At the Rostov-on-Don Regional Cardiac Center
Heart to Heart’s 15-person team was made up of cardiac specialists from pediatric cardiac programs in the U.S. and Russia. The four Russian specialists on our team in Rostov-on-Don came from Heart to Heart’s self-sustaining programs in Samara and Tomsk.
Dr. Krivoshchekov leads his first Heart to Heart team
This year marked the first time in our history that a Russian pediatric cardiac surgeon led a Heart to Heart surgical-educational mission. Above, Dr. Evgeny Krivoshchekov (center) performs the first surgery of the mission with Rostov’s Dr. Anatoly Filonenko assisting (left).
Dr. K: A perfect fit for the Heart to Heart team
Dr. Evgeny Krivoshchekov is the lead pediatric cardiac surgeon at his home institution, the Tomsk Cardiology Institute in Siberia. Dr. K. is both an accomplished surgeon and an inspiring teacher – a perfect fit for Heart to Heart. His close association with us dates back to 2005, the year before our Tomsk collaboration began.
Dr. Nikolishin: Heart to Heart pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist
Dr. Alexander Nikolishin is the PCICU chief and anesthesiologist at our collaborative site in Tomsk, Siberia. As part of our team this year in Rostov-on-Don, Dr. Nikolishin worked both in the OR and in the PCICU. He provided training in intraoperative anesthesia and immediate post-operative patient management.
Dr. Ginko’s second mission with Heart to Heart
Dr. Vladimir Ginko, also from our collaborative site in Tomsk, first shared his talent as a perfusionist on Heart to Heart’s 2009 surgical-educational mission to Rostov-on-Don. His poise and calm demeanor continue to make him an excellent addition to our team.
Old friends, new challenges
Many of Heart to Heart’s longtime U.S. medical volunteers are well-acquainted with our Tomsk colleagues. Our lead intensivist, Dr. Janet Simsic (center) from Nationwide Children’s Hospital worked with Drs. Nikolishin and Krivoshchekov at their home institution in Tomsk from 2006 to 2011.
Pediatric advanced life support (PALS) training
Nurses Lisa Poppell (left) and Brenda Jarvis (right) conducted a two-day PALS seminar to an audience of local nurses and ICU doctors. PALS training is taught regularly at U.S. pediatric cardiac centers to train nurses in advanced techniques in patient care.
Nurse Poppell’s 10th trip to Russia
This mission marked Lisa Poppell’s tenth trip to Russia with Heart to Heart over the last 7 years. Lisa works as a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Prior to joining the PCICU team there, she worked in the operating room. Lisa’s expertise and compassion are invaluable to Heart to Heart.
Providing supplies in addition to education
Heart to Heart often contributes equipment and medical supplies that align with our teaching and hands-on training. Olesya Dushkova (left) collected surplus surgical instruments from her hospital in the U.S. Above, Dr. Anton Avramenko (right) from the Samara Regional Cardiac Center works with her to determine where to distribute them.
Program mid-point evaluation at Rostov-on-Don
This year, Dr. Nilas Young, Heart to Heart’s Founder & Medical Director, joined our team on the ground to evaluate surgical progress. Since Heart to Heart’s inception in 1989, Dr. Young, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UC Davis Medical Center, has guided program development at all of our Russian sites, leading three pediatric centers to self-sustainability thus far.
Sharing program development expertise
Dr. David Teitel, Chief of Pediatric Cardiology and Medical Director of the Pediatric Heart Center at UCSF, joined Heart to Heart for his third trip to Russia. Dr. Teitel shared his expertise in advanced interventional cardiology, and the Rostov team also benefitted from his extensive experience in developing advanced pediatric cardiac teams.
Maxim: 10-month-old Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) patient
Our first surgical case on this mission was the complete repair of 10-month-old Maxim’s heart. This timely surgery will enable Maxim to have a normal childhood, avoiding the suffering associated with advanced TOF. There are still many TOF patients in Russia who did not have the opportunity to receive open heart surgery when they were young.
Natalia: an adult congenital TOF patient
Natalia (right) is 29 years old. She has been seeking surgical treatment for her TOF defect her entire life, and three years ago, she suffered a mild stroke due to her untreated congenital heart defect. The Heart to Heart team successfully operated on Natalia during this mission. Both the surgery and her recovery went well. For the first time, Natalia can look forward to a normal life.
Importance of timely and accurate diagnosis
While not all babies born with a congenital heart defect need open heart surgery immediately, most will require surgery before the age of 3. Diagnosing these children as early as possible is the essential first step in developing a treatment plan that anticipates life-saving cardiac interventions.
Three-year-old Viktor and his mom
Heart to Heart takes pride in the accomplishments of the Russian teams we train. During a case conference in Rostov-on-Don on this mission, the surgical approach to repairing Viktor’s heart was thoroughly discussed with the local team. Our colleagues in Rostov successfully repaired Viktor’s TOF immediately after our team’s departure.
Developing centers to save more babies
Heart to Heart is dedicated to saving babies and children with congenital heart disease. The most effective way to combat CHD is to develop additional advanced regional heart centers where babies like Andrey can receive life-saving treatment in a timely fashion – allowing them to enjoy a normal childhood and grow up to be healthy, productive adults.
Roman: living with congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease affects children equally all over the world – regardless of race, religion, or socio-economic background. Roman was treated as a child, but his defect (TOF) was never completely corrected. Fortunately, it was not too late for him to receive a complete surgical repair during our mission. Roman will return to medical school next semester.
Roman: a happy ending to a mother’s long quest
Maria, Roman’s mother, had sought surgical treatment for her son all over Russia for more than two decades. As the Russian pediatric cardiac community grows and more centers are established, parents are learning to access life-saving treatment for children of any age. Heart to Heart’s lifesaving programs raise public awareness about the prevalence and treatability of CHD.