Congenital cardiac malformations are the main cause of death among children. Worldwide, more than 6 million children suffer from heart diseases, while 80 percent of newborns affected by these malformations do not survive in developing countries. Bambini Cardiopatici nel Mondo, an Italian nonprofit organization (NGO), works hard to change this condition. Along with other groups, the NGO leads medical missions abroad to visit, treat and operate on children affected by congenital heart diseases. Furthermore, it provides training and education to physicians and health personnel.
Our platform supports global communication about children’s clinical cases
Our donation allows the NGO to use our web-based decidemedical online platform at no cost, benefiting children across the world. This software allows the NGO to share clinical data and medical images among various stakeholders involved in the treatment of children in various countries.
By using the platform, hospitals can submit cases with clinical information and medical images online. As soon as cases are uploaded, the medical team at Bambini Cardiopatici nel Mondo is notified, allowing the team to review and download the provided case information. With this information, case eligibility and treatment options can be discussed and advice provided – all centralized, remotely and quickly.
“This collaborative initiative allows us to further improve our activities aimed at treating and increasing life expectancy for children with heart diseases. At the same time, it helps us to develop distance learning and the real-time exchange of experience and training between doctors and healthcare professionals in developing countries where our association operates,” said Prof. Alessandro Frigiola, president of Bambini Cardiopatici nel Mondo. “The online application also improves the safety, accuracy and timeliness of diagnosis and follow-up for children who need our evaluation.” In total, as part of the donation for the NGO, up to 100 sites can participate and discuss 600 cases annually.
A real matter of the heart for us at ClinFlows
We are very impressed by the work done by the organization and its health professionals to help children with heart diseases around the world. In my first job, I worked as a perfusionist in the operating room, where I observed many children being operated on by skilled and passionate heart surgeons. Therefore, it is a real honor to contribute to this group’s efforts through the donation of our online solution to ease the work of Prof. Frigiola and these hard-working teams. In the truest sense of the word: this is a real matter of the heart for us.
About the author:
Uwe Gladbach is a biomedical engineer, who started his career as a perfusionist in open heart surgery back in the 90ties. In more than 25 years he gained experience in the medical device industry in various positions, covering clinical research, as well as sales and operations in global positions. Uwe is the CEO and founder of ClinFlows, which offers e-solutions for clinical workflows.
