Last March, Heart to Heart returned to the Instituto Nacional Cardiovascular (INCOR) in Lima, Peru for a pediatric surgical-educational team training mission. Now in our second year in Peru, we are excited to share progress being made! To learn more about our recent trip, please click here to read the trip report.
The Heart to Heart-INCOR team lines up outside INCOR – our first partner site in Peru. Our volunteer cardiac specialists represent leading programs from Atlanta to Minnesota and Philadelphia to San Francisco – and all bring much-needed specialized expertise from a variety of departments. Many thanks to our Peruvian colleagues and our volunteers for their hard work.
Santiago was one of many children who were operated on during the latest trip in Lima. INCOR families had to wait as their children underwent life-changing procedures. A 3- to 4-hour operation saves the life of child with a VSD and, for many parents, these hours can feel like eternity.
Each year more than 6,000 babies in Peru are born with congenital heart disease (CHD). Among them, 2,000 will have a hole in their heart known as a ventricular septal defect (VSD) – the medical and surgical theme of our latest mission. To repair a VSD on an infant’s tiny heart – like one-year-old Eyma’s (pictured) – requires expertise and teamwork.
One of the Heart to Heart-INCOR team’s patients was Santiago, a four-year-old boy diagnosed with a VSD. Thankfully, Santiago was able to undergo surgery during our trip – within the window of time he was still operable. His surgery was successful and this warm and engaging child will go on to thrive!
Our medical specialists provided team-wide education and clinical training on traditional and newer methods to treat children with VSDs. Here, Heart to Heart volunteer Dr. Frank Cetta (cardiologist, Mayo Clinic), points out a child’s VSD in an echocardiogram.