Page 4 - ANZCP Gazette May 2023 TEASER

I asked myself: what are the biggest issues facing perfusionists today? What do you think of this answer?
The biggest issue for perfusionists today may vary depending on their location, the hospital or healthcare facility they work in, and the specific challenges they face in their roles. However, some common issues that perfusionists may face today include: • Staffing shortages: Many healthcare facilities are experiencing a shortage of perfusionists, which can lead to increased workload and burnout for those currently working in the field.
• Technological advancements: While technological advancements in cardiopulmonary bypass machines have improved patient outcomes, perfusionists must stay up-to-date with the latest technology and equipment to ensure safe and effective use.
• Patient safety: Perfusionists are responsible for managing the patient's blood flow and oxygenation during surgery, and any errors can have serious consequences. Therefore, maintaining patient safety is of the utmost importance.
• Cost-cutting measures: In some healthcare facilities, cost- cutting measures may lead to reduced resources and support for perfusionists, making it more challenging for them to provide high-quality care.
• Professional recognition: Although perfusionists play a critical role in cardiac surgery, they may not always receive the same recognition and respect as other healthcare professionals. This lack of recognition can lead to job dissatisfaction and burnout. All sounds reasonable enough you might say. But who wrote it? It wasn’t me, in fact it wasn’t anyone, it was a computer – yes, artificial intelligence wrote it! (Note that these answers, obtained from ChatGPT, have not been edited).
So, how will AI impact on our jobs?
AI has the potential to impact perfusionists' jobs in a number of ways. • Firstly, AI algorithms can be used to analyze large amounts
of patient data to identify trends and patterns that could help perfusionists make more informed decisions about patient care. For example, AI could be used to analyze the patient's vital signs and blood gas levels in real-time, allowing the perfusionist to make adjustments to the heart-lung machine's settings to optimize the patient's oxygenation and blood flow.
• Secondly, AI can also be used to help perfusionists simulate and plan surgeries. By using AI-based simulations, perfusionists can get a better understanding of how different surgical scenarios may play out, allowing them to better prepare for potential complications and make more informed decisions during the surgery itself.
• Finally, as AI technology continues to advance, it is possible that some of the tasks currently performed by perfusionists may become automated. For example, AI-based systems could potentially take over some of the more routine tasks involved in operating the heart- lung machine, freeing up perfusionists to focus on more complex tasks that require their specialized expertise.
• Overall, while AI is likely to have some impact on the roles and responsibilities of perfusionists, it is also likely to bring new opportunities for more efficient and effective patient care. And, is AI a threat to our professional existence?
• AI is not inherently a threat to the perfusion community, but it is important for perfusionists to understand how AI technology is developing and evolving, and to adapt their skills and knowledge accordingly.
• One potential concern for perfusionists is that AI could automate some of the routine tasks involved in operating the heart-lung machine, which could potentially reduce the need for human perfusionists in some cases. However, it is important to note that AI is not yet advanced enough to fully replace
1 MAY 2023 | www.anzcp.org
the expertise and critical decision-making skills of human perfusionists.
• Furthermore, as AI technology continues to evolve, there will be new opportunities for perfusionists to leverage AI to improve patient care. For example, AI-based systems could be used to analyze patient data in real-time, providing perfusionists with insights and recommendations to optimize patient outcomes.
• In summary, while AI may bring some changes and potential challenges to the perfusion community, it is not necessarily a threat. Perfusionists who stay up-to-date with the latest developments in AI technology and who continue to hone their skills and knowledge are likely to remain valuable and highly skilled members of the healthcare team.
All food for thought, with the veiled warning that we need to keep abreast of these ever accelerating developments or face the consequences!
But onto other matters, this issue of the Gazette is bursting at the seams with articles and contributions – a proud testament to our profession!
We have two excellent original articles, both looking at what is most important to our patients, their postoperative outcomes. Rona Steele presents a most elegant tool to measure patient outcome, the DA30, while Richard Newland and Rob Baker confirm the significance of CPB parameters in predicting patient mortality. It’s nice for us to know that what we do can make a difference.
Courtesy of ‘Perfusion’, we have reprinted Ghazwan Jabur’s continuing work on the effects of emboli exposure on cerebral autoregulation. This type of research should be fully appreciated as being fundamental to our professional remit; an area of investigation that we as perfusionists are committed to understand and find solutions.
What were you doing during the winter of 1973? Well courtesy of JECT, our own forefather Maurice Robertson gives an overview of the state of play of the perfusion units in Australia at that time. This was only 17 years after the first CPB case in Australia' and an Australia with half the population it has now. Here Maurice also gives an overview of performing cardiopulmonary bypass – à la 1973. It also reminds us of the provenance of some of our older units in terms of how deep their perfusion experience and knowledge is now.
It’s the people that make our profession what it is today. And we have some giants to inspire us. Jane Ennor’s new section on her interviews with perfusionists who have contributed to our profession starts at the top – with the esteemed Al Stammers. It’s an honour to have Al within these pages. Our own legend, Dr Rob Baker, is honoured at AmSECT in an article by Molly Oldeen. Clarke Thuys – a recent Life Fellow of the ANZCP – is given a farewell by Stephen Horton; we wish him well! And we introduce two young, recent graduates – Jessica Betts and James Campbell.
Grace Agboulos gives us a tour of Melbourne, visiting the Royal Children’s hospital and The Alfred. She also dropped in at LivaNova’s sterile facility and checked out their new heart lung machine. The trip was not complete without her exploring Spectrum Medical’s cutting edge perfusion technologies.
Again, the ongoing and important support from the companies must be acknowledged – tell them that you saw their advert in the Gazette.
Remember that the Gazette is only as good as the contributions by the members – we look forward to receiving your articles for inclusion in the next issue.
FROM THE EDITOR
Kieron C Potger CCP, FANZCP