Dr Liang-Han Ling Endeavour Research Fellowship

Dr Liang-Han Ling —Endeavour Research Fellowship Home institution: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, VIC Host institution: St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, UK

“I had the opportunity to be involved in designing new ways of treating heart rhythm patients, including the development of new operative ablation techniques to cure heart rhythm disorders.” Dr Liang-Han (Han) Ling poses with a model of a patient’s heart at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, 2014. The ‘red zone’ marks the source of an abnormal heart rhythm, which he has successfully mapped and ablated from within. Photo courtesy of Troy Watts Han Ling describes himself as an electrician of the heart. Technically speaking, Han is a cardiac electrophysiologist—a medical doctor specialising in the treatment of patients with heart rhythm disorders. Han attended medical school at the University of Adelaide to train as a cardiologist, following which he moved to Melbourne where he earned a PhD conducting medical research at the University of Melbourne. Han says he became interested in electrophysiology while in medical school, “I was amazed that by simply taping a few electrical wires to a patient’s arms and legs and connecting them to an oscilloscope, their heart rhythm could be read through a tracing on the screen. Different electrical short circuits could be diagnosed in action. By applying the correct treatment—sometimes an injection, other times an electric shock—you could revive an unconscious patient, and instantly snatch them from an untimely death. I was fascinated and decided then to pursue a career in heart rhythm disorders.” With the help of his Endeavour Research Fellowship, Han was able to move to London where he trained and conducted research at St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Barts), the largest heart rhythm centre in the United Kingdom. Han says he learned a great deal working alongside leaders in the electrophysiology field. “I learned a variety of advanced keyhole surgical approaches to curing heart rhythm disorders. Not only was it an excellent