We are pleased to announce that we have reopened our Heart Center in Ecuador and are once again saving lives in Quito! Mr. Ramiro Garzón, a prominent philanthropist and entrepreneur, well known for his leadership and vision for the future, is leading our Ecuador Heart Center.
Dr. Diego Egas , a highly respected Ecuadorian Cardiologist, is volunteering his time and expertise to implant donated HBI cardiac devices and manage HBI patient care in Ecuador.
Dr. Egas writes:
“Unfortunately we still have patients that require pacemaker implantation but due to the fact that we are facing a pandemic, we have decided to operate just the emergency cases in order to preserve our patients’ safety. For this and hoping to have better conditions soon, we ask you to please continue helping our people because this is their only chance to survive and to have a good quality of life.”
Lives Saved
Mr. Garzon and Dr. Egas highlighted two emergency cases completed on behalf of HBI Ecuador for us to share with you. These implants took place in the midst of the CoVid-19 pandemic as they were deemed necessary for patient survival. We hope they inspire you as they have inspired the HBI family:
Maria Esther Vargas, 75
“Ms. Vargas is a 75-year-old lady with a sick sinus node disease diagnosis. We implanted a single chamber pacemaker with good results and this allowed us to optimize clinical therapy for bradycardia – tachycardia syndrome and improved symptoms of the patient. On the followup visit, she was stable with no recurrence of syncope.”
Maria Celina Valladares, 84
“Ms. Valladares came in with a complete AV block diagnosis. She had a past history of recurrent syncope and low output. We decided to implant a dual-chamber pacemaker with septal stimulation with good results. No new episodes of syncope.”
“In both patients, the pacemaker telemetry didn´t report any malfunction or sensing/capture issue. As ever, both patients will receive regular follow-up care necessary to ensure their devices are working efficiently, and medications are complimenting their improvement.”
Help us Do More
HBI Ecuador has a long history of saving lives. We are grateful and excited to have this location open and saving lives once again. To help us continue our global mission, consider donating today. Every person deserves a chance to live.