CARDIOSTART INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED

In November 2016, CardioStart undertook its second pediatric mission to The Clinica Corazones Unidos Hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This mission focused on continuing development of a pediatric cardiac center and improving on the management of children undergoing congenital cardiac correction. All operations performed were considered teaching cases in which the local team assumed a primary role assisted by CardioStart’s surgeon, Dr. Andrew Cochrane. The supporting CardioStart team and local team members managed all procedures.

June 2016 marked CardioStart’s third visit to Kathmandu University hospital in Dhulikhel, Nepal. Our first mission to help initiate the cardiac surgery program in May of 2015 overlapped with the devastating earthquake and aftermath that claimed more than 9000 lives. The CardioStart team partnered with the clinicians of Dhulikhel Hospital in the earthquake relief efforts throughout the Kathmandu Valley and at the primary hospital, which served as a major center to which casualties from most of eastern Nepal were directed. Although no cardiac surgery was pursued under those circumstances, the people of Nepal and specifically those at Dhulikhel hospital showed their remarkable strength and resilience by wishing to move forward with the cardiac surgery program only a few months later. This choice was primarily made for the many patients in desperate need of cardiovascular care, but also because it represented a sign of progress and recovery following the tragedy. Therefore, in November of 2015, the CardioStart team returned to assist in the establishment and performance of the first heart surgeries at Kathmandu University.

The cardiovascular team in Macapá is composed of: two cardiovascular surgeons. Dr. Furlan, CV surgeon is in charge of the Cardiac Surgery Program. As part of the mission, the CardioStart team will be working with the local team for advanced training technique development in pediatric cardiology (interventional), cardiac surgery for more complex adult and pediatric case presentations, and their intensive care management.

They have one anesthesiologist, a physician assistant, a perfusionist, a respiratory therapist and three scrub nurses. They can currently manage routine adult cardiovascular diseases and a few adult congenital cardiac defects. This team has served the local population for ten years within the state.

All cardiac operations and pacemaker implantations are performed at the Hospital São Camilo, a philanthropic institution; which belongs to a catholic foundation named “Sociedade Beneficente São Camilo”. This foundation has a chain of hospitals in different locations of Brazil.