Journal – Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
Article type – Journal research article – Literature review
Publication date – Feb – 2021
Authors – Deepak K. Tempe
Keywords – Anesthesia, Mitral stenosis, Rheumatic fever, Rheumatic valvular disease
Open access – Yes
Speciality – Anaesthesia, Cardiothoracic surgery
World region Global

Language – English
Submitted to the One Surgery Index on February 16, 2021 at 8:17 am
Abstract:

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is considered the neglected disease of the tropics and is endemic in several low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). 1 It still is an important cause of preventable morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease among children and young adults. The disease has seen a sharp decrease in most high-income countries (HIC) and primarily, the LMICs of Asia and Africa face the brunt of RHD, which also imposes huge economic burden. 2 In addition, RHD is also a significant cause of maternal mortality. 3 For precise understanding of the burden of RHD, it needs to be appreciated that LMICs are more populous (more than 5 times that of HICs) and that RHD remains the single most common cardiovascular disease in young adult and adolescent patients in need of heart surgery. 4 Furthermore, LMICs provide very different levels of cardiac surgical services for their population. There has been an impressive significant growth in the cardiac surgical capacity in middle-income countries, even so, there is a wide gap between patients in need of intervention / surgery and those who actually receive it. In addition, the diversity of health care facilities in these countries has led to availability of state-of-the art facilities to a select few (affluent) with majority (poor and under-privileged) having to rely on the overwhelmed public hospitals. The situation in the low-income countries is even worse.

OSI Number – 20940

Public annotations on this article: