Key result
Pediatric cardiac anesthesia is often nonexistent in developing countries, contributing to high perioperative mortality and morbidity for children undergoing cardiac surgery.
Highlights the critical need for developing local pediatric cardiac anesthesia expertise and regional cardiac centers in low-income countries to reduce perioperative mortality.
Disparities in pediatric cardiac anesthesia access demand focus in low-income countries; leaves open research on effective capacity-building strategies.
More children die of congenital heart disease (CHD) in low-income countries and acquired cardiac disease is more frequent. Advances in diagnosis, surgery, perfusion and anesthesia in the developed world have had dramatic results on children's lives, and many forms of CHD can now be safely corrected or palliated. However, in developing countries, for the children who receive cardiac surgery, perioperative mortality and morbidity remain high. Pediatric cardiac anesthesia is a specialty in its infancy worldwide, and in developing countries, it is often nonexistent. Visiting 'specialists' as part of medical mission teams often provides anesthesia, but the hope for the future is that local staff will be trained in pediatric cardiac anesthesia and collaborative regional cardiac centers will be the mainstay of care, offering safer surgery to more children.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Doherty et al. (2010) conducted a review in Congenital heart disease (CHD). Pediatric cardiac anesthesia was evaluated. Pediatric cardiac anesthesia is often nonexistent in developing countries, contributing to high perioperative mortality and morbidity for children undergoing cardiac surgery.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: