Online Journal Club - Global Cardiothoracic Surgery

For our next journal club, INCISION presents a paper entitled:

"Challenges and Possibilities of Developing Cardiac Surgery in a Peripheral Hospital of Low and Middle-Income Countries."

The retrospective review study examines 2659 patients across 4 years, that were diagnosed and consulted. Out of those evaluated, 85 ended up having open heart surgery, in a new peripheral hospital in Nepal. In was drawn to this study as it explores variables outside of surgery itself that are necessary to address when aiming to advance global surgery- lack of access to hospitals/transportation/government unwilling to invest outside of LMIC's capitol.

This focus is also lacking in the literature. Out of the 85 operated on, none were lost to follow up, indicating that if what was done in this hospital is replicated elsewhere, with the help of visiting surgeons to train, finance, NGOs and gov, the current depressingly stats outlined regarding CHD, IHD, and RHD…