Our third annual mission to the Rostov-on-Don Regional Cardiac Center reaffirmed for us the local team’s desire and determination to work toward self-sustainability. This year, our 16-person team included ten pediatric cardiac specialists from the U.S. Two Russian colleagues (from other partner sites) joined our team to provide high-level interpreting; and three Heart to Heart admin staff focused on program evaluation and also served as interpreters. Our Board President, Dr. Keith Flachsbart, rounded out the team.
Dr. Keith Flachsbart: Providing Board Oversight
Our Board President, Dr. Keith Flachsbart, is an adult cardiac surgeon. He is a veteran of several Heart to Heart surgical educational missions to St. Petersburg. In Rostov-on-Don, Dr. Flachsbart focused on assessing program progress and Heart to Heart’s evaluation methodology.
Monitoring the Progress of "Old Friends"
Anastasia was the joint team’s youngest surgical patient on our 2010 trip. A year later, she is thriving, and her mother now delights in every healthy day with her rosy-cheeked daughter. Our cardiologists also re-examined other children from our two previous trips to Rostov-on-Don. We love to see that surgical patients from past missions are doing so well.
Dr. Mark Cocalis: Teaching in Small Groups
For pediatric cardiologist and veteran Heart to Heartnik Mark Cocalis, addressing knowledge gaps is an ongoing priority. On all three of our missions to Rostov-on-Don, Dr. Cocalis has spent the majority of his time on the ground teaching.
Dr. Laura Robertson: Maximizing Teaching Moments
Pediatric cardiologist Laura Robertson highlights teaching points during every echocardiogram. A veteran Heart to Heartnik and former board member, Dr. Robertson is a strong promoter of high-level communication between specialists. She observes, “Anticipating problems, planning as a team, and regrouping when a problem arises are critical skills for a pediatric cardiac team.”
A Resource for Children in the Southern Federal District
When Heart to Heart began our collaboration in Rostov-on-Don, physicians here – due to lack of cardiac expertise – routinely had to turn pediatric patients away. Heart to Heart is thankful to have the opportunity to work with these dedicated colleagues as they take on the challenge of learning to treat every child in need.
Filming for a National Television News Clip
A video crew films Dr. Mark Cocalis performing a fetal echocardiogram. Over two days, the crew captured many aspects of Heart to Heart’s collaboration in Rostov-on-Don. While our team was still on the ground, a three-minute news clip aired repeatedly for several days on Russia’s most popular national TV station.
Danil: Born with a Very Rare Heart Defect
Four-year-old Danil was one of our five surgical patients on the Rostov-on-Don 2011 mission. His condition provided Heart to Heart an opportunity to teach a surgical approach involving a staged repair (sequential operations).
Programmatic Milestone
Since Heart to Heart’s 2010 visit, the Rostov-on-Don OR team has outfitted the 30-year-old Center’s first dedicated pediatric cardiac operating room. For the local team, building out a dedicated OR is a major step in developing a cohesive pediatric cardiac program. Shown here: Dr. Artem Rosenberg and Dr. Alexandra Voropaeva.
Dr. Gary Raff: Leading Surgery in Rostov-on-Don
Veteran Heart to Heart pediatric cardiac surgeon Gary Raff led the joint team in performing all five surgeries on this mission. Dr. Raff was also the lead surgeon for Heart to Heart’s program in Samara. He was instrumental in helping the Samara team achieve self-sustainability in 2009.
Learning in Real-Time with Support Close at Hand
During this surgery, Dr. Alexander Kislitsky (right back) assists Dr. Gary Raff (left back). The Rostov team’s surgical technician (left front) has the opportunity to “scrub” for Dr. Raff, while her Heart to Heart counterpart Olesya Dushkova from UC Davis Medical Center (right front), provides oversight.
Moving Forward as a Team
Heart to Heart teaches teamwork along the continuum of care, from diagnosis to surgical repair to post-operative intensive care and patient follow-up. Every surgeon knows that success depends on the skills and cohesiveness of the entire team, not only during the operation, but before and after as well.
Communicating Among Specialists
Dr. Janet Simsic (middle), Heart to Heart’s lead pediatric cardiac intensivist, joins the OR team during the final stages of an operation. By observing firsthand in the OR, she gains a fuller understanding of the patient’s current condition. This will enable her and the joint PCICU team to provide better care for the patient post-operatively.
Caring for the Most Vulnerable of Patients
Most children born with a life-threatening heart defect will need surgical intervention before reaching their first birthday. Caring for small children after heart surgery requires tremendous expertise and great attention to detail. Heart to Heart trains intensive care specialists in clinical assessment and proactive, anticipatory care – important skills for optimizing patient outcomes.
Sharing Expertise, Building Capacity & Offering Hope
One way to describe Heart to Heart’s work is as an export of pediatric cardiac best practices from the U.S. Providing strategic guidance, mentorship, and skills training, our medical volunteers teach teams of doctors and nurses in Russia to save children. Teams of pediatric cardiac specialists trained by Heart to Heart have already saved more than 12,000 young lives.