Invitation

PEDIATRIC CARDIAC MISSION

Hospital del Nino Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante,

Guayaquil, Ecuador

April 26th – May 3, 2025

A CardioStart mission team made an inaugural visit to the Hospital del Nino Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante in Guayaquil, Ecuador on invitation by the hospital and the Fundacion El Cielo Para Los Ninos de Ecuador), 2017. 

The Children’s Hospital Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante had already received gold level accreditation by Accreditation Canada International (ACI) on November 20, 2014, after meeting international health care standards of quality. This is the first hospital in Ecuador and Latin America to receive international accreditation; it was recognized as one of the first medical units to meet international standards of quality care and services provided to its citizens. The hospital has 442 beds, modern equipment, as well as several clinical and surgical subspecialties. Services provided by the hospital include cardiology, endocrinology, genetics, dermatology, gastroenterology, nutrition, hematology, oncology, infectious diseases, nephrology, neurology, pulmonology, neonatal intensive care, intensive care unit, pediatric outpatient palliative care unit, pediatric gynecology, and emergency medicine.

Despite this quality facility the hospital has historically lacked the manpower and funding to continually support its heart surgery program for children with congenital heart disease; it has been forced to accept visiting teams for the heart patients in need.  Our CardioStart Team will return this year following the country’s several economic and political setbacks, and more recently the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic. 

The surgeons, led by Dr. Montero, provide an excellent standard surgery, and a similar standard in peri-operative care; they accomplish this despite several shortcomings in equipment and regular shortages in vital disposables which have become worse in recent months.  Regular staff support during the operative day and night cover to permit more complex cases be taken on, are simply not available.  Nevertheless, the staff in the Cardiovascular ICU at the Hospital del Nino Francisco de Icaza Bustamante were knowledgeable,  friendly and eager to learn.  Their previous knowledge and eagerness to learn enabled them to develop great assessment and critical thinking skills to care for the very ill postoperative cardiac surgical patients during the course of the mission. 

The invitation has come from the local Foundation led by Dra. Zorayda Figueroa M. Psych Ecuador (Executive Director, Fundacion El Cielo Para Los Ninos de Ecuador) and by Dr. Renzo Cifluentes MD, (Mission Coordination & Medical Director)  

Hotel, in-country transportation and security arrangements will be managed by the Foundation.

CardioStart Hospital Team required

  • Surgeon: (2) (filled)
  • Anesthesiologist: (1)
  • Cardiologist (filled)
  • Intensivist: (1)
  • Perfusionist: (1) 
  • Pediatric ICU Nursing (3) 
  • Research Coordinator filled

CardioStart Outreach team 

  • Physician (filled)
  • Nurse (filled)

HOW TO APPLY TO JOIN THE TEAM:

Our hosts, Fundacion El Cielo Para Los Ninos del Ecuador, and the hospital we are assisting, have suffered severe financial restrictions during the Covid pandemic that have limited how many rooms in the hotel they can support. For this reason, we are agreeing to same-gender room sharing, where possible and team numbers will therefore be more restricted than usual to ensure

we balance the room allocations carefully. As usual, teams are assembled strictly on the “first come – first served” qualified basis. Those who could not be previously accommodated in a previous mission application will be prioritized.

Apply here.

Communicate directly with Ms. Janine Henson at Janine.henson@cardiostart.org

TRAVELING TO ECUADOR: 

Ecuador uses the US$ currency. Flights are usually cheapest through Miami, but Texas and Los Angeles may be also competitive and more convenient f

or some. American Airlines, TACA, LAN, and other South American airline carriers are safe and efficient. 

SEEING ECUADOR/SAFETY: 

Ecuador is considered a Level two (Gold) exercise increased caution for crime, unrest and kidnapping by the U.S. Government rating system.  See Step.safe.gov. 

We ask that volunteers make any tourist arrangements after the mission has ended. Certain areas of Ecuador are generally safe, but it is vital to obtain the advice of Dr. Renzo Cifuentes (rocifuentesmd@gmail.com) before making any social/tourist visits. Petty crime is common and arrangements are best made in small groups.  

Located in northwest South America, “Ecuador,” means “equator.” The equator passes through Ecuador as well as Colombia and Brazil in South America. Ecuador also includes the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago of 18 volcanic islands located the in the Pacific Ocean approximately 1,000 km or 612 miles) west of the country. The diverse geography in the country ranges from sea level at the Pacific Ocean and climbs to an elevation of over 20,000 feet in the Andes. In fact, Ecuador boasts some of the tallest mountains in South America, and is home to 2 World Heritage Sites. Around the country you will find 11 National Parks, 9 ecological reserves, 4 biological reserves, 31 active and dormant volcanoes, and 26 beautiful beaches.

Roughly the size of Colorado, Ecuador, which is the smallest country in South America, borders Colombia to the north and Peru to the south. The Andes Mountains forms the country’s spine passing through the entire South American Continent.  Cotopaxi, in the Andes, is the highest active volcano worldwide. The Galapagos Islands are close to Guayaquil, easily reached by small passenger ferries, and are under the governance of Ecuador. They feature unique species of birds, reptiles, and plants.