Nicole Samouilhan, Cardiovascular Perfusionist

As part of our highlight of National Perfusion Week, we are pleased to shine a light on Nicole Samouilhan, a cardiovascular perfusionist working at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).

“I set up and operate the heart-lung bypass, ECMO circuits, and intra-aortic balloon pumps”, she tells us. “[Perfusionists] assist or replace the role of the patient’s heart and/or lungs by managing the circulation of blood outside the body.”

Prior to becoming a perfusionist, Nicole was a respiratory therapist (RT) and ECMO specialist at B.C. Children’s Hospital. “In this capacity, I was exposed to the role of the perfusionist both at the bedside and in the operating room,” she says. “I was drawn to the teamwork, autonomy, high level of responsibility, and the critical nature of the job.”

Nicole enjoys working with her team of highly skilled colleagues in various environments to provide extraordinary lifesaving interventions to the most critically ill patients. She points out that while the role can be highly stressful at times, some of the most inspirational moments can come from interactions with those patients and their families.

She shares a recent memory with us. “At a time when we were overwhelmed with COVID in the ICU (intensive care unit), there was a patient on ECMO awaiting a lung transplant,” she tells us. “Prior to being hospitalized, this patient was very active and loved to dance. It takes a multidisciplinary team of perfusionists, nursing, RT, and physiotherapist to mobilize patients on ECMO due to the cannulas, equipment and high risk involved with moving these patients. It was the first time the patient was going to stand in weeks and the whole team gathered to facilitate this feat. The patient stood and was stable on their feet. After some laughs and celebratory moments, the patient decided they wanted to dance. So as I held the ECMO cannulas secure, the patient began to slowly dance. It was a moment of joy and triumph when faced with the impossible. The patient received their lung transplant a few weeks later.”

Nicole tells us that she feels extremely supported in her role. “Our team at VGH works together to cover emergencies day and night,” she says. “We share call hours to try to avoid fatigue and support each other when someone has a particularly difficult case or series of calls. As a new perfusionist, I have had ongoing support from all of my colleagues and know that I can call on them for help anytime.”

Nicole explains how she embodies the VCH values (We Care for Everyone, We Are Always Learning and We Strive for Better Results). “I believe [the values] are foundational to all healthcare workers and it has been highlighted during the pandemic,” she says. “Every day the team works tirelessly to provide the best care possible to every single patient.”

With healthcare constantly evolving thanks to research, innovation and quality improvement, Nicole says the team is always learning and searching for new ways to provide even better care. “We do this daily in our department as we continuously evaluate our current practice and seek new ways to improve and provide exceptional care.”

Nicole began her role as a perfusionist during the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became accustomed to having six or more ECMO patients in the ICU, when typically there are up to two, on top of the usual cardiac surgery caseload. “The heavy workload placed resource strains on our department,” she shares. “However, as a team, we were able to maintain the high level of support these patients required. I am so proud of my colleagues for their dedication and endless work to support the sickest patients during this pandemic.”

She shares a fun fact with us! “The first open-heart surgery in B.C. took place at VGH in October of 1957,” she says. “To purchase the machine, a bingo fundraiser was held by the cardiac surgeons and the to-be-chief perfusionist. At the time, bingo was illegal so the police raided the event and arrested one of the participants. Thankfully they were released and the funds were used to purchase the province’s first heart-ling machine which is currently on display at VGH!”

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