Heart Perfusionist

The Afghan Red Crescent Society, founded in 1934, is an independent and humanitarian organization recognized by the Afghan government as a charitable and impartial institution for government agencies. The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) plays a significant role in providing voluntary services and humanitarian assistance. According to the law and the statutes, the National Society conducts its activities in accordance with its seven principles: philanthropy, impartiality, independence, voluntary service, unity and inclusiveness. Among other things, the National Society is tasked with assisting affected communities, providing emergency shelter and distributing relief items to vulnerable people. Through a network of 7 regional zones and 34 provincial offices, with over 20,000 trained staff and volunteers, the ARCS works in partnership with national and international organizations at the country level to alleviate humanitarian suffering. Over the past decades, the ARCS has managed to maintain its impartiality and enjoys a reputation that enables its teams to carry out principled humanitarian actions across conflict lines, including in large parts of areas controlled by armed opposition groups. The ARCS, with the support of its partners, Such as the respected office of the International Federation of the Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Navarre Red Cross, the Qatar Red Crescent and other partners.

Plan, prepare, operate, and troubleshoot external body support systems for cardiac surgery and critical care patients (cardiopulmonary bypass, external blood oxygenation support, temporary mechanical circulatory support, cell saver); ensure physiologic stability and blood management during procedures; lead perfusion quality, training, and equipment maintenance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Providing safe cardiopulmonary bypass : Priming, operating, and venipuncture for bypass for congenital and acquired cardiac cases; managing according to protocols for flow, oxygenation, temperature control, and anticoagulation.
2. External Body Support Management : Initiation, management and troubleshooting of external blood oxygenation support and temporary mechanical support at the bedside; participation in cannulation teams and ECMO care and recommendations at the bedside.
3. Physiology and blood management around bypass : Monitoring and management of blood gases, anticoagulation tests, acid-base balance, blood concentration and blood saving techniques (cell-saver, ultrafiltration, blood transfusion strategy).
4. Application for neonates and infants : Use of specific perfusion strategies for neonates and infants, use of pediatric oxygenators and co-priming techniques; planning with surgeons and anesthesia team before cases.
5. Equipment and consumables : Prepare, test, and maintain perfusion equipment and consumables (oxygenators, pumps, circuits, heat exchangers); complete checklists and coordinate preventive maintenance with biomedical engineering.
6. Documentation and Tracking : Maintain accurate perfusion records and logs (pump times, flows, drug doses, test records, device serial/batch numbers) and link to patient files for health information systems and audits.
7. Troubleshooting and emergency response : Rapid identification and resolution of circuit or equipment failures during operations and ECMO; support for emergency interventions such as rewarming, return to bypass, and rescue measures.
8. Training and Supervision : Train, supervise and assess less experienced professionals and technicians; maintain competency frameworks, conduct in-service training and sign off on supervised competency.
9. Quality, governance and procurement advice : Participate in mortality and morbidity reviews, audits and development of anticoagulation and blood management protocols; advise on technical specifications and consumables stockpiling plans.
10. On-call and safety compliance : Attendance during perfusion on-call (nights/weekends/holidays); adherence to infection prevention, personal protective equipment, nail safety and blood contact precautions, and maintaining multiple relationships under pressure.

Required :

• Bachelor’s degree in perfusion technology, biomedical science, respiratory/cardiac technology, or equivalent; and completion of an approved clinical perfusion training program; or recognized clinical experience and competency in the field of external circulation.
• Basic lifesaving certification; advanced lifesaving certifications recommended.

Preferred :

• Pediatric perfusion experience (neonatal/infant bypass) and documented cell-saver or blood-saving practice.
• Formal ECMO training, competency certificates or relevant short courses.

Minimum experience

• 3–5 years of active experience as a clinical perfusionist in cardiac surgery services; at least 2 years of neonatal/infant bypass and ECMO experience preferred for critical pediatric cases.
• Have documented clinical activity (logbook) of CPB cases, ECMO cycles, and device management in the past 12–24 months.

Note: When registering for a task and sending documents via email, it is mandatory to include the title and relevant package code. Documents that are not complete will not be accepted.

Contact number 0701436832

To register for the above-mentioned position, please send all your educational documents in a single PDF file, including (CV, educational documents, work experience documents, and ID card), to the following email address:

hr@arcs.af