Cardiac Surgery in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A State-of-the-Art Review

Six billion people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack timely or ready access to safe and affordable cardiac surgical care when needed, which remains a low priority on the global public health and global surgery agenda. Here, we report the results of a state-of-the-art review of cardiac surgical care in LMICs to highlight the important milestones and current progress as well as the challenges associated with the expansion of sustainable global cardiac surgery for those in need.

A literature review was performed searching the PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases using a combination of cardiac surgery, global health, and LMIC keywords. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Global Burden of Disease Results Tool was used to assess the global burden of disease related to cardiovascular surgical diseases.

High-income countries are estimated to have more than 100 times as many cardiac surgeons per million population compared with low-income countries. There are more than 4000 cardiac centers worldwide, but less than 1 center per 10 million population in LMICs. Approximately 1.5 million cardiac operations are performed globally, of which a disproportionally low number are in LMICs. Despite the high costs associated with cardiac operations, recent data suggest the favorable cost-effectiveness thereof in LMICs. Opportunities arise to sustainably integrate cardiac surgery in holistic health systems strengthening interventions.

Skepticism underlying the need, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of cardiac surgery in LMICs prevails, but recent advances, successful case studies, and existing data illustrate the potential of expanding cardiac care globally.