News and events

Many years ago the Ayala, Dara and Dom Miloserdiya Foundations combined to develop the Cardio Surgery project. Currently, one of the most acute problems in Kazakhstan is child mortality from congenital heart disease (CHD). Each year about 3,000 children are born with serious defects, of which only between 10 and 15% live to reach their first birthday. The problem is that Kazakhstan has never had any clinics able to operate on children with CHD who weigh less than 12 kg, which is the average weight of a one-year old child. Many of them never make that weight.
As part of the Cardio Surgery project, our Kazakhstan specialists underwent training in some of the best foreign clinics, which meant the Syzganov institute was able to perform operations to correct CHD. Currently, about 30 children have been successfully operated on.

Kazakhstan has always had problems with performing ultrasound examinations, which is why at the end of the year, ultrasound experts from the Syzganov institute were sent on vocational training to Tomsk. The role of ultrasound operators is very important as it is often their opinion that acts as the basis for doctors' diagnoses.

The following is a report on the ultrasound specialists' training:

Between November 8 and 20 we were on training at a gynecological clinic in Tomsk (The Siberian State Medical University). Every day, between 9.00 and 12.00, we had lectures, and between 14.00 and 19.00 - practical exercises. A pilot project has been started in Tomsk Oblast to examine all pregnant women in the first three months of pregnancy using ultrasound examinations to highlight any genetic pathology and perform biochemical blood tests. If anything is discovered, the patient is sent for cytogenetic testing, meaning genetic disorders should be detected far earlier. If pathology is detected during an examination, then the parents are able to decide whether to keep the pregnancy. CHD detection is also part of the treatment as it is often caused by genetic illness. A course in genetics has helped our understanding of the prenatal diagnosis of all congenital malformation of fetation (CMF), including CHD.

Between November 20 and December 18 we studied at the Russian Medical Academy of  Cardiology NII of the Siberian Department of the Russian Medical Academy. Every day between 7.15 and 8.00 we accompanied the doctors on their ultrasound rounds in intensive care. Then, between 8.00 and 12.00 we visited echocardiogram patients in the children's cardiology ward, before and after operations. Between 12.00 and 16.00 we worked alone and participated in endovascular examinations. At the end of the day we had hour-long lectures from professor A A Sokolov. Every Friday at 11.00 we helped analyze patients in the children's cardiology ward together with a council of pediatricians, ultrasound specialists, endovascular researchers and cardio surgeons. The council was responsible for deciding what type of operations were required and the possibility of correcting CHD by surgery.

We also took part in three conferences:

- the 3^rd All-Russian Seminar in Children's Cardiology and Cardio Surgery: Modern Techniques in Daily Practice, at which we participated in a master class on prenatal CHD diagnosis;

- a round table New Techniques for treating irregular Heart Rhythms;

- a seminar Endovascular Methods for treating and diagnosing atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries.

The huge difference between echocardiogram methods in Tomsk and ours is worth noting. Our Russian colleagues have improved echocardiography capabilities by introducing modern ultrasound equipment in their clinics. The Tomsk children's cardio-surgery ward has great experience and created an extensive research archive, which they shared with us with pleasure. We were also impressed with their team approach to the children's cardio-surgical ward, which has helped doctors resolve many issues together, and as a result, better perform the operations they need to. In addition, we actively studied transesophageal echocardiography methods.

Since returning from Tomsk we have been able to use all aspects our apparatus, and also help cardio surgeons and emergency physicians.

We would like to thank the Ayala and Dara Foundations for their help in improving CHD diagnosis in Kazakhstan! Many people from Kazakhstan undergo operations in Tomsk, which is proof that cardio surgery in Kazakhstan is still at the level it should be. Thank you for your help in improving the situation!

The Dara Foundation committed to pay 50% of travel and accommodation costs - a total of 398,622 tenge.

The Dara Foundation would like to thank Mark Findlay for his help with Foundations collected at the 5^th Oilmen's Charity Gold Competition, as it was this event that helped send the ultrasound specialists on their training.