Perfusion Safety & COVID-19
AmSECT continues to monitor the developments of COVID-19 and its impact on our community. We are committed to providing you with the tools, resources, and most up-to-date information to care for your patients, their families, your community, and you. To that end, AmSECT is participating in the Joint Perfusion COVID-19 Task Force which includes representatives from the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, the American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion, Australian and New Zealand College of Perfusionists, Comprehensive Care Services, the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons, Perfusion.com, and SpecialtyCare. This joint effort is monitoring the recent coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the perfusionists. Combining the strengths of all organizations, the goal is to disseminate information and resolve questions related to perfusionists and COVID-19.
https://www.jointperfusiontaskforce.org
[+] Perfusion Safety Navigation
- AHRQ TeamSTEPPS
- Standards and Guidelines For Perfusion Practice
- Alerts and Notifications
- CCPS & SPCS Safety Committee
- Improving Patient and Worker Safety
- National Patient Safety Agency
- National Patient Safety Foundation
- NHS Guide to Good Practice in Clinical Perfusion
- Patient Safety in the Cardiac Operating Room
- The Joint Commission
- SCA FOCUS Initiative
- WHO Patient safety
What is Perfusion Safety? A good definition is the avoidance of unnecessary incidents that result in adverse patient outcomes. These incidents can be categorized into four groups:
- Malfunctioning or defective equipment and supplies
- Communication failure between healthcare professionals
- Human error or incorrect execution of procedures
- Failure to anticipate adverse events
With patients’ lives in the balance, it is critical for Perfusionists to make safety a top priority while implementing best practices to mitigate risks and improve safety procedures. Gary Grist, RN CCP, a contributing AmSECT Safety Committee member, has crafted the following resources for download as a start to the Perfusion Safety section of the AmSECT website.
I PASS THE CLAMP OFF
The Safety Committee has developed a communication tool to standardize safe handoffs between perfusionists. The communication tool is called I PASS THE CLAMP OFF. Please see below for a brief clip, describing the tool and how it is used in everyday practice. To download a PDF copy of the tool, click here.
Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) Articles
ECMO FMEAs
- ECMO FMEA Introduction 10.9.2018
- ECMO FMEA: Trouble Shooting, Root Cause Analysis and the Failure Mode Effect Analysis Closed Circuit, Hollow Fiber Oxygenator, Centrifugal Pump, and Instrument Stack
- Narrative 4: ECMO FEMA D1 Failure Venous blood line jerking a/k/a chugging.
- Narrative 5: ECMO FMEA E1 Failure: Pre-pump air in the venous cannula, venous line and compliance chamber.
- Narrative 6: ECMO FMEA F1 Failure: Water dripping on the pump or floor
Click here for ECMO FMEA Narrative Archives
CPB FMEAs
Perfusion Safety and FMEA Powerpoint – download the file HERE
Click here for CPB FMEA Archives
Patient Handoff Tool for Perfusionists
If you have a suggestion for a failure mode that you would like to see formalized in the FMEA or have questions about the FMEA or Perfusion Safety Program, please contact Gary Grist by clicking here.
AmSECT Safety Committee Members
Susan Englert, RN CCP CPBMT
David C. Fitzgerald, CCP
Gary Grist, CCP RN
Shahna Helmick, CCP
Ian R. Shearer, BS CCP
William (Scott) Snider, CCP LP
Zachariah Wilkes, MBA CCP
Barbara Braley Millin, CCP, Committee Chair
John Englert, CCP
For more information on this committee or to submit a question for the committee, please email AmSECT at amsect@amsect.org
