Each
year 7,000-8,000 children are born with congenital
heart diseases, and approximately half of them
(3,500-4,000) need to undergo heart surgery in
due time so as to survive lead a normal, healthy
life; otherwise, these children will die in a short
time or continue their life filled with sufferings
before premature death. Unfortunately, the limited
number of pediatric heart surgeons and operation
rooms in state hospitals forces these patients
to turn to privately-owned heart centers, which
as earlier mentioned also fall short of nurses
with relevant experience and training. This restriction
hinders the effort to provide heart surgery to
these child patients.
Since 1998, our Heart Center has performed heart
surgery for more than 1,200 patients, over 400 of
whom are children. And to relieve the problem from
the lack of medical personnel, our center organizes
for our medical staff training courses lectured by
cardiologists, physicians, heart surgeons and professional
nurses (3 classes in medical care for critical heart
patients and 2 classes in medical care for young
heart surgery patients). With these training programs,
our heart center enjoys the 24-hour availability
of nurses familiar with caring for pediatric heart
surgery patients. Also, our Heart Centers trained
staff is well supported with advanced medical equipment
necessary. Moreover, our Quality Index indicates
the cardiac surgery mortality rate of 0.82% (compared
to the standard value of less than 1%) and the surgery
complications rate of 2.3% (compared to the standard
value of less than 5%). Our patients, therefore,
can be assured of high-quality Pediatric Heart Surgery
equivalent to that performed in public hospitals.
In early 2006 pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Pirapat
Mokarapong, who have operated on more than 3,000
young patients, referred to Phyathais Heart Center
the patients weighing less than 10 kg with complicated
and difficult-to-treat conditions (TOF disease, for
instance), with an aim to improve the centers capability.
Apart from that, our heart center also simultaneously
develops our nurses by organizing another training
course in medical care for young heart surgery patients.
 Then,
there arises the question as to where to
receive cardiac surgery. And here are some
considerations in choosing a heart center. |
- Experience of the cardiac surgeon (The
more experience, the better the outcome)
- Number of surgery patients in the hospital
(The more patients, the more expertise is
reflected)
- Clinical Quality Index (such as mortality
and post-surgery complications rate)
|
|
