HEALING THE WORLD WITH EACHHEART BEAT Babyheart Report29th Mission to Santiago, Dominican Republic

The International Children’s Heart Foundation is a non-profit medical charity dedicated to providing

life-saving surgical care to children with congenital heart defects in developing countries around the world.

Since 1993, more than 7,000 children in 32 different countries have received surgical care and thousands

of other children have benefited from the education and training provided to the in-country medical staff

during these humanitarian trips.

ICHF depends on financial contributions from individuals, businesses, corporations, foundations

and organizations in order to continue its very worthy mission of saving children with sick hearts

in under-resourced countries around the globe.

For more information about the International Children’s Heart Foundation,

and how you can help support their efforts, visit:

www.Babyheart.org

SANTIAGO Dominican Republic

29th Mission to Santiago, Dominican RepublicFebruary 15th - March 1st, 2014

International Children’s Heart Foundation made it’s 29th Babyheart mission trip to Santiago, Dominican Republic on

February 15th through March 1st, 2014 at the Dr. Arturo Grullon Children’s Hospital of Santiago.

Since our first mission to Santiago in February of 2006, we have provided 539 children in the Dominican Republic

with life-saving operations!

The Babyheart team, led by Cardiovascular Surgeon, Dr. Humberto Rodriguez, consisted of one cardiologist, one perfusionist, one anesthesiologist,

one scrub nurse, one intensivist, one PICU nurse educator, three PICU nurses and one biomedical engineer.

The team came from 5 different countries, all joining together for one cause - to save the lives of children with congenital heart defects!

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Maria Nunez7 Years OldVSD ClosureRolex Grosvenor6 Years OldTOF RepairJoshua Hutson12 Years OldTOF RepairJorge Rodrigues1 Year OldASO & PA DebandYandriel Sosa4 Months OldLeft Modified BT Shunt

BABYHEART Patients13 children received cardiac operations during this mission

to Santiago, Dominican Republic!

Marian Edomboro6 Years OldVSD Closure & PDA LigationGenesis Minaya1 Year OldGlenn Shunt LigationRosalyn Guzman2 Years OldAV Canal RepairDevan Persaud1 Year OldVSD ClosureJeremy Rayes1 Year OldVSD Closure

Michael Hernandez3 Months OldPulmonary Artery Band

Daniel Hernandez16 Years OldCoartcation of Aorta Repair

Isabel Garcia10 Years OldExtracardiac Fenestrated TCPC

JOSHUA Tetralogy of Fallot12-year-old Joshua is a handsome young man who suffered from tetralogy of Fallot, or TOF. TOF is a cardiac defect that consists of

four different congenital heart defects:• Ventricular septal defect (VSD)• Pulmonary stenosis• Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH)• Overriding aorta

Joshua was diagnosed in 2006 when a doctor found a hole in his heart. He was too weak to attend school and could only walk a

few feet before needing to rest. His skin was also very blue. Joshua was evaluated during our Babyheart mission to Jimani,

Dominican Republic this January and was put on the surgical list. His mother was very nervous about his procedure, but thankful for the hope and skill that the Babyheart team brought to Santiago. Joshua had his heart repaired on February 20th and left the ICU just two days later. He and his mother are very thankful for the opportunity he now

has to live a normal life.

MARIA LIZ Ventricular septal defectMaria is a beautiful 7-year-old little girl, with an infectious smile and zest for life. Maria’s little heart suffered from a heart condition known as

ventricular septal defect or VSD. VSD is characterized by a hole between the heart’s two bottom chambers known as the ventricles. The hole from the VSD permits oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to mix with oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle. This leads to shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, fatigue, and weakness.

On February 17th, the Babyheart team assisted by local staff surgeon, Dr. Ysaac Heredia closed the hole in Maria’s little heart. Maria became known as the ‘Princess of Santiago,’ during the mission

and grew close with many of our Babyheart volunteers. Thanks to our supporters, this sweet little girl now has the hope of living a healthy life.

SURGEONHumberto Rodriguez-Saldana, M.D.Mexico

CARDIOLOGISTThomas DiSessa, M.D. United States

PERFUSIONISTJessica Samson, C.C.P.United States

ANESTHESIOLOGISTJoab Ibarra, M.D.Mexico

SCRUB NURSEJennifer Riportella, R.N.United States

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERRoy MorrisUnited States

INTENSIVIST Ana Diaz Vico, M.D.Spain

PICU NURSE EDUCATOR & COORDINATORStacey Marr, R.N.United Kingdom

PICU NURSEMary Ann Lo, R.N.Canada

PICU NURSEDiane Gonzalez, R.N.United States

PICU NURSESara Snyder, R.N.United States

BABYHEART Volunteers

SPOTLIGHT Volunteer Surgeon Lead surgeon, Dr. Humberto Rodriguez-Saldana is a

native of Monterrey, Mexico, where he attended medical school at the local university. In 1996, through his fellowship in Pediatric

Cardiovascular Surgery at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, he met ICHF’s Founder, Dr. William Novick. Shortly afterwards in

February 2006, he began volunteering with ICHF.

Dr. Rodriguez and his wife have two daughters and a son. He loves traveling, martial arts, running, and breeding tropical fish.

Dr. Rodriguez has traveled extensively with ICHF, but holds the Dominican Republic close to his heart. “The Dominican program is full

of incredible people and is a growing more and more solid.”He is excited to return to Santiago on June 5 – June 14, 2014,

where we will save even more little hearts.

BABYHEART Education & Training Our mission is not only to provide free pediatric cardiac surgery, but to

also educate and train the local medical staff in pediatric cardiac surgery and care. Our Babyheart team and the local medical team are united

by a goal for them to one day, become a sustainable program and provide critical care for their own children.

This unique opportunity begins the moment our team arrives.

Our Cardiologist will evaluate potential patients, performing echocardiograms and reviewing records all the while explaining the findings.

Our OR team will review these findings and determine a strategical operating list with the local team, all the while training on methods, techniques and procedures.

Our PICU team will coordinate with the local team, ensuring our patients receive

the best around-the-clock care from the second they arrive from the OR to when they walk out of the ICU.

Babyheart volunteer OR Nurse, Jennifer shares,“Education is encompassed here on many levels: family education, supply worker exposure to the OR,

local staff training, and volunteers learning to excel and care for patients in less than optimal conditions.”

BABYHEART Upcoming Missions

Skopje, MacedoniaApril 19 - May 3Nasiriyah, Iraq

April 26 - May 24Benghazi, Libya

April 26 - May 24Tegucigalpa, Honduras

May 3 - May 17Kharkiv, UkraineMay 17 - May 24

Guayaquil, EcuadorMay 17 - May 31

Jimani, Dominican RepublicMay 24 - June 7

Skopje, MacedoniaMay 31 - June 14

Santiago, Dominican RepublicJune 5 - June 14

BABYHEART THANK YOU

Thanks to your generous support, 13 children received free pediatric cardiac operations to heal their hearts from

congenital heart disease and the local medical staff gained invaluable education and training that will assist them as

they grow to become a self-sustaining program.

William M. Novick, M.D. Founder & Medical Director Bill.Novick@babyheart.org

Terry R. Carter Executive Director Terry.Carter@babyheart.org Office: +1(901) 869-4243