After reviewing the significantly high rate of pediatric cardiac mortality in Iran—both before and after surgery—compared to developed countries, Zanjireh Omid decided to implement the Pediatric Cardiac Mortality Reduction Project at the Children’s Medical Center, the only pediatric heart hospital located within a children’s hospital in Iran.
In 2013, during a meeting between the CEO of Zanjireh Omid and Professor Pascal Vouhé, a pediatric cardiac surgery specialist at Necker Hospital in Paris, and after learning about the very low postoperative mortality rate in Paris pediatric hospitals (less than 1%), and comparing it with the high pediatric cardiac mortality rate in Iran (23.4% at the Children’s Medical Center), a decision was made to launch a structured project aimed at reducing pediatric cardiac mortality to levels comparable with developed countries.
Following three months of studies and evaluation conducted by the foundation, the main causes of the high mortality rate were identified as follows:
- Lack of effective teamwork among medical staff
- Absence of adequately trained nurses for proper preoperative and postoperative care
- Lack of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the only pediatric cardiac center in Iran
- Insufficient and outdated equipment in the intensive care unit
- Insufficient and outdated operating room equipment
- Inadequate salaries for nurses working in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit
After assessing these causes, Zanjireh Omid initiated a structural project to reduce pediatric cardiac mortality. Based on the findings, the foundation implemented the following measures:
- Construction and equipping of a 14-bed NICU at the Children’s Medical Center
- Training of nurses and medical staff both inside and outside the country
- Invitation of international medical teams
- Training of intensivists
- Payment of additional compensation to nurses of this center for a period of three years
- Complete upgrading and equipping of the cardiac operating room
As a result of implementing this project, the pediatric cardiac mortality rate before and after surgery was significantly reduced from 23.4% to 2.6%.
