The Advancement of Perfusion Sciences

Thirty-three years ago, a fledgling group of individuals identified the need for a publication devoted to the field extracorporeal circulation. These pioneers were drawn from numerous disciplines that included dialysis technicians, cardiovascular research laboratories, and allied health fields, yet were unified through a common goal: A commitment to grasp a fuller understanding of the intricacies of blood flow outside of the body. They were unencumbered by neither the temptations of finance, nor by ego, since cardiac surgery, with the use of the heart-lung machine, had yet to experience the tremendous growth that soon followed. Having joined the field since that time, I can only summize that their motivations were genuine—focused totally upon the unifying goal of improving patient care. Regardless, they ushered in a new era with the creation of the first formal publication dedicated to the field of perfusion: the Journal of ExtraCorporeal Technology.