Perfusionist
![A perfusionist in front of a heart-lung machine (upper right) early in a coronary artery bypass surgery.](/Images/godic/202502/02/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery_Image_657C-PH0318.jpg")
![Perfusionist operating a modern heart lung machine](/Images/godic/202502/02/Perfusionist_opearting_heart_lung_machine0319.jpg")
A perfusionist, also known as a clinical perfusionist or a cardiovascular perfusionist, is a specialized healthcare professional who uses the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass to manage the patient's physiological status.