05/25/2025
Here's the professional version of my retirement announcement that some of my friends will understand. I was SO fortunate to have been involved in this era. We started in the stone age, clawing our way to modern practices.
_______________________
I want to announce my retirement after a very rewarding career, effective 5/23/2025.
I began as a respiratory therapist in 1980, running the pulmonary function laboratory and blood gas laboratory at University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. I acted as an early perfusion assistant, helping the perfusionist and Dr. Ankeney (the retractor guy) with various tasks. I count these two years as one year of perfusion exposure. I entered the Cleveland Clinic School of Cardiovascular Perfusion in 1982, finishing in early 1983. There were no openings at the Clinic at that time, so I worked at Bellin Memorial Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin for over a year. During that year, I received three offers to return to the Clinic and finally accepted the position in 1984.
During 14+ years at the Cleveland Clinic, our team developed the kits which allowed implementation of Vacuum Assisted Venous Return (VAVR/VAVD). We trialed the first membrane oxygenators (Travenol), adjusted the pump occlusions with crescent wrenches, and did ACTs in our armpits. I was fortunate enough to be the first American experimenter to use Fluosol-DA, an artificial blood product, and used it to prime my heart/lung machine while pumping a cow to practice heart transplantation.
In the early 90's, the advent of blood cardioplegia caused us to produce hyperkalemia in patients. Using an early hemoconcentrator, I developed the process (not the name) for Zero Balance UltraFiltration (ZBUF). The early results were presented to the American Society of Anesthesiology in 1995. Beginning with normal saline as the diluent, it quickly became apparent that a customized solution would be more effective, retaining trace electrolytes. I had the pharmacy provide a full dialysis solution that contained no potassium. Since we had an intellectual property agreement with Baxter, I believe this solution formed the basis for the Prismasol solutions currently used for ZBUF.
A rewarding assignment for me was as Director of LVAD/ECMO training at the Clinic for over a decade. In 1986, in Washington, DC, I presented one of the first uses of hemoconcentration incorporated into an LVAD (original BioMedicus cone & ⅜" tubing), before ECMO was in much use.
I later built a pediatric program in Albuquerque, NM, operating on over 1000 babies over the next 25 years. I hold a pediatric/neonatal ECMO patent which is capable of turning a Getinge CardioHelp into a neonatal system, or coupling with oxygenators such as the Medtronic Nautilus. (I am interested in selling it to interested parties, as I won't be working any longer).
I served as an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, and as an instructor for the Cleveland Clinic School for 14 years.
I am deeply proud of our profession, and sincerely hope that my work has contributed to the advancement of our field. Thank you all for your dedication to a difficult and rewarding profession!
Lee Aldridge, CCP soon to be Emeritus
