LWB Advances Global Cardiac Care Through Newborn Screening Training in Guatemala
Dr. Guillermo Gaitán, cardiologist and physician partner with UNICAR, leads newborn cardiac screening training for midwives in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala.
Sebastian, LWB's health promoter, demonstrates newborn screening techniques during a training for midwives in rural Sololá.
Training equips midwives in rural Sololá to identify cardiac warning signs in newborns and improve early referral for life-saving care.
The first pilot training was held in San Lucas Tolimán, in the department of Sololá, and brought together 71 midwives from the municipalities of San Lucas Tolimán and Santiago Atitlán. In Sololá, approximately 60% of births are attended by midwives, making them a critical first point of care for newborns and families.
The training was led by Dr. Guillermo Gaitán, cardiologist and physician partner with UNICAR. The workshop focused on early recognition of congenital heart disease in newborns, emphasizing the importance of timely referral, as surgical success and long-term outcomes are closely tied to how early treatment begins. At UNICAR, fewer than 25% of cardiac referrals currently involve newborns, underscoring the need for earlier detection at the community level.
“This initiative reflects LWB's long-term commitment to improving cardiac outcomes for children worldwide,” said Christina Lindseth, International Director of Cardiac Care at LWB. “By equipping midwives with practical screening knowledge, we are strengthening frontline care and expanding access to early diagnosis and life-saving treatment.”
The potential reach of the training is significant. Participating midwives attend dozens of births and provide ongoing follow-up care each month, collectively representing the potential to impact more than 1,500 newborns annually in underserved communities where access to pediatric cardiology is limited.
Pre- and post-training assessments revealed a substantial knowledge gap prior to the workshop. Before the training, the vast majority of participating midwives reported they were not familiar with cardiac warning signs in newborns. Following the workshop, all participants indicated improved understanding demonstrating a measurable increase in frontline capacity to respond.
In addition to cardiac screening education, the training included information on other special needs that may present at birth, such as cleft lip and palate, clubfoot, and Down syndrome, along with guidance on referral pathways for families seeking support.
This pilot training marks an important step within LWB’s broader international cardiac care strategy, which spans early detection, referral systems, and surgical access across multiple countries. Building on the success of this initial workshop, LWB plans to expand and replicate newborn cardiac screening training throughout Guatemala where early diagnosis remains limited.
Through long-term partnerships with local medical professionals and community health providers, LWB continues to invest in sustainable, community-based cardiac care ensuring more children around the world are identified early and connected to the care they need to survive and thrive.
For more information about Love Without Boundaries and its global cardiac initiatives, visit www.lwbkids.org
Julia Chiodo
Love Without Boundaries
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