{"title":"Global inequity in pediatric and congenital heart care-is it economics or inertia?","authors":"Bistra Zheleva","doi":"10.1007/s12055-025-01916-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-025-01916-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Global inequities in pediatric and congenital heart disease care remain a significant challenge, disproportionately affecting children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review examines the interplay between economic factors and inertia in perpetuating these inequities and causes and recommends solutions and successful examples such as strategic investments in healthcare infrastructure, workforce training, and policy reform. Economic limitations intersect with social, political, and cultural dynamics to impact access to timely diagnosis, advanced interventions, and long-term follow-up care. Addressing global inequities in pediatric and congenital heart disease care requires a multifaceted population health approach, with advocacy for policy and national planning serving as a cornerstone for meaningful change. Together, these actions pave the way for a future where every child has an equal chance to lead a healthy, fulfilling life, free from the constraints of inequitable healthcare access. Bridging these gaps is not only a moral imperative but also essential to achieving equitable health outcomes for children worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"664-671"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102046/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Congenital heart diseases - the forgotten country cousins? <i>Time for action, not procrastination</i>.","authors":"Om Prakash Yadava","doi":"10.1007/s12055-025-01963-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-025-01963-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"653-656"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Surgery for CHD in Malaysia-setting standards for lower and middle-income countries.","authors":"Chee Chin Hew, Sivakumar Sivalingam","doi":"10.1007/s12055-024-01800-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-024-01800-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The surgery for congenital heart diseases in Malaysia started in 1992 under the purview of the adult cardiac unit within the framework of the General Hospital. This unit catered for the whole country within its landscape of limited manpower and inadequate infrastructures. Recognizing the significant burden of heart diseases, the Paediatric and Congenital Heart Centre (PCHC) at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur was established in 2012. Initially, PCHC stood as the sole hospital undertaking congenital heart surgeries in Malaysia. However, in recent years, hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health and University Hospitals have begun establishing their own units to address the escalating burden of congenital heart disease. Nevertheless, PCHC remains pivotal, performing 800 to 900 open heart surgeries annually, comprising over half of Malaysia's yearly caseload. Notably, a majority of these patients receive funding from the government. Despite the increased surgical capacity, challenges persist, leading to disparities in access to care for many patients in Malaysia. This article delves into the problems and challenges faced by the Paediatric and Congenital Heart Centre in providing cardiac surgeries within a resource-limited setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"784-791"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102007/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Khang Dang Cao, Van Thanh Khanh Le, Thoi Kim Ngo, Bang Kinh Nguyen, Truong Ly Thinh Nguyen
{"title":"Status of congenital heart disease surgery in Vietnam.","authors":"Khang Dang Cao, Van Thanh Khanh Le, Thoi Kim Ngo, Bang Kinh Nguyen, Truong Ly Thinh Nguyen","doi":"10.1007/s12055-024-01872-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-024-01872-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Congenital heart disease remains challenging for the healthcare system in the developing world. There are still huge discrepancies across regions in the care, identification, and treatment of congenital cardiac disease. The issue of technical standards and fundamental understanding of congenital heart surgery remains a significant gap among congenital heart surgery units throughout the country. Although there have been considerable breakthroughs in the detection and treatment of congenital cardiac disease in Vietnam over the last decade, several challenges remain in maintaining achievements and improving systems to guarantee sustained progress has been accomplished.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"801-806"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102404/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Common shunt lesions with pulmonary hypertension-who will benefit from surgery?","authors":"Shine Kumar, Raman Krishna Kumar","doi":"10.1007/s12055-024-01786-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-024-01786-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Left to right shunts comprise a specific group of congenital heart disease, when identified and treated on time result in excellent outcomes. However, a proportion of these defects do not receive the timely intervention and often present late posing the question of safe operability especially in low- and middle-income countries. The lack of ample evidence and standardised guidelines often poses an enigma to the treating physician preventing appropriate and patient-friendly decision-making. Moreover, no single test or clinical feature can accurately define operability in this subset of patients. In this review, we aim to address this issue in a comprehensive and holistic manner and formulate a simplified guideline based on current evidence to help the physician to arrive at an appropriate decision.