Asian cardiovascular & thoracic annals
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Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann · Apr 2021
United in earnest: First pilot sites for increased surgical capacity for rheumatic heart disease announced by Cardiac Surgery Intersociety Alliance.
Rheumatic heart disease affects more than 33,000,000 individuals, mostly from low- and middle-income countries. The Cape Town Declaration on Access to Cardiac Surgery in the Developing World was published in August 2018, signaling the commitment of the global cardiac surgery and cardiology communities to improving care for rheumatic heart disease patients. ⋯ Substantial progress has been made since the passing of the Cape Town Declaration and the formation of the Cardiac Surgery Intersociety Alliance, but ongoing efforts with collaboration of all committed parties-cardiac surgery, cardiology, industry, and government-will be necessary to improve access to life-saving cardiac surgery for rheumatic heart disease patients.