Open Access

REVIEW

Unmet Needs in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery: A Review

by Dominique Vervoort^1,2,*, Mimi X. Deng^2,3, Aliya Izumi⁴, Shelby Kutty⁵, Frank Edwin^6,7

1 Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M6, Canada
2 Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
3 Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
4 Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H2, Canada
5 Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA
6 School of Medicine, University of Health & Allied Sciences, Ho, PMB31, Volta Region, Ghana
7 National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle-Bu, Accra, KB846, Ghana

* Corresponding Author: Dominique Vervoort. Email:

Congenital Heart Disease 2024, 19(5), 499-511. https://doi.org/10.32604/chd.2024.057749

Received 26 August 2024; Accepted 29 November 2024; Issue published 31 December 2024

Abstract

Pediatric and congenital heart disease (PCHD) affects millions of children worldwide, including over one million babies born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year and 300,000 children dying from rheumatic heart disease (RHD) yearly. Although the vast majority of children born with CHD in high-income countries now reach adulthood and RHD is nearly eradicated in these countries, most of the world cannot access the necessary care to prevent or mitigate PCHD. In low- and middle-income countries, over 90% of children with PCHD cannot receive the care they need, as over 100 countries and territories lack local cardiac surgical capacity. The unmet needs for PCHD are large, albeit still poorly quantified, resulting in a considerable socioeconomic impact at the individual and societal levels. This review highlights the extensive opportunities to improve access to and scale PCHD care by strengthening research, clinical care delivery, capacity-building, advocacy, health policy, and financing. We discuss global disparities in access to congenital heart surgery, the socioeconomic impact of untreated PCHD, and propose strategies for scaling pediatric and congenital cardiac care. Our recommendations focus on enhancing research and data collection, expanding training programs, improving healthcare infrastructure, advocating for policy changes, leveraging technological innovations, fostering international collaborations, and developing comprehensive care models.

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Keywords

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