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[Heart surgery in Brazilian Indians]
W J Gomes1, A C Carvalho, J P Vieira Filho
1Escola Paulista de Medicina-UNIFESP-São Paulo.
Arquivos Brasileiros De Cardiologia
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Surgical treatment for heart disease in Amazonian Indigenous peoples improved survival and social reintegration. Congenital heart defects were most common, with valve disease higher in acculturated individuals.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Indigenous Health
- Tropical Medicine
Context:
- Review of surgical treatment for heart disease in Indigenous populations of the Amazon.
- Focus on patients from primitive stages of acculturation.
- Experience gathered from São Paulo Hospital between 1988 and 1995.
Purpose:
- To review the experience with surgical treatment of heart diseases in Indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
- To analyze the types of cardiovascular conditions treated and outcomes.
Summary:
- 18 patients underwent 22 cardiovascular surgical procedures, including valvar disease, congenital heart defects, submitral aneurysm, and arrhythmia.
- Congenital heart defects were the most frequent condition; coronary artery disease was notably absent.
- Hospital mortality was 11.1% (2/18), with one late death (1.25% late mortality).
Impact:
- Successful surgical interventions enabled surviving Indigenous patients to return to their communities.
- Higher incidence of valve disease observed in acculturated or semi-acculturated Indigenous individuals.
- Highlights the feasibility and positive impact of cardiovascular surgery in remote Indigenous populations.