Editing Perfusion (section)

{{short description| Passage of fluid through the circulatory or lymphatic system to an organ or tissue }}
{{for|the journal|Perfusion (journal)}}

[[File:Lindbergh perfusion pump in Putnam Gallery, 2009-11-24.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Charles Lindbergh|Lindbergh]] perfusion pump, {{circa|1935}}, an early device for simulating natural perfusion]]

'''Perfusion''' is the passage of fluid through the [[circulatory system]] or [[lymphatic system]] to an [[organ (anatomy)|organ]] or a [[tissue (biology)|tissue]],<ref>American Psychological Association (APA):
perfusion. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved March 20, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perfusion</ref> usually referring to the delivery of [[blood]] to a [[capillary]] bed in tissue. Perfusion may also refer to fixation via perfusion, used in histological studies. Perfusion is measured as the rate at which blood is delivered to tissue,<ref>{{cite journal  |vauthors=Thomas DL, Lythgoe MF, Pell GS, Calamante F, Ordidge RJ |title=The measurement of diffusion and perfusion in biological systems using magnetic resonance imaging. |journal=Phys Med Biol | date=2000| volume=45 | issue=8| pages=R97–138 |pmid = 10958179 | doi=10.1088/0031-9155/45/8/201}}</ref> or volume of blood per unit time (blood [[volumetric flow rate|flow]]) per unit tissue mass. The [[SI unit]] is m<sup>3</sup>/(s·kg){{citation needed|date=March 2021}}, although for human organs perfusion is typically reported in ml/min/g.<ref>{{cite journal  |vauthors=Engblom H, Xue H, Akil S, Carlsson M, Hindorf C, Oddstig J, Hedeer F, Hansen MS, Aletras AH, Kellman P, Arheden H |title=Fully quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance myocardial perfusion ready for clinical use: a comparison between cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. |journal=J Cardiovasc Magn Reson |date=2017 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=78 |pmid = 29047385 |doi=10.1186/s12968-017-0388-9|pmc=5648469 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The word is derived from the French verb ''perfuser'', meaning to "pour over or through".<ref name=OnlinePerfusion>{{cite web|title=Perfusion > What is Perfusion?|url=http://www.perfusion.com/cgi-bin/absolutenm/templates/articledisplay.asp?articleid=1548#.VKv4idKrqQM|publisher=[[Cardiovascular Perfusion Forum]]}}</ref> All animal tissues require an adequate blood supply for [[health]] and [[life]]. Poor perfusion (malperfusion), that is, [[ischemia]], causes health problems, as seen in [[cardiovascular disease]], including [[coronary artery disease]], [[cerebrovascular disease]], [[peripheral artery disease]], and many other conditions.

Tests verifying that adequate perfusion exists are a part of a patient's assessment process that are performed by [[medical]] or emergency personnel.  The most common methods include evaluating a body's [[skin]] color, [[body temperature|temperature]], condition (dry/soft/firm/swollen/sunken/etc), and [[capillary refill]].

During major surgery, especially [[cardiothoracic surgery]], perfusion must be maintained and managed by the [[health professional]]s involved, rather than left to the body's [[homeostasis]] alone. As the lead surgeons are often too busy to handle all [[hemodynamics|hemodynamic]] control by themselves, specialists called [[perfusionist]]s manage this aspect. There are more than one hundred thousand perfusion procedures annually.<ref name=Perfusion>{{cite web |title=Perfusion > Perfusion Services |url=http://www.specialtycare.net/services/perfusion/ |publisher=Specialty Care Services Group |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-date=2018-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217175649/http://www.specialtycare.net/services/perfusion/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>