{"id":70303,"date":"2023-06-23T06:06:46","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T12:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=70303"},"modified":"2025-01-15T09:39:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T16:39:17","slug":"lone-tree-cardiologist-brings-expertise-and-technology-to-zimbabwe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/lone-tree-cardiologist-brings-expertise-and-technology-to-zimbabwe\/","title":{"rendered":"Lone Tree cardiologist brings expertise and technology to Zimbabwe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Dr.
Dr. Mark Keller discusses ECHO and ECG results with his colleagues. With digital devices, health care professionals can upload cardiac screenings to iCloud, where they can be interpreted in Zimbabwe or Denver. Photo courtesy of courtesy of Tinotenda Michael Simemeza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a country of more than 16 million people and only a handful of heart specialists, cardiac care is desperately needed in Zimbabwe but difficult to find, especially for those living in remote communities.<\/p>\n

That is slowly changing through a partnership between medical professionals in the African nation and their stateside colleagues, spearheaded by Dr. Mark Keller,<\/a> a cardiologist at the UCHealth Lone Tree Medical Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Keller first went to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, in 2019. He was part of an exchange program<\/a> to work with local doctors and increase their cardiac training, as well as instruct them in the use of easy-to-use digital equipment that makes diagnosing heart problems much easier for medical staff and more convenient for patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can now go out into the smallest clinics in the most rural villages, meet with patients and send the results back to the iCloud, where they can be read by doctors here in the U.S.,\u201d Keller said. \u201cIt feels really good for all of us to be doing this since so much of the population there doesn\u2019t have access to good cardiac care and are suffering because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keller didn\u2019t travel alone on his trips to Zimbabwe, including a second, more recent one this spring. He brought along valuable companions \u2013 Butterfly IQ ultrasound probes and SmartHeart digital devices. Both portable digital devices can be used on patients being seen for cardiac problems, including hypertension, chest pain and edema, with results captured, uploaded and stored in a secure iCloud via a smartphone.<\/p>\n

Keller has helped train local doctors in Zimbabwe to use these \u201cpoint of care\u201d echocardiograms (ECHO) and digital electrocardiogram (ECG) devices to identify high-risk patients. The results can be relayed back to locally trained practitioners there, as well as interpreted by cardiologists like Keller here in Denver.<\/p>\n

An ECHO is a graphic outline of the heart\u2019s movements. An ECG is a test that measures the electrical activity of the heart, with both tests measuring the health of the heart. \u201cPoint of care\u201d means testing that is done near or at the locale where a patient receives treatment, as opposed to traveling a long distance to a hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter we screen these patients and diagnosis them, many of them can be treated with the proper medication and achieve a positive outcome,\u201d Keller said.<\/p>\n

\"Heart
Heart disease is rising in Africa. Dr. Mark Keller is working to improve outcomes by bringing stateof-the-art technology to colleagues there. Photo courtesy of Dr. Mark Keller discusses ECHO and ECG results with his colleagues. With digital devices, health care professionals can upload cardiac screenings to iCloud, where they can be interpreted in Zimbabwe or Denver. Photo courtesy of Tinotenda Michael Simemeza..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because ECHOs and ECGs are currently only offered in two cities in Zimbabwe, patients historically have faced long waits, travel hassles and higher costs to seek care for potential heart abnormalities. Which is where the new technology comes in.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 70 percent of Africans lack access to timely cardiovascular specialists, and these services need modernizing,\u201d said Dr. Integrity Mchechesi, one of several Zimbabwe-based medical specialists working with Keller. \u201cOver 1 million people die of heart diseases every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heart disease is growing in Africa, including Zimbabwe, where it is now the fourth-leading cause of death because of chronic contributing medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and HIV\/AIDS, along with diet and sedentary lifestyle issues.<\/p>\n

But by offering \u201cpoint of care\u201d diagnostic services<\/a> \u2013 where local doctors trained to use these hand-held cardiac devices travel to patients and not vice versa, a much wider net can be cast to improve health outcomes for greater numbers of Zimbabweans in their own communities.<\/p>\n

To further move the needle on the country\u2019s sobering health statistics, Keller and the team in Zimbabwe, many of who began working with him when they were medical interns four years ago at Harare\u2019s Parirenyatwa Hospital, have formed a telehealth organization called Azanza Telehealth.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of this has been huge. What we really want to do is expand our efforts by bringing healthcare to you, whoever you are and wherever you\u2019re at,\u201d said Dr. Tinotenda Michael Simemeza, who is training to be a neurosurgeon.<\/p>\n

Along with cardio services, the ECHO and ECG devices can be used for pregnancy and general ultrasound support. For instance, the devices assist in checking for issues with thyroid, breast, prostate, kidney and musculoskeletal problems. Eventually, Azanza staffers hope to ramp up technology amenities so that patients can order medications online and for those suffering from hypertension and cardiac disease, receive medical advice 24-7.<\/p>\n

For the Azanza team, the point-of-care philosophy aligns with its vision of delivering better healthcare to Sub-Saharan Africa. That includes:<\/p>\n