The Texas Heart Institute (THI) held its annual Perfusion Conference last weekend. The event was live-streamed online from the historic THI television studio and continued for two days.

The Director and Clinical Coordinator of the School of Perfusion Technology at the THI, Deborah Lowrey Adams, opened the conference welcoming guest speakers and virtual attendees. Co-hosts Ann Guercio and Kathleen Kibler moderated the program and panel discussions answering audience questions during the stream.

The conference included trending industry conversations surrounding technology, cardiology, and medicine during COVID-19. Speakers featured the current student perfusion class, alumni and instructors of the School of Perfusion as well as Texas Heart Institute physician leadership and Baylor St. Luke’s hospital faculty.

Over 300 viewers tuned in to the conference and participants were able to earn CAT I Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) from the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP).

The event honored Terry Crane who was involved with the perfusion school for more than four decades and worked closely with Texas Heart Institute’s founder,  Denton A. Cooley, M.D. His contributions to the success of the program are countless, and the perfusion school is presently thriving. Since its opening in 1971, more than 900 students have graduated from the program. Many of those graduates were touched by Terry’s passion for the vital role perfusionists play in operating the heart-lung machine and other ancillary devices to support patients who require cardiac surgery.

Funds raised during the conference will provide critical programmatic support for the School of Perfusion as they continue to train the next generation of perfusionists.

Watch Recorded Sessions On Demand

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Thank you to Carlo Uribe for his assistance with this article.