The American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology (AmSECT) has created the following document based on clinical evidence and currently accepted perfusion practices. Perfusionists are allied healthcare professionals formally trained and educated in the field of extracorporeal science and whose scope of practice expressly includes the utilization of extracorporeal devices. The document is intended to serve as a useful guide for teams developing institution-specific protocols to improve the reliability, safety and effectiveness of extracorporeal support services.

Goal Statement
The goal of this document is to provide perfusionists with a framework to guide safe and effective extracorporeal support care to their patients. AmSECT recommends that clinical teams use this document as a guide for developing institution-specific protocols for pediatric and congenital patients receiving extracorporeal support.

Approach
In 2023, the AmSECT Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Committee assigned a Task Force to begin a review and update of the Standards and Guidelines for Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Practice. The original document was completed and adopted by AmSECT’s membership in 2019. A report of this work is
published in the Journal of Extracorporeal Technology (J Extra Corporeal Technol. 2020 Oct;52:319-26) and co-published in World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery (World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. 2020 Aug;12(1):84-92). The table below shows the workflow of the initial
development of the document.

The Task Force began their review of the Standards and Guidelines for Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Practice by comparing revisions to the recently approved AmSECT Standards and Guidelines for Perfusion Practice document (2023). Similar to this document, the 2024 update includes modifications to existing standards (and their respective guidelines) to enhance their interpretation and use, as well as updating references. In addition, the update includes a new Standard 19 that focuses on crisis management.
To facilitate the understanding of the Standards and Guidelines, we define important terms used through the document below. Unless otherwise stated, Standards and Guidelines are written for perfusion services, with the intent to be disseminated and adopted across members of the team.