PCCSF Doctors: Saving Lives in South Florida and Abroad
February is American Heart Month, a time to commit to a healthy lifestyle and promote heart health. With heart disease being the leading cause of death for both men and women, the entire month is used to raise awareness on different types of heart-related diseases including congenital heart defect, which is recognized February 7-14.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, congenital heart defect (CHD) is one of the most common types of birth defects affecting nearly one percent (or about 40,000) births per year in the U.S. alone. CHD is also the leading cause of birth defect-associated infant illnesses and deaths. Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida is the leading group of pediatric intensivists in South Florida providing comprehensive pre- and post-operative care for infants, children, and young adults undergoing heart surgery. One of the group’s doctors, Dr. Ryan Moran, has not only devoted his time to saving the lives of South Florida children, but has also participated in mission trips to developing countries providing life-saving medical care to children and young adults with heart disease.
Through Heart Care International, Dr. Moran has participated in a total of six trips and has traveled to El Salvador, Peru and Mexico. The trips consist of a fully comprehensive team of surgeons, OR staff, nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, and cardiologists. During the nearly 10-day long trips, the team of doctors devotes the first five days to performing surgeries and spends the remainder of their time training the host-country medical professionals so they can work independently into the future. Roughly 20 surgeries are performed on children between the ages of 1 and 5, but care is also provided to newborns and those 18 and older.
Dr. Moran provides pediatric critical care services to children after congenital heart surgery and is part of the team who educates and guides the host medical team. The program’s mission to not only provide care in areas of limited resources but also training to empower the host medical care teams is why Moran decided to get involved with Heart Care International, and he looks forward to his next trip in the fall of 2017.
For more information on Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida, visit www.pccsf.com.
