What
We Do

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What
We Do

Learn more about SFA

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Our Mission

We believe that all patients – regardless of continent of birth – deserve access to lifesaving technology. In medical care, ultrasound is particularly essential given its affordability, safety, and wide applications. Yet too many African hospitals are left without necessary technology and training. We believe that improving access to ultrasound technology and the education needed to utilize it effectively will radically improve the quality of care provided in Africa and save countless lives.

To bring to life our vision for a healthcare system that is deserving of the African people, we focus on 1) research, 2) education, 3) service, and 4) sustainability. We seek to understand the patient population and the efficacy of ultrasound as a community-level intervention through research. To build local capacity in performing ultrasound scans, we conduct in-person training sessions in collaboration with our local partners. We depend on the service and beneficence of our global supporters, within healthcare and beyond.

Here’s the Problem

Access to ultrasound can mean the difference between life and death.

Ultrasound technology has been widely taken up in obstetrics (pregnancy) and trauma. However, echocardiography is still far too underutilized.

SFA is a new nonprofit organization founded to increase access to echocardiography in Africa.

Africans have some of the highest rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease in the world. Heart disease affects African people at younger ages than in the USA and Europe.

Heart failure is a disease syndrome that occurs when cardiovascular disease progresses. There are many different diseases that can cause heart failure. Many of these causes can be found on the African subcontinent.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is heart failure that occurs during or shortly after pregnancy. Women with peripartum cardiomyopathy require echocardiography for diagnosis and monitoring. For unknown reasons, peripartum cardiomyopathy is significantly more common in Africa than in anywhere else in the world.

Atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks, is an increasing problem in the developing world due to undernutrition from salty, fatty foods

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a major problem in Africa, and leads to hypertensive heart disease

Rare genetic causes of heart failure, like endomyocardial fibrosis, are more prevalent in Africa

Highly prevalent infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis (TB) can eventually cause heart disease

Environmental and occupational pollution lead to lung diseases that then cause heart disease. While mining for cobalt – a mineral that the world covets for use in batteries (like those in ultrasound machines!) – Africans are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease

Due to lack of resources – echocardiography machines, technologists to operate them, and cardiologists – most Africans with heart disease will never get a complete echocardiogram.

Many of these deaths would be preventable with improved access to echocardiography so that we can diagnose and treat these diseases before it’s too late. This technology would also allow us to understand these diseases better and come up with long-term solutions.

In contrast, patients with heart disease in the U.S. receive multiple echoes to diagnose and monitor their disease.

Our goal is to tackle this human rights issue. African hearts matter.

Reprinted from Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 82, Issue 25, George A. Mensah MD, Valentin Fuster MD, PhD, Christopher J.L. Murray MD, DPhil, Gregory A. Roth MD, MPH, “Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risks, 1990-2022,” 2350–2473, 2023, with permission from Elsevier

Research

In order to
Tailor care to patients with heart failure and
Reduce the global burden of heart failure, we need a
thorough understanding of the epidemiology of heart
failure in sub-Saharan Africa.
 
We will begin scanning the hearts of African patients with heart failure, starting with South Africa. We plan to expand throughout Africa. Our database of echocardiograms will also advance our collective scientific understanding of heart failure in Africa, which will lead to further lifesaving interventions in the near future.

Service

SFA’s work will help provide needed ultrasound imaging for patients. As we work, we leave ultrasound machines behind so
that local healthcare institutions can continue to diagnose
and manage cardiac disease.
 
Ultrasound is an incredible tool in medical care because it is cost-effective, safe, and has a wide array of applications. Ultrasound technology is used in almost every field in medicine, including pregnancy and trauma. By increasing access to ultrasound technology, we will improve outcomes far beyond heart disease.

Sustainability

We will empower local health systems by:
Improving access to ultrasound technology
Advocating for technological advances in Africa
Helping train clinicians to use ultrasound technology

Education

A major component of SFA’s mission is to teach healthcare workers how to use ultrasound technology and interpret the results.

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