Ten years of pediatric congenital heart disease surgery in a Caribbean nation.

Background: Socioeconomical limitations in developing countries make congenital heart disease surgery (CHDs) a challenge that often relays on humanitarian efforts. We aimed to describe the evolution of an established pediatric CHDs program in the Dominican Republic and the impact of international medical missions (IMM) on its sustainability.

Methods: Data of cases operated from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test to study trends between a 5-year implementation period (T1) January 2009-December 2013, and subsequent consolidation (T2) January 2014-December 2018.