Telemedicine to Timor-Leste: implementing an international cardiac telehealth service during population dislocation, floods and COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The East Timor Hearts Fund has provided cardiac services in Timor-Leste since 2010, conducting three clinics yearly. AIM: To develop collaborative telehealth services between Australia and Timor-Leste in the context of international border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Scoping discussions identified major challenges (structural, patient related and medical system related). At two pilot clinics, patient history, investigation and management were collated. Clinic metrics were compared with an index face-to-face clinic in February 2019. Post-clinic discussions identified areas of success and shortfall in the conduct of the telehealth clinics. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were reviewed at the online telehealth clinics held onsite at Timorese medical facilities. Compared with an index 2019 clinic, there were markedly lower numbers of new referrals (2 vs 190 patients; 8.7% vs 59.4%). Patients seen at the online clinic were predominantly female (17/23; 73.9%) and Dili based (18/23; 78.3%), with a mean age of 25.9 ± 7.2 years. The majority (12/23; 52.2%) had isolated rheumatic mitral valve disease. Investigations including electrocardiography, pathology, echocardiography and 6-min walk tests were conducted in select patients. Medication advice was provided for 10 (43.5%) patients. Eleven (47.8%) patients were deemed to require urgent intervention. Post-clinic discussions indicated general satisfaction with telehealth clinics, although frustration at the current inability to provide interventional services was highlighted. CONCLUSION: Our pilot telehealth clinics indicate that capacity-building telemedicine can be rapidly implemented in an emergency setting internationally. Clinic design benefits from careful identification and resolution of challenges to optimise flow. Cardiac patients in Timor-Leste have a significant burden of disease amenable to intervention.

Taking the pulse of Timor-Leste's cardiac needs: a 10-year descriptive time-trend analysis.

BACKGROUND: Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world. The East Timor Hearts Fund is a charitable organisation involving Australian cardiologists providing outreach screening and access to cardiac interventions. AIMS: To assess ten years of clinical volume, demographics and patient outcomes. Our intention was to identify existing limitations to facilitate planning for further capacity building over the next decade. METHODS: The East Timor Hearts Fund database was sectioned into 2-year intervals (2009/2010, 2011/2012, 2013/2014, 2015/2016 and 2017/2018). Demographics and clinical outcomes of patients were compared, with subgroup analysis of adult (>18 years old), paediatric and interventional patients. RESULTS: Over 10 years, 2050 patient encounters have occurred; 1119 (54.6%) encounters occurred in 2017/2018; 73.6% of patients were assessed in the capital Dili. Rheumatic and congenital cardiac diseases remain very common (39.1% of adult new patients and 74.2% of paediatric new patients), with 1.4% of new patients exhibiting both pathologies. The number of new patients with rheumatic or congenital heart disease tripled in 2017/2018 compared to 2009/2010 (99 vs 34 patients, P < 0.0001). Paediatric case volume increased over 10-fold over 10 years (288 new patients in 2017/2018 vs 24 in 2009/2010, P < 0.0001), with corresponding increase in proportion of paediatric interventions (59.4% in 2017/2018 vs 25.0% in 2009/2010, P = 0.027). For patients undergoing intervention (n = 87), post-procedural complications and mortality are extremely low (3.4% and 1.1%, respectively), with all eligible patients attending at least one post-procedure appointment. CONCLUSION: Demand for cardiac services in Timor-Leste is rising exponentially, with inequitable geographic coverage. Rheumatic and congenital cardiac diseases remain priorities for assessment, and paediatric case volume is increasing. Patients undergoing intervention experience good medical outcomes.

Adult and Paediatric Cardiac Intervention in Timor-Leste: Disease Burden, Demographics and Clinical Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The East Timor Hearts Fund (ETHF) is a charitable organisation of Australian cardiologists providing outreach screening in Timor-Leste. For patients requiring intervention, ETHF arranges logistics, procedures, and postoperative care. The aim of this project is to evaluate outcomes of patients requiring intervention. METHODS: The ETHF database of all patients was utilised to identify patients with disease warranting surgical or percutaneous intervention. Both patients who underwent intervention and those who did not proceed to intervention were included in this study. Patients who had intervention arranged by other organisations but have then had follow-up with ETHF were also included. Overall demographics and pre and postoperative factors were assessed, with sub-group analysis of adult and paediatric patients to identify any differences in care. RESULTS: Of 221 patients requiring intervention, 101 patients underwent intervention, receiving 22 different operations or procedures. Patients were predominantly young (median age 17.5 years) and female (64.7%), with rheumatic heart disease (63.8%). Twenty-four (24) (33.3%) women aged 15-45 years old with cardiac disease warranting intervention were documented as pregnant or breastfeeding at time of clinic assessment. Of patients who did not proceed to intervention, adults were more likely to be lost to follow-up (42.4% vs 18.5%) while paediatric patients were more likely to experience progression of disease (18.5% vs 7.5%, p=0.005). Median waitlist time was 5 months, with no significant difference between adults and children, correlating with a preoperative mortality rate of 5.4%. For patients who underwent intervention, post-procedure mortality was extremely low (0.9%) and attendance of at least one post-procedure review was excellent (99.0%). Eleven (11) (10.9%) patients have required repeat intervention, with no difference in rates between adult and paediatric patients. Length of follow-up extends up to 20 years for some patients. CONCLUSION: The Timor-Leste interventional cohort was predominantly a young female population with rheumatic and congenital cardiac disease. There were also high rates of pregnancy amongst female patients with severe cardiac disease. Delayed access to intervention may result in preoperative adverse events and mortality, and is a key target for improvement. Patients who undergo intervention have very low post-procedural mortality, good adherence to early medical follow-up and good long-term outcomes.