Department Of National Cardiothoracic – Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
The Cardiothoracic Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has been in existence since the early sixties.From those years till the late nineties, surgical procedures were more of thoracic surgery.An occasional closure of patent ductus arteriosus rounded off the cardiac section.This state of affairs was due to a number of factors, the prominent ones being the following:
– Lack of basic infrastructure
– Lack of trained personnel especially in the fields of anaesthesia, intensive care and cardiopulmonary perfusion technology
– Lack of ancillary support e.g. Non-invasive and invasive cardiopulmonary diagnostic facilities.
In August 1981, a new concept was worked out by the then Director of the NCTC with the objective of taking steps to make the establishment of a modern Cardiothoracic Centre a possibility. The concept was debated for many years and in 1989, it was adopted by the Government of Ghana, which then provided the infrastructure and the funds for the establishment of the new National Cardiothoracic Centre.
A group of Ghanaian nurses and technicians were trained for a year in Germany to form the nucleus of the new centre, which was officially commissioned by the Head of State in April 1992. Facilities were upgraded and new ones provided to make the diagnosis and management of almost the whole spectrum of cardiothoracic diseases possible. The guiding principle was to take measures to maintain discipline, avoid waste of resources, provide comprehensive service and to inculcate a sense of mission into personnel.
For the first time in the history of this country, complete evaluation of cardiothoracic diseases became not only possible but very safe and of a standard comparable internationally. The National Cardiothoracic Centre in Korle Bu, Accra is one of the few centres which is functioning in Africa.
Cases Managed At The Centre Include The Following:
– Children with complications of chest infections
– Children who have foreign bodies such as screws, peanuts etc. blocking their airways and lung passages.
– Children with foreign bodies such as coins, nuts, screws etc. blocking the food passage
– Complications of chest injuries in both children and adults especially following Road Traffic Accidents
– Children with scarred food passage after accidental ingestion of caustic soda (for local soap production) or acid.
– Children with congenital heart disease
– Children and young adults with destroyed heart valves following rheumatic heart disease following streptococcal sore throats.
– Vascular injuries
– Aortic Aneurysms
– Cancers of the oesophagus
– Cancer of the lungs
– Tumours of the chest cavity
Referrals
As at now, patients are referred from the following countries: Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Cameroon and Benin.
Training
The National Cardiothoracic Centre has been accredited by the West African College of Surgeons as a Centre of excellence to train future Cardiothoracic
Surgeons in the West African Sub-region
The practical and part of the theoretical aspects of the programme initiated by the Ministry of Health to train critical care and peri-operative care nurses for the health institutions of Ghana take place at the Cardiothoracic Centre. The Director of the NCTC is one of the consultants overseeing to the smooth running of this very important national programme.
Cardiopulmonary Perfusionists are trained to operate the Head-Lung-Machine, Cell Saver and Other Equipment.
Units Within The Centre
Non Invasive Cardiac Diagnosis Unit which provides the following:
– 2-D Colour Flow Doppler Echocardiography
– Transcesophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
– ECG
– Exercise ECG (Ergometry)
– Holter Monitoring (24 hour ECG Recording)
– Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (24-hour BP Recording)
– Invasive Cardiac Diagnostic Unit
– Cardiac Catheterization including Coronary Angiography
– Peripheral Angiography
– Endoscopy
– Oesophago-Gastro-Duodenoscopy (fibre optic)
– Bronchoscopy (fibre optic)
– Rigid Oesophagoscopy
– Rigid Bronchoscopy
– Radiology
– Fluoroscopy
– Chest X-ray
– CT Scan
Out Patient Section
For initial assessment and follow-up of patient
Out patient laboratory services
– Cardiopulmonary Technology And Laboratory Services
– Heart-Lung-Machine
– Ultra filtration
– Cell Saver
General Biochemistry
Haematology
Basic Bacteriology
Blood gases and electrolyte analysis
– Haemo And Peritoneal Dialysis Unit
– Five Fresenius Dialysis machines 200 SE and RO 300 Reverse Osmosis system
Operating Theatre
– Equipped to carry out the whole spectrum of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery
– Post Operative Intensive Care
The Centre has a 6 Unit Intensive Care Area with all the facilities for the pre and post operative care of cardiothoracic patients.
Ward
There are 32 beds distributed as follows:
12
10
6
4