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Cantinotti M, Voges I, Miller O, Raimondi F, Grotenhuis H, Bharucha T, Garrido AO, Valsangiacomo E, Roest A, Sunnegårdh J, Salaets T, Brun H, Khraiche D, Jossif A, Schokking M, Sebate-Rotes A, Meyer-Szary J, Deri A, Koopman L, Herberg U, du Marchie Sarvaas G, Leskinen M, Tchana B, Ten Harkel ADJ, Ödemis E, Morrison L, Steimetz M, Laser KT, Doros G, Bellshan-Revell H, Muntean I, Anagostopoulou A, Alpman MS, Hunter L, Ojala T, Bhat M, Olejnik P, Wacker J, Bonello B, Ramcharan T, Greil G, Marek J, DiSalvo G, McMahon CJ. Organisation of paediatric echocardiography laboratories and governance of echocardiography services and training in Europe: current status, disparities, and potential solutions. A survey from the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) imaging working group. Cardiol Young 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38439642 DOI: 10.1017/s1047951124000131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited data on the organisation of paediatric echocardiography laboratories in Europe. METHODS A structured and approved questionnaire was circulated across all 95 Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology affiliated centres. The aims were to evaluate: (1) facilities in paediatric echocardiography laboratories across Europe, (2) accredited laboratories, (3) medical/paramedical staff employed, (4) time for echocardiographic studies and reporting, and (5) training, teaching, quality improvement, and research programs. RESULTS Respondents from forty-three centres (45%) in 22 countries completed the survey. Thirty-six centres (84%) have a dedicated paediatric echocardiography laboratory, only five (12%) of which reported they were European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging accredited. The median number of echocardiography rooms was three (range 1-12), and echocardiography machines was four (range 1-12). Only half of all the centres have dedicated imaging physiologists and/or nursing staff, while the majority (79%) have specialist imaging cardiologist(s). The median (range) duration of time for a new examination was 45 (20-60) minutes, and for repeat examination was 20 (5-30) minutes. More than half of respondents (58%) have dedicated time for reporting. An organised training program was present in most centres (78%), 44% undertake quality assurance, and 79% perform research. Guidelines for performing echocardiography were available in 32 centres (74%). CONCLUSION Facilities, staffing levels, study times, standards in teaching/training, and quality assurance vary widely across paediatric echocardiography laboratories in Europe. Greater support and investment to facilitate improvements in staffing levels, equipment, and governance would potentially improve European paediatric echocardiography laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Cantinotti
- Fondazione CNR-Regione Toscana G. Monasterio (FTGM), National Research Institute (CNR), Pisa, Italy
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- European Association Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), Taskforce on Congenital Heart Disease, Lyon, France
| | - Inga Voges
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- Department for Congenital Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany
| | - Owen Miller
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- Department Paediatric Cardiology, Evelina London Children's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Francesca Raimondi
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- European Association Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), Taskforce on Congenital Heart Disease, Lyon, France
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Meyer University Hospital, Florence University, Firenze, Italy
| | - Heynric Grotenhuis
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- Department Pediatric Cardiology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital / UMCU, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tara Bharucha
- European Association Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), Taskforce on Congenital Heart Disease, Lyon, France
- Department of Paediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Almudena Ortiz Garrido
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- Department Pediatric Cardiology, Hospital Materno Infantil, Malaga, AL, Spain
| | - Emanuela Valsangiacomo
- European Association Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), Taskforce on Congenital Heart Disease, Lyon, France
- Department of Paediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Arno Roest
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Jan Sunnegårdh
- Children's Heart Centre, The Queen Silvia Children's Hospital Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Thomas Salaets
- Department Paediatric Cardiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Henrik Brun
- Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Antonis Jossif
- Paedi Center for Specialized Pediatrics, Strovolos, Cyprus
| | | | - Anna Sebate-Rotes
- Servicio de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaroslaw Meyer-Szary
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Diseases, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Antigoni Deri
- Department Paediatric Cardiology, Leeds University, Leeds, UK
| | - Laurens Koopman
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrike Herberg
- Department or Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease, University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Gideon du Marchie Sarvaas
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Markku Leskinen
- Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Bertrand Tchana
- Parma University Hospital, Department of Mother and Child Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Parma, Italy
| | - Arend D J Ten Harkel
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Willem Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ender Ödemis
- Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey
| | - Louise Morrison
- Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast, UK
| | - Micheal Steimetz
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine (M.S.), University Medical Center, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Kai Thorsten Laser
- Department of Congenital Heart Defects, Heart and Diabetes Center, North Rhine Westphalia Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Gabriela Doros
