Abstract
Pediatric cardiology is an established sphere of modern medicine; however, Nepal presently has limited facilities and skilled practitioners dedicated to this subspecialty of pediatric medicine. The purpose of this review is to analyze present status of pediatric cardiology and children’s heart care in Nepal. Observation of the children consulted and those admitted to the cardiac unit of Kanti Children’s Hospital (KCH), as well as the review of hospital records and existing scientific literature, have revealed that majority of cardiac diseases afflicting Nepalese children originate from infections that are preventable to a great extent. Congenital heart problems are the second leading source of cardiac disease in the Nepalese pediatric population. In order to develop pediatric cardiology as a successful field in Nepal in the coming years, the major issues to address include: early diagnosis, systematizing long-term antibiotic prophylaxis to patients who require it, improving referral and patient transportation securing, funding for the long hospital stays required, expenditure, training health personnel for the tender pre and post-surgical care, and expanding and improving patient and community heart health education. Several national and international organizations could provide important assistance for controlling the preventable and treatable infections associated with pediatric cardiac disease and heart defects as well as care of children with heart problems.Key Words: Children, congenital heart disease, heart, Nepal, pediatric cardiology, rheumatic heart disease.
Highlights
AND HISTORY OF PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGYSeveral specialty and super-specialty fields of medical science have been developed rapidly in recent decades, and these are inter-linked with multidisciplinary areas of natural and social sciences researches
For example, believe that Sun, Moon and Mars are important in the regulation of heart health and disease in humans, while the art and science of palmistry views the hand as an indicator of heart health, function and disease
Our review of the literature on pediatric cardiology and heart care in Nepal revealed a substantial lack of available data on the condition of children’s heart disease and treatment in the country
Summary
Several specialty and super-specialty fields of medical science have been developed rapidly in recent decades, and these are inter-linked with multidisciplinary areas of natural and social sciences researches. In 1929, Forssmann, a medical student in Germany first showed that heart can be approached in a human by insertion of a tube into the vein of an arm. Later this technique was developed into the diagnostic and therapeutic techniques of cardiac catheterization and he was awarded Nobel Prize. Director of Children’s Cardiac Clinic at John Hopkins University, is considered the founder of pediatric cardiology.[4] Development of sophisticated echocardiography has led to significant advances in the field, in the diagnostic arena of pediatric cardiology.[8] Recently, efforts are underway on genetic and molecular searches to diagnose and treat heart ailments both in children and in adults. Thoughtful use of hands and the stethoscope are still the major tools of diagnosing diseases in countries short on modern medical resources, like Nepal
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