'Great medical beauty' restores heartbeats

Cutting-edge cardiac care is now available to patients in Queensland's Darling Downs and regional Southwest areas.

St Andrew's Toowoomba Hospital has introduced an innovative procedure to treat irregular heartbeats, using pulsed electric fields to precisely target cardiac tissue for ablation.

Surgeons create tiny scars on the heart with a flower-shaped catheter device to block faulty heart signals and restore a regular heartbeat.

For engineer Kevin Voeller, 51, the arrival of the Farapulse procedure at St Andrew's Toowoomba Hospital was potentially lifesaving.

In January 2024 he was experiencing a fast-racing heart, the first episode of a serious condition called atrial fibrillation (AF).

Symptoms include breathlessness, dizziness, lightheadedness, and chest discomfort. If left untreated it can lead to a stroke.

After experiencing two more episodes this year, Mr Voeller sought treatment with Toowoomba-based cardiologist Dr Caleb Mengel.

Dr Mengel recommended the Farapulse procedure, and Mr Voeller became the first patient to undergo it at St Andrew's Toowoomba.

He said he was thrilled with the care he received at the private hospital.

"They (the doctors at St Andrew's) are second to none," Mr Voeller said.

He said not having to go to Brisbane for the procedure and subsequent follow-ups was "a huge benefit".

"Just one night in hospital ... my wife dropped me off and did what she did with the kids that morning, and then she was in and out seeing me as she wanted," he said. 

"It was so good for us all."

Mr Voeller said he was feeling great "just like normal and in no pain".  

His only reminder of the procedure was some minor bruising from the catheter insertion.

Dr Mengel said the Farapulse technology, which has been around for the past 12 months and is being taken up by hospitals globally, minimised the risk to surrounding structures of the heart.

It enhanced patient outcomes and reduced recovery times, with many people back at work after only three days.

"Previously, this level of cardiac care was only available in capital cities," he said.

"Patients could be diagnosed in regional hospitals, but treatment often took them far from home and entailed a lengthy stay in an unfamiliar hospital.

"The introduction of this latest-generation technology means Downs and Southwest patients can be treated at St Andrew's in Toowoomba, rather than in Brisbane, and be back home sooner."

The Dalby-born and Toowoomba-educated cardiologist and electrophysiologist, who specialises in the treatment of rhythm disorders, said the new procedure was also safer and more effective.

"I know from growing up on the Downs that flowers are important and this 31mm device, in the shape of a flower, is a thing of great medical beauty," Dr Mengel said.

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