Global Heart Care-PASCaTS
Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day
Date: Digital Scientific Meeting, Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Time: 16:00 - 18:15 hrs (CEST)
Background: Congenital, Inflammatory/Rheumatic and Degenerative Heart Valve Diseases are challenges in modern healthcare. The low and middle income countries have the triple burden of congenital, rheumatic and degenerative heart valve diseases confounded by illiteracy, limited resources, limited service delivery due to inadequate infrastructure.
OUTLINE/FORMAT: The key feature of the webinar is an interactive multi-disciplinary forum that covers interventional and surgical procedures for congenital (including adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD), inflammatory and degenerative heart valve diseases.
It will highlight state-of-the-art surgical and interventional techniques including minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS), transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and pumonary valve procedures, surgical reconstruction of congenital right ventricular (RVOTO - pulmonary stenosis and regurge) left ventricular outflow tract obstructions (LVOTO – congenital and acquired aortic valve stenosis) as well as complex valve repairs and replacements for inflammatory (rheumatic and infective endocarditis) and degenerative diseases. The risks associated with prosthetic heart valve implantation and anticoagulation in pediatric population with congenital and rheumatic heart valve diseases will be addressed.
The good news is that the prevalence of rheumatic heart valve disease (RHVD) has declined by 8.7% between 1990 and 2017 an impact of Millennium Development Goals (MGGs), while degenerative heart valve disease has increased by 45% in the aging populations. The recent data show that moderate or severe aortic valve disease is present in 4.2% to 10.7% and mitral valve disease in 5.1% of the population ages 65 and older.
We appreciate the remarkable progress made in global cardiovascular surgery in the past 60 years in the context of professional upskilling, innovations and continuing better outcomes for complex valve procedures.
Yet, there is a regional disparity among communities of the global south (low and middle income countries (LMICs) to access affordable simple and complex valve procedures due to lack of experts in valve repairs and or national health insurance scheme. Universal health coverage is a dream in many communities of LMICs.
International charity heart teams mostly from Europe and USA, Australia, recently from China exercising laudable global health diplomacy have responded to the emergency calls on healthcare disparity to provide charity cardiac surgery esp. congenital and rheumatic heart valve surgery, to the underserved communities. Yet, they have impacted not more than two per cent (2%) of 850,000 children with congenital and rheumatic heart diseases in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) waiting for surgery. Despite these efforts they are unable meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations of accomplishing a target level of 400 open heart surgeries (OHS) per one million population. Even the recommendation by Pan-African Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (PASCaTS) for at least 40 OHS per million people has never been reached in SSA except South Africa.
Aims
It is aimed at
1) advancing e-health education in the global south, the low and middle income countries to enhance the knowledge in heart valve diseases, diagnostics, treatment in the rural and remote parts of the countries,
2) focusing on how to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of health care for their heart valve diseases across the globe
3) tackling issues at the social and humanitarian care interface with policy makers and stakeholders.
Objectives
The objectives are:
To provide multi-site virtual conference rooms in the global south for global outreach discussions with the academia, civil society, politics and industries on heart valve disease.
The objectives of the webinar are to advocate awareness of heart valve disease (congenital and acquired) world-wide and to learn how to optimize patients’ outcomes based on three synergistic columns: clinical practice, science and technology: 1. translation/implementation of the knowledge and know-how (Practice), 2. initiating and development of new knowledge (science) and 3. continuing development of technical tools (diagnostic and treatment technology).
To share clinical experiences and knowledge on heart valve disease with the civil society by dissemination of information for advocating prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HVD via the social media.
To create an awareness on continuing educational programs for providing best practices in heart valve disease management
To appreciate rheumatic heart valve disease as a health condition that can be prevented by drugs (penicillin) and if clinically manifested can be diagnosed early and best treated by surgical repair esp. in children and young women of childbearing age.
GOALS: The webinar is going to be a platform that will inspire the participants to develop and strengthen the existing network for a mutual exchange of knowledge and cooperation in the management of heart valve diseases between physicians, medical industries, politics, civil society and heart valve patients.
COURSE DISCRIPTION
The webinar is organized by Global Heart Care- PASCaTS in collaboration with German Heart Centre Charité Berlin (GHCCB), Euracare, Accra, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), University of Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, University of Algiers (UA), to commemorate the Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day 2023 with global cardiovascular physicians and surgeons:
It will feature a faculty of experts from Africa, Germany, Spain and USA who will spend their precious time to share their clinical experiences with the global community.