- Victor Babes UMF, IIIrd Pediatric Clinic, Louis Turcanu Emergency Children Hospital, Timisoara, Romania
| | | | - Iolanda Muntean
- Clinic of Paediatric Cardiology, Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation, UMFST "George Emil Palade", Timisoara, Romania
| | | | - Maria Sjoborg Alpman
- Pediatric Cardiology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lindsey Hunter
- Department Paediatric Cardiology, Evelina London Children's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Tiina Ojala
- Department Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Misha Bhat
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Heart Center, Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter Olejnik
- Pediatric Cardiology Center, Bratislava, Slovakia and Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Julie Wacker
- Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Department of Woman, Child and Adolescent Medicine, Children University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Beatrice Bonello
- Department Paediatric Cardiology, Great Ormond Street NHS Trust, London, England
| | | | - Gerald Greil
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jan Marek
- Department Paediatric Cardiology, Great Ormond Street NHS Trust, London, England
| | - Giovanni DiSalvo
- European Association Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), Taskforce on Congenital Heart Disease, Lyon, France
- Paediatric Cardiology Unit, Department of Woman's and Child's Health, University Hospital of Padova, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Colin J McMahon
- Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Imaging Work Group Committee
- University School of Medicine, University College Dublin 4, Dublin, Ireland
- Children's Health Ireland and Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Mohsin S, Hasan B, Zheleva B, Kumar RK. Enhancing Quality of Congenital Heart Care Within Resource-Limited Settings. Pediatr Cardiol 2023:10.1007/s00246-023-03351-2. [PMID: 38123833 DOI: 10.1007/s00246-023-03351-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Over 90% of the world's children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are born in the resources poor settings of low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). The shortfall in human and material resources and dysfunctional health systems leads to poor quality of care (QoC) which contributes substantially to suboptimal outcomes of patients with CHD in LMICs. Notwithstanding these challenges, it is possible to develop a quality improvement (QI) framework that can have a significant impact on outcomes and prevent a number of deaths. In this review, we examine the common barriers to implementing effective QI processes in LMICs. Using examples of successful QI initiatives in LMIC, we propose a broad framework that focuses on simple, yet effective measures involving cohesive efforts of all key participants guided and nurtured by a leadership that strongly values QoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shazia Mohsin
- Division of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Babar Hasan
- Division of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Raman Krishna Kumar
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, India.
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Vervoort D, Jin H, Edwin F, Kumar RK, Malik M, Tapaua N, Verstappen A, Hasan BS. Global Access to Comprehensive Care for Paediatric and Congenital Heart Disease. CJC PEDIATRIC AND CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE 2023; 2:453-463. [PMID: 38205434 PMCID: PMC10777200 DOI: 10.1016/j.cjcpc.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Paediatric and congenital heart disease (PCHD) is common but remains forgotten on the global health agenda. Congenital heart disease is the most frequent major congenital anomaly, affecting approximately 1 in every 100 live births. In high-income countries, most children now live into adulthood, whereas in low- and middle-income countries, over 90% of patients do not get the care they need. Rheumatic heart disease is the most common acquired cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. While almost completely eradicated in high-income countries, over 30-40 million people live with rheumatic heart disease in low- and middle-income countries. Challenges exist in the care for PCHD and, increasingly, adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) worldwide. In this review, we summarize the current status of PCHD and ACHD care through the health systems lens of workforce, infrastructure, financing, service delivery, information management and technology, and governance. We further highlight gaps in knowledge and opportunities moving forward to improve access to care for all those living with PCHD or ACHD worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Vervoort
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hyerang Jin
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Frank Edwin
- School of Medicine, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
- National Cardiothoracic Center, Accra, Ghana
| | - Raman Krishna Kumar
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, Kerala, India
| | - Mahim Malik
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Noah Tapaua
- Department of Surgery, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Amy Verstappen
- Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Babar S. Hasan
- Division of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan
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4
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Hasan BS, Bhatti A, Mohsin S, Barach P, Ahmed E, Ali S, Amanullah M, Ansong A, Banu T, Beaton A, Bolman RM, Borim BC, Breinholt JP, Callus E, Caputo M, Cardarelli M, Hernandez TC, Croti UA, Ejigu YM, Fenton K, Gomanju A, Harahsheh AS, Hesslein P, Hugo-Hamman C, Khan S, Kpodonu J, Kumar RK, Jenkins KJ, Lakhoo K, Malik M, Nichani S, Novick WM, Overman D, Quenot APM, Patton Bolman C, Pearson D, Raju V, Ross S, Sandoval NF, Sholler G, Sharma R, Shidhika F, Sivalingam S, Verstappen A, Vervoort D, Zühlke LJ, Zheleva B. Recommendations for developing effective and safe paediatric and congenital heart disease services in low-income and middle-income countries: a public health framework. BMJ Glob Health 2023; 8:e012049. [PMID: 37142298 PMCID: PMC10163477 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-012049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The global burden of paediatric and congenital heart disease (PCHD) is substantial. We propose a novel public health framework with recommendations for developing effective and safe PCHD services in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). This framework was created by the Global Initiative for Children's Surgery Cardiac Surgery working group in collaboration with a group of international rexperts in providing paediatric and congenital cardiac care to patients with CHD and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in LMICs. Effective and safe PCHD care is inaccessible to many, and there is no consensus on the best approaches to provide meaningful access in resource-limited settings, where it is often needed the most. Considering the high inequity in access to care for CHD and RHD, we aimed to create an actionable framework for health practitioners, policy makers and patients that supports treatment and prevention. It was formulated based on rigorous evaluation of available guidelines and standards of care and builds on a consensus process about the competencies needed at each step of the care continuum. We recommend a tier-based framework for PCHD care integrated within existing health systems. Each level of care is expected to meet minimum benchmarks and ensure high-quality and family centred care. We propose that cardiac surgery capabilities should only be developed at the more advanced levels on hospitals that have an established foundation of cardiology and cardiac surgery services, including screening, diagnostics, inpatient and outpatient care, postoperative care and cardiac catheterisation. This approach requires a quality control system and close collaboration between the different levels of care to facilitate the journey and care of every child with heart disease. This effort was designed to guide readers and leaders in taking action, strengthening capacity, evaluating impact, advancing policy and engaging in partnerships to guide facilities providing PCHD care in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babar S Hasan
- Division of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Areesh Bhatti
- Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Shazia Mohsin
- Division of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Paul Barach
- Department of Public Health and Anesthesiology, Thomas Jefferson School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Medicine, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Sulafa Ali
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Sudan Heart Center, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Muneer Amanullah
- Division of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Annette Ansong
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's National Hospital, The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Tahmina Banu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chittagong Research Institute for Children, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Andrea Beaton
- The Heart Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Ralph Morton Bolman
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Team Heart Inc, Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bruna Cury Borim
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Hospital da Criança e Maternidade, CardioPedBrazil, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - John P Breinholt
- Division Chief, Pediatric Cardiology, Penn State Health Children's Hospital, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Edward Callus
- Clinical Psychology Service, IRCCS Policlinico San Danato, San Donato Milanese, Lombardia, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Caputo
- Translational Health Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Ulisses Alexandre Croti
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Hospital da Criança e Maternidade, CardioPedBrazil, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - Yayehyirad M Ejigu
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, King Faisal Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Kathleen Fenton
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anu Gomanju
- Kathmandu Institute of Child Health, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ashraf S Harahsheh
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's National Hospital, The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Christopher Hugo-Hamman
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sohail Khan
- Department of Cardiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Jacques Kpodonu
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Raman Krishna Kumar
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala, India
| | - Kathy J Jenkins
- Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kokila Lakhoo
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mahim Malik
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Sanjiv Nichani
- Leicester Children's Hospital, Leicester, East Midlands, UK
- Healing Little Hearts Global Foundation, Leicester, UK
| | - William M Novick
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center-Global Surgery Institute, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- William Novick Global Cardiac Alliance, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - David Overman
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, The Children's Heart Clinic, Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic-Children's Minnesota Cardiovascular Collaborative, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | | | - Dorothy Pearson
- Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Shelagh Ross
- Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nestor F Sandoval
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fundacion cardioinfantil -la Cardio.Instituto de cardiopatías Congenitas, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Gary Sholler
- Heart Center for Children, Sydney Children's Hospital Network, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Fenny Shidhika
- Windhoek Central Hospital, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
| | | | - Amy Verstappen
- President, Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Dominique Vervoort
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Liesl J Zühlke
- Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council, SAMRC Francie Van Zil Drive Parow, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Paediatric Cardiology, Department of Paediatrics Red Cross War Memorial Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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