Perfusion Equipment

Perfusion equipment is a set of medical machines and tubing used to circulate heated chemotherapy or other treatment solutions through a body cavity or organ during surgery. In mesothelioma care, it is most often used to deliver Hyperthermic Intraoperative Chemotherapy (HIPEC for the abdomen) or Hyperthermic Intrathoracic Chemotherapy (HITHOC or HITEC for the chest) immediately after the tumor has been surgically removed. The system typically includes a pump, a heat exchanger, temperature probes, inflow and outflow catheters, and a reservoir.

Origin

The word "perfusion" comes from the Latin perfundere, meaning "to pour through." Perfusion technology was developed for cardiac bypass surgery in the 1950s and was later adapted in the 1980s by surgeons such as Paul Sugarbaker for delivering heated chemotherapy directly to cancers lining body cavities.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For patients with peritoneal or pleural mesothelioma, perfusion equipment makes it possible to bathe the surgical area in heated chemotherapy at concentrations far higher than the bloodstream could tolerate. This intraoperative treatment is a central part of cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma and is sometimes added to pleurectomy/decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy for pleural disease. Not every hospital has the equipment or trained perfusionists to perform these procedures, so the availability of perfusion equipment is one of the practical reasons patients are often referred to specialized mesothelioma centers. Operative reports describing the use of perfusion equipment also become part of the medical record that documents the seriousness of treatment and the extent of disease, information that can matter in a legal claim.

Example Sentence

Before scheduling her cytoreductive surgery, the patient asked whether the hospital had the perfusion equipment and trained team needed to perform HIPEC in the same operation.

Related Terms

HIPEC, HITHOC, Cytoreductive Surgery, Pleurectomy/Decortication, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Perfusionist

Notes

• Ask your surgical team whether the hospital routinely performs HIPEC or HITHOC and how many cases per year they handle. Case volume matters for outcomes.
• Request a copy of the operative report; it will document the perfusion parameters (drug used, temperature, duration) and is useful for both future medical care and legal claims.
• If your local hospital does not have perfusion capability, ask for a referral to a designated mesothelioma or peritoneal surface malignancy center before agreeing to a less aggressive surgery.
• Confirm with your insurer in advance that the intraoperative chemotherapy delivered through the perfusion circuit is covered, since billing for HIPEC/HITHOC is sometimes handled separately from the surgery itself.