50% of children born with heart defects will need heart surgery at sometime in their life. Of the 50%, 35% need surgery in the first month or they die.
ICHF has over 20 years experience performing children’s heart surgeries in developing countries. We have amassed a tremendous amount of learning, best practices and insights into the care of children in locations where resources are limited. We transfer this knowledge through training developing country medical professionals as well as educating academic scholars and working surgeons in the US and foreign countries through conferences and scholarly publications.
This medically oriented academic article introduces the ICHF, the methods used, statistical results and challenges of doing pediatric cardiac surgery in developing countries. For the full article, go to EP Lab Digest.
Educational opportunities provided by the ICHF for foreign pediatric cardiac health care providers primarily occur during our mission trips abroad. However, a number of individuals have received extended training at our hospital affiliate sites in the US and South America. [read more...]
The ability to perform research suggests that a facility is interested in advancing itself. In most of the countries ICHF serves, the facilities and funds necessary for basic research are simply not available to carry out research projects. [read more...]
ICHF has developed a unique operation for this extremely rare malformation that enables surgeons with little experience to perform a corrective procedure at low risk. Read Dr. Novick’s technique here, published by the Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery… ALCAPA.