In 2019, the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSECT) approved the inaugural Standards and Guidelines for Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Practice. These standards and guidelines were created with the intent of periodic revision to ensure continued alignment with evolving best practices. In 2023, an AmSECT subcommittee initiated this review in consideration of the current literature and contemporary clinical practices.

The subcommittee, consisting of pediatric and congenital perfusionists, conducted a systematic literature review assessing each standard and guideline to determine if current evidence supports elevation of guidelines to standards, incorporation of new guidelines or standards, or whether existing standards and guidelines should remain unchanged. AmSECT’s adult Standards and Guidelines for Perfusion Practice (2023) updates were also considered. Proposed revisions were reviewed by the 2024 AmSECT International conference attendees, AmSECT Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Committee, AmSECT Fellows of Pediatric Perfusion (FPP), and the AmSECT International Consortium for Evidence-Based Perfusion (ICEBP).

Regarding pediatric and congenital specific changes, 5 guidelines were elevated to standards, and 3 new guidelines and 1 standard were introduced. Additionally, 5 patient safety-related standards and 1 additional guideline were adopted from the Standards for Perfusion Practice (2023) document.

Over the course of 2 years, consisting of an extensive literature review and feedback from multiple stakeholders, the 2025 update to the Standards and Guidelines for Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Practice was approved by AmSECT leadership, ratified by an AmSECT membership vote, and subsequently endorsed by the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society.