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Heart to Heart Mission

For more than 20 years, the IPA has performed life-saving heart surgery on over 400 patients in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

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Honduras Mission

The IPA is working with Duke to expand their heart surgery mission program in Honduras. We have a mission trip planned for mid-May. Stay tuned for more information.

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Your Mission Trip

The IPA will gladly make donations to qualified charitable organizations who perform cardiac surgery mission work for patients in need.

600+

Patients served

Help Mend a Heart!

Every member of our team is an unpaid volunteer, so please take comfort in knowing that 100% of all donated funds go directly to patient care. Your generosity is so very welcome and will help save lives!

— Latest News —

Heart Cardioplegia 2023

Patient Outcomes After Introduction of Novel Myocardial Protection Protocol for Prolonged Aortic Cross-Clamping

This study evaluates the impact of a revised myocardial protection protocol implemented in 2021 at St. Marianna University School of Medicine for patients undergoing cardiac surgery with prolonged aortic cross-clamping (>4 hours). The revised protocol, focusing on the timing and method of blood cardioplegia administration, led to significantly lower postoperative creatine kinase levels and shorter hospital stays, indicating improved myocardial protection without altering the cardioplegia solution itself.

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Minimally Invasive vs Conventional Coronary Bypass Surgery for Multivessel Coronary Disease

This study compared minimally invasive coronary surgery (MICS-CABG) to traditional sternotomy-based CABG in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. Analyzing matched cohorts of 244 patients each, the research found similar completeness of revascularization and comparable 5-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). MICS-CABG also had high graft patency (96.2%) and fewer transfusion needs, indicating it as a viable surgical alternative.

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Innominate Artery Graft Cannulation

Neutrophil Percentage to Albumin Ratio Is Associated With In-Hospital Mortality in Patients With Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

This study found that a higher neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio (NPAR) on hospital admission significantly predicts in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD). Among 813 patients, higher NPAR levels correlated with increased risk of death, acute kidney injury, and longer ICU stays. NPAR outperformed neutrophils or albumin alone in prognostic value, suggesting it as a valuable, accessible clinical biomarker.

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