American Society of Echocardiography Foundation collaborates with SSSIHMS
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries.
The disease begins in childhood, damaging the valves of the heart which leads to severe disability and eventually death. In India, more than 25 lakh people suffer from this disease. Unfortunately, the current “state of the art” treatment for this condition is based on data that is more than 15 years old. The American Society of Echocardiography Foundation (ASEF) and the Sri Sathya Sai Institutes of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS) in Bangalore and Puttaparthi joined in the fight against RHD. The ASEF VALUES program (Valvular Assessment Leading to Unexplored Echocardiographic Stratagems) program was a teaching and research event which assessed the full spectrum of abnormalities seen in rheumatic valvular heart disease using state of the art technology. ASE team members – internationally renowned physicians and highly skilled cardiac sonographers – worked hand in hand alongside SSSIHMS and select national faculty to shed new light on one of the world’s oldest diseases.
The ASEF VALUES program took place in August 2014. Data from this program has been used to help us determine, for example, how hand held mobile technologies can help physicians better evaluate patients with complex valvular and structural heart diseases.
