XIAMEN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- At a Chinese hospital, minimally invasive heart surgery is routine. In Brazil, however, this is not the case. For one Brazilian surgical couple, that distinct difference is why they came.
Amanda Gabas Mercado and Eric Rodrigo Morales Mercado arrived in Xiamen in late April for a six-month fellowship. What they have seen has reshaped their vision of cardiac care.
The couple, from Salvador in northeast Brazil, are pursuing the fellowship at Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital, affiliated with Xiamen University. So far, their biggest takeaway has been proficiency in endoscopic minimally invasive heart surgery -- a technique yet to be widely adopted or standardized in Brazil's public health system.
Amanda specializes in surgical treatment for congenital heart disease, while Eric focuses on adult cardiac surgery, including valve repair and transcatheter interventions. They chose the hospital primarily for its advanced diagnostic equipment, robust medical support systems and high volume of complex heart surgery cases.
But what really touched them was how Chinese teams regularly use high-precision, minimally invasive techniques in everyday clinical practice, supported by standardized patient screening, careful preoperative planning, and strong multidisciplinary teamwork.
"In many places, minimally invasive surgery is reserved for select cases," Eric said. "Here, it's the norm for complex procedures."
One case stood out: a child with congenital heart disease went into cardiac arrest after surgery. The hospital team immediately activated an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine and mobilized all staff to save the child's life.
"Advanced medicine is not just about cutting-edge technology," Amanda said. "It depends on a well-trained team that can coordinate under extreme pressure."
The hospital is one of the core platforms for BRICS medical exchanges in China. The couple are participants in its Heart Sapling Visiting Scholar Program, launched in 2022, which trains cardiovascular professionals specifically from BRICS nations and other emerging economies. The initiative aims to fill clinical gaps, share advanced medical know-how and deepen practical health cooperation among member states.
As of September 2026, the program has trained 46 fellows from 18 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, Egypt, Ethiopia and Vietnam. Several graduates now hold key positions in major cardiac centers in their home countries.
For the Brazilian couple, the program exemplifies practical BRICS cooperation. Unlike short-term academic visits, it immerses foreign doctors in local clinical work, allowing full-spectrum exchanges on surgical techniques, medical concepts and care models.
"This turns international cooperation into something tangible. It's not just training -- it's a long-term investment in capacity building and public health development across BRICS," Eric said.
The couple already have a roadmap for their future profession when they return home. Amanda said they plan to systematically introduce minimally invasive cardiac surgery, build multidisciplinary teams, and share what they have learned to benefit Brazilian patients.
Eric stressed the need for local adaptation. "We won't simply copy the techniques," he said. "We have to adjust China's mature protocols to Brazil's resources, cost conditions and patient profiles -- to offer less invasive, faster-recovery cardiac care."
Looking ahead, they both call for deeper cardiovascular cooperation among BRICS nations. "We need to upgrade short-term individual exchanges into long-term strategic institutional partnerships -- covering training, clinical research and medical technology innovation," Eric said.
"Medicine has no borders," they said.
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