I plan to work at the Hospital Escuela Oscar Danilo Rosales A. in León, Nicaragua to screen and treat patients with rheumatic heart disease. This will make a different because patients who are living with untreated cardiac valvular disease can become very sick and die from heart failure. By screening patients and getting a balloon valvuloplasty, patients can go on to live long and healthy lives.
Project Health for Leon works to improve the standard of living for Nicaraguans suffering from rheumatic heart disease. Rheumatic heart disease can occur when antibodies that form as the result of untreated strep throat infection attack the mitral valve. This condition is common in Nicaragua. The surgery to replace the valve is expensive. Through the work we do with Project Health for Leon, patients can have this surgery for free.
The impact of this program will be to help people in Nicaragua living with rheumatic heart disease. Personally, I expect this experience to broaden my understanding of medicine as a trainee, nourish my growing interest in global health, and allow me to connect with a special population of patients. As I advance in my medical training during cardiology fellowship, I would like to keep global health as an important part of my training and ultimately of my career. This experience will be very formative in setting up relationships for me to do that as well as motivating me to continue pursuing this path.
I helped run a cardiology clinic for patients living in Nicaragua. Nicaragua does not have any cardiology training programs, so there are very few cardiologists in the country. By bringing a cardiology clinic to Nicaragua, we are able to take care of patients with heart disease, including congenital and acquired disease and recommend catheter-based interventions or surgeries. We also work to obtain supplies and staffing to support these efforts. On this trip, we screened patients for cardiac disease with a plan to follow up in six months for a cath/surgical mission. I learned a lot during this trip because there were many pediatric patients with unrepaired congenital heart disease. I also was able to work with the Sonographer and learn basic echocardiography skills. In the United States, we do not see this extent of pathology, so it was invaluable to me as a learner. I also really enjoyed working with people and Nicaragua. They are so grateful of our care and it was an honor and pleasure to take care of their children. I hope to return for further efforts in the future, as I learned how important this work is for patients and their families.
