusion is measured as the rate at which blood is delivered to tissue,[2] or volume of blood per unit time (blood flow) per unit tissue mass. The SI unit is m3/(s·kg)[citation needed], although for human organs perfusion is typically reported in ml/min/g.[3] The word is derived from the French verb perfuser, meaning to "pour over or through".[4] All animal tissues require an adequate blood supply for health and life. Poor perfusion (malperfusion), that is, ischemia, causes health problems, as seen in cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, and many other conditions.

Tests verifying that adequate perfusion exists are a part of a patient's assessment process that are performed by medical or emergency personnel. The most common methods include evaluating a body's skin color, temperature, condition (dry/soft/firm/swollen/sunken/etc), and capillary refill.

During major surgery, especially cardiothoracic surgery, perfusion must be maintained and managed by the health professionals involved, rather than left to the body's homeostasis alone. As the lead surgeons are often too busy to handle all hemodynamic control by themselves, specialists called perfusionists manage this aspect. There are more than one hundred thousand perfusion procedures annually.[5]

  1. ^ American Psychological Association (APA): perfusion. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved March 20, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perfusion
  2. ^ Thomas DL, Lythgoe MF, Pell GS, Calamante F, Ordidge RJ (2000). "The measurement of diffusion and perfusion in biological systems using magnetic resonance imaging". Phys Med Biol. 45 (8): R97-138. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/45/8/201. PMID 10958179.
  3. ^ Engblom H, Xue H, Akil S, Carlsson M, Hindorf C, Oddstig J, Hedeer F, Hansen MS, Aletras AH, Kellman P, Arheden H (2017). "Fully quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance myocardial perfusion ready for clinical use: a comparison between cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography". J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 19 (1): 78. doi:10.1186/s12968-017-0388-9. PMC 5648469. PMID 29047385.
  4. ^ "Perfusion > What is Perfusion?". Cardiovascular Perfusion Forum.
  5. ^ "Perfusion > Perfusion Services". Specialty Care Services Group. Archived from the original on 2018-12-17. Retrieved 2017-01-02.

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