Cardiac Disease
Cardiac defects are common in Viet Nam and often go unnoticed for a significant amount of time. We see two different types of cardiac defects – congenital and acquired. Congenital defects are those that occur in the embryo at the time of the heart’s development. They can be associated with a genetic disorder (such as Down’s syndrome) or sporadic. Some require minor surgery (like closure of holes between heart chambers) and some require larger surgeries or multiple procedures (like Tetrology of Fallot). The other type of cardiac defect we see is acquired valvular disease from Rheumatic Fever. This is damage to the heart valves (often thickening and then valve incompetence) that is a reaction to a throat infection with streptococcus. Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease is common in Viet Nam and often goes unnoticed until the child has symptoms of their valvular disease. Surgery involves either a valve repair or valve replacement. Our foundation evaluates each case referred to us to determine who needs surgery and how much we will contribute (families often contribute a portion depending on their financial situation). We use local doctors to perform the procedures and we help with followup and medication.
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