Cardiology is here to stay

I believe I have established a needed service here. The residents and practitioners from all over the hospital call and request consultative and echocardiographic services for their patients. Today, a patient from Lobatse was referred for an outpatient echo. A patient was sent from the outpatient clinic who had severe AR, severe MR, TR with evidence of moderately severe pulmonary hypertension who will need valve-replacement surgery. A patient with an ST-elevation MI airlifted to South Africa returned with a new stent and relief of post-infarction angina. An elderly man with complete heart block returned from the same hospital with a new pacemaker, and since cataracts were discovered, restored vision as a result of cataract extraction and lens implant. I am working with the echo companies to fund the 3 month training of an Xray technician to learn echocardiography, so a modern echo lab can be established here at Princess Marina Hospital. If this can happen, I will feel that I have made a difference here.