Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik, Head of the Perfusion Department, stated that perfusion is a fundamental practice that sustains life in open-heart surgeries, emphasizing that with ECMO/ECLS technologies, this field has expanded from operating rooms to intensive care units and emergency departments.
Highlighting Üsküdar University's Perfusion Department's world-class simulation laboratory and robust educational infrastructure, Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik said, "Thanks to the simulator, our students will graduate as experienced perfusionists after completing their 4-year education."
Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik, Head of the Perfusion Department at Üsküdar University's Faculty of Health Sciences, provided information about perfusion education.
Perfusion: Life support ensuring the continuation of vitality
Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik noted that perfusion, by definition, means the nourishment of all tissues in the body, adding, "In a sense, we can also say it ensures the continuity of life. Perfusion was a procedure performed in the operating room since 1953 to maintain circulation and thus vitality, by taking the patient's blood out of the body before it reaches the heart, oxygenating it, and then returning it to the body from the heart's outflow during open-heart surgery when the heart and lungs need to be stopped until the surgery is complete. ECMO/ECLS, another application that began about 50 years ago but has been more widely used in the last 20 years, intensified especially during the H1N1 and Covid pandemics, has brought a new dimension to perfusion; now the working area of perfusion has expanded to intensive care units, emergency departments, and even out-of-hospital settings," he explained.
Perfusion education gained an academic dimension in Turkey
Prof. Dr. Kocailik stated that perfusion, a profession of vital importance requiring serious knowledge and experience, was taught through a master-apprentice relationship worldwide until recently. "In Western countries, academic education has shifted to postgraduate level. In Turkey, with a law enacted in 2011, it was decided that perfusion education should be at the undergraduate level. I believe that the recent start of academic-level perfusion education, the lack of direct patient interaction, the scarcity of academics in perfusion, and its availability in very few universities are the reasons for its low public awareness. Without perfusionists, cardiac surgery and ECMO/ECLS cannot be performed. Perfusionists are indispensable core members of the team and the hidden heroes of success," he said.
The heart of perfusion beats in Üsküdar
Expressing Üsküdar University's pioneering role in this field, Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik said, "With our simulation laboratory, strong educational staff, and regular scientific meetings, we are not just a department that educates students, but a holistic perfusion science center. Our goal is to pave the way from knowledge to service and product."
Underlining that Üsküdar University has a world-class perfusion simulator, Prof. Dr. Kocailik stated, "Our students acquire theoretical knowledge and observe practical applications during internships. However, the biggest advantage offered by the simulator is that it provides the opportunity to repeatedly experience difficult and emergency situations that may occur during actual heart surgery or ECMO/ECLS. As a result, thanks to the simulator, our students will graduate as experienced perfusionists after completing their 4-year education."
40% of perfusionists in Turkey are Üsküdar graduates
Prof. Dr. Kocailik stated that it is a great responsibility that approximately 40% of active perfusionists in Turkey originate from Üsküdar University. "Perfusionists graduating from our undergraduate and postgraduate programs work in private and public hospitals and represent Üsküdar University. We are aware that we must continuously improve our educational quality each year and equip our students with up-to-date knowledge. On the other hand, the amount of generated knowledge is rapidly increasing, and this information needs to be updated quickly. Therefore, we also have responsibilities towards our graduates and keep communication warm. For this purpose, we organize monthly scientific meetings to bring together our graduates and students and share new information," he said.
European accreditation is on the horizon
Prof. Dr. Kocailik stated that the department's goal of European Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (EBCP) accreditation will create new opportunities for students, emphasizing that the curriculum is being updated according to EBCP standards, and accreditation is targeted for the 2025-2026 academic year. This will enable Turkish students to work as perfusionists in Europe and increase the flow of international students.
New horizons open with ECMO collaborations
Prof. Dr. Kocailik noted that the ECMO courses conducted for two years with the Turkish Association of Emergency Medicine have garnered great interest and announced that a similar collaboration has been initiated with the Turkish Society of Intensive Care Medicine.
Prof. Dr. Kocailik stated that simulation technology plays a critical role in these trainings, adding, "Thanks to these collaborations, ECMO/ECLS therapies will be applied more effectively, more lives will be saved, and new job opportunities will emerge."
Addressing young people interested in the field of perfusion, Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik concluded, "Perfusion is a different world with many undiscovered areas, especially in ECMO/ECLS, where we are just at the beginning of the journey. It is a wonderful universe for curious young people eager to learn and research."
One of 11 teams in the world…
Meanwhile, Üsküdar University's Faculty of Health Sciences Perfusion Department stands out not only with its educational and scientific studies but also with its life-saving practices worldwide.
Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ali Kocailik, Head of the Perfusion Department at Üsküdar University's Faculty of Health Sciences, the team consisting of Intensive Care Specialist Dr. Kadir Doğruer from Üsküdar University and perfusionist Tarık Demir, is one of the 11 teams worldwide involved in intercontinental critical patient transfers. The only team in Turkey participating in intercontinental transfer in this field is at Üsküdar University.