Project Chagas Mexico 2018

About The Event

161

Patients Scanned

Held in Mérida, Yucatán, this event focused on pre-identified patients diagnosed with Chagas disease, to investigate the prevalence of Chagas cardiomyopathy, detect those individuals previously undiagnosed, and connect them with local cardiologists that would provide proper cardiac care within the regional public system.

What is Chagas Disease? Chagas Disease is caused by a parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that is transmitted through the “kissing bug”. The Mexican Government took significant initiatives to extinguish the bug and developed campaigns to detect the blood infection of this disease mostly prevalent in rural areas. This situation created a unique opportunity for the ASE Foundation and its partners to build on the previous government initiatives and screen for Chagas heart disease, which occurs in roughly 30% of those infected.

You can read about this event in the November 2018 issue of ASE’s Echo Magazine.

ASE’s guideline document on Chagas Disease can be found here.

Highlights

“Collaboration was at the core of this altruistic work: Yucatan and National Health services provided the opportunity to identify patiens with Chagas positive serology, contact them in their rural communities and bring them to the Hospital in Merida; Hospital O’ Horan provided the facilities, organization and local personnel; Philips Mexico provided top of the line echo and ECG technologies and technical support; doctors and sonographer volunteers from the US, Mexico, & Argentina provided the ultrasound and cardiology expertise; ASEF and ANCAM provided funding and overall organization; and the Mexican Federal Government – through their Center for Disease preventation, CENAPRECE – provided the commitment to expand in the near future this effort to other endemic areas in Mexico.” – Dr. Federico M. Asch

YouTube: Ecocardiografia Para Pacientes Con Mal De Chagas, published August 23, 2018

Local Volunteers Provided Patient Transporation

All the patients were transported from their rural communities by local volunteers, some transported for 1-2 hours to reach the hospital.

2.5 Days of Comprehensive Echo Exams

With the use of 5 advanced echo machines, 5 teams of volunteers from 3 countries performed comprehensive echo exams on 161 pre-identified individuals with Chagas positive serology.

Chagas Cardiomyopathy in ~30% of the Patients

The 30% of patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy were immediately connected with local public health system professionals and added to a registry to track and provide preventative care to manage their disease.

Mexican Healthcare Leaders Committed to Continue Screenings

Healthcare leaders have committed to continue these screenings throughout Mexico, following the protocols established for this event. Specific data will be provided in a scientific document in the coming months.

Yucatán Culture, Food, & History

It wasn’t all work, of course. After full days in the hospital, the team spent evenings experiencing the culture and history of the Yucatán region – local music and dance, the Mayan museum, and food!

Participants & Collaborators

The team consisted of ASE Foundation volunteer physicians and sonographers who worked along side physicians Verónica Bravo-Rendón, MD – Instituto de Corazón de Querétaro, City of Querétaro, State of Querétaro; Martin Ibarrola, MD, FASE – Centro Cardiovascular BV, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Adriana Ortega-Gutierrez, MD – Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, IMSS Mérida, Yucatán; Emma Rosas-Munive, MD – Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, México; and Benigno Valderrábano-Salas, MD – Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad Bicentenario de la Independencia ISSSTE, Tultitlán, México.

Members of the Philips Mexico Commercial S.A. de C.V. team were with us from the beginning of the planning process and throughout the on-site activities.

Team Leaders

Federico Asch, MD, FASE

Pedro Gutierrez-Fajardo, MD, PhD, FASE

Hilda Peralta-Rosado, MD

Team Members

Eric Kruse, BS, RDCS, RVT, FASE

Roberto Lang, MD, FASE

Tracy Lawrence, MD, FASE

Rachel Marcus, MD, FASE

Carolina Melendez, RDCS, RCS

Madeline Schiminger, BS, RDCS (AE, PE)

Allison Sterk, BS, RDCS (AE PE FE), FASE

Rhonda Price ASE Durham, NC

Partners In Care

The ASE Foundation partners for this event:
Hospital General Agustin O´Horan, Mérida, Yucatán
Philips Mexico Commercial S.A. de C.V.
Asociación Nacional Cardiólogos de México (ANCAM)
Servicios de Salud de Yucatán (SSY)
El Centro Nacional de Programas Preventivos y Control de Enfermedades (CENAPRECE)