Register at www.pascats.com for your link to join the livestream.
Faculty
The faculty of internationally renowned experts who have sincerely accepted our invitation in response to the challenges of congenital and acquired heart valve diseases facing the underserved communities in low and middle income countries.
The Faculty L-R: PD. Dr. Regina Bokenkamp, Snr. Consultant Interv. Cardiologist, Leiden Univ. Med. Centre (LUMC), Leiden, PD. Dr. Axel Unbehaun, Berlin, Snr. Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Lead, Heart Valve Unit, German Heart Center Charité Berlin (GHCCB), Chair & Speaker, Prof. Charles Yankah, Cardioth. & Vascular Surgeon, Director, Humanitarian Cardiac Surgery- Global Heart Care, Berlin, Speaker, PD. Dr. Bettina Pfannmueler, Heart Centre Leipzig, Chair, Panel, Prof. Tomasa Centella, Snr. Consultant Cong Cardiac Surgeon, Univ. Hosp. Madrid, Panelist, Prof. Nana-Akyaa Yao, Lead, Cong. & Pediatric Cardiology, UGMC, Accra, Accra. Speaker, Prof. Abdelmalek Bouzid, Head, Cardiovasc Surgery, Univ of Algiers (UA). Speaker, PD. Dr. Christoph Klein, Berlin. Snr. Consultant Interv. Cardiologist, GHCC Berlin, Chair, Speaker, Prof. Francis Smit, Bloemfontein. Head, Cardioth. Dept., Univ of Frees State (UFS), Bloemfontein, Panelist.
They will address the audience about echocardiographic diagnostics of congenital and inflammatory incl. rheumatic heart valve diseases, degenerative structural heart valve disease as well as adults with congenital heart valve diseases and the cutting-edge technologies (interventional and surgical procedures) for managing low and intermediate risk surgical patients.
Among the presentations are illustrative video films on modern minimally invasive surgical management strategies and catheter-based technologies for treating patients with heart valve disease to secure a better outcome.
The moderators will open active discussions with the panelists, invited discussants and the global livestream audience on the challenges of valvular diseases in low and middle income countries and the management strategies to treat the vulnerable groups of patients.
The expected target groups are: Cardiologists/Internists, cardiac surgeons, intensive care physicians and cardiovascular nurses, public health physicians, epidemiologists, physician assistants, civil society, academia.
Virtual Events
1. Multi-Site Webinar on 22nd Feb. 2023 at 16-18:15 hrs.
Bridging Site (Berlin, Germany): German Heart Centre Charite Charité Berlin (Deutsches Herzzentrum Charité Berlin.
Global Network of Global Heart Care – PASCaTS
Livestream: Active and passive participants will be provided with a link to join live videoconference
2. Social activities, media
2.1 Text messages: The faculty and invited valve experts will send text messages to the global cardiovascular communities
2.2. Heart Walk
Walking events will be held in Algeria, Ghana and South Africa. Walking can improve your health, keep you in good shape and promote a pleasant social relation.
2.2. Radio Interviews in Africa: Multi channel outreach programs
Conclusions
In conclusion, let’s work together to turn the global healthcare system, focused on heart valve disease management especially the preventable rheumatic heart valve disease into a national asset for all citizens. The impact of efficient heart valve disease management on patients’ outcomes will balance public versus private interests to strengthen the health of the global community.
Prof. Dr. Charles Yankah
CEO/Founder, Global Heart Care (GHC)
German Heart Centre Charit é Berlin
Director, Humanitarian Medical Aid Operations-GHC & Humanitarian Cardiac Surgery - GHC
E-Mail: cyankah@web.de
Information: www.pascats.com
Global Heart Forum Network
Global Heart Forum (GHF)
Global Heart Forum (GHF) is an innovative educational platform of Global Heart Care-PASCaTS dedicated to connecting professionals in cardiovascular science, technology and clinical practice to share their experiences with colleagues in Africa and arround the world.
It hosts educational events in collaboration with German Heart Centre Charité Berlin -University Hospital of Charité Berlin that brings world-leading experts together in person and online, who will share their thoughts around best practice, review current guidelines in cardiovascular surgery esp. in congenital and acquired heart diseases with focus on rheumatic heart disease.
The GHF is a growing community of cardiovascular professionals, including business, charity leaders, academics, civil society and policymakers passionate about promoting cardiovascular education and clinical science-led development in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
Prof. Dr. Charles Yankah
CEO/Founder, Global Heart Care (GHC)
German Heart Centre Charité Berlin