PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have long-battled communicable diseases, and now, a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCD) is conferring tremendous burden in these areas. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the number one cause of death among NCDs across the globe. The current review provides insight regarding this disease burden and highlights challenges as well as strategies for establishing functional cardiac surgery centers and sustainable access to comprehensive cardiovascular care within LMICs. RECENT FINDINGS Without effective prevention and treatment strategies, estimates suggest that deaths from CVDs will reach 24 million by the year 2030. Surgery exists as a limited option for selected patients with advanced cardiac disease in LMICs in comparison with its availability in developed countries. Multi-lateral or public-private initiatives, government investment, philanthropic efforts, innovative financing systems to strengthen Universal Health Coverage, and expansion of training options through centers of excellence appear to be the way forward to broadening the availability of cardiovascular services, inclusive of surgery, to LMICs.

中文翻译：

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心脏外科手术：在中低收入国家/地区增加访问。

审查的目的低收入和中等收入国家（LMIC）患有长期传染病，现在，非传染病（NCD）的增加给这些地区带来了沉重负担。心血管疾病（CVD）仍然是全球NCD中死亡的第一大原因。本篇综述提供了有关这种疾病负担的见解，并着重介绍了在中低收入国家建立功能性心脏手术中心和可持续获得全面心血管护理的挑战以及策略。最近的调查结果表明，如果没有有效的预防和治疗策略，到2030年，心血管疾病的死亡人数将达到2400万。相对于发达国家，对于中低收入国家的某些晚期心脏病患者，手术是有限的选择。