</p><p><strong>Graphical abstract: </strong>ECG, electrocardiogram; L-R left to right.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"718-729"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Late presentation of congenital heart diseases in low- and middle-income countries: impact on outcomes.","authors":"Debasis Das, Nilanjan Dutta, Shubhadeep Das, Sanjiban Ghosh, Kuntal Roy Chowdhuri","doi":"10.1007/s12055-024-01771-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-024-01771-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the delayed detection and presentation of congenital heart defects (CHDs) present significant hurdles, including challenges in assessing operability, unique surgical complexities during operations, and difficulties in post-operative care. Factors contributing to late detection include delayed diagnosis and referrals, limited healthcare resources, geographic barriers to specialized care, and lack of awareness leading to inappropriate medical advice. This narrative review discusses these challenges and how late presentation affects outcomes of CHDs in LMICs. A thorough assessment of operability tailored to each specific CHD, effective intraoperative strategies, and comprehensive post-operative care are crucial for achieving favourable outcomes. Current literature indicates that surgery for late-detected CHDs in LMICs can yield satisfactory results. Proper selection and management of this patient subgroup can mitigate the impact of late detection on outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"704-717"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102422/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Surgery for congenital heart disease in Thailand-lessons to be learnt.","authors":"Piya Samankatiwat","doi":"10.1007/s12055-024-01827-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-024-01827-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant global health issue affecting millions of children. This manuscript provides a detailed examination of the status of CHD surgery in Thailand, encompassing geographical facts, demographic considerations, the burden of CHD, availability of services, organization of delivery, funding mechanisms, training of surgeons, support services, outcome data, and a glimpse into the future of CHD surgery in the country. Above all, the lessons to be learned are critical to helping CHD surgery programs to be lifelong and sustainable.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"792-800"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The art, science, and economics of congenital heart surgery in India.","authors":"Debasis Das","doi":"10.1007/s12055-025-01985-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-025-01985-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"821-822"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Congenital heart disease in low- and middle-income countries: can India show the way?","authors":"Krishna Subramony Iyer, Sivakumar Sivalingam","doi":"10.1007/s12055-025-01969-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12055-025-01969-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 6","pages":"657-663"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102441/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Unmesh Chakraborty, Abhinaba Sarkar, Tanulina Sarkar, Kaushik Sundar, Atanu Saha
{"title":"Urgent mitral valve replacement after mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke.","authors":"Unmesh Chakraborty, Abhinaba Sarkar, Tanulina Sarkar, Kaushik Sundar, Atanu Saha","doi":"10.1007/s12055-024-01870-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12055-024-01870-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mitral valve replacement, or any major cardiac surgery, is usually delayed for a minimum of 6 weeks after a previous stroke, mainly to avoid recurrence, if not associated with infective endocarditis or aortic dissection. A 50-year-old lady, diagnosed with severe mitral stenosis with a large left atrial clot, had a sudden onset cerebrovascular accident (CVA) while awaiting surgery. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) of large vessel M1 middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion was done, and after adequate neurological improvement, she was taken up for emergency mitral valve replacement within 12 h, because of hemodynamic instability leading to low cardiac output syndrome and to avoid the chance of future CVA due to large clot burden. A 23-mm mechanical mitral valve prosthesis was implanted, and the postoperative course was uneventful. She was discharged on the fifth postoperative day, with stable hemodynamics and no residual neurological deficit. She was asymptomatic with normal echocardiographic findings on 12 months' follow-up. Major cardiac surgery after MT for ischemic CVA may be a viable option, if indicated, provided post-MT neurological improvement is adequate.</p>","PeriodicalId":13285,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery","volume":"41 5","pages":"610-614"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11999914/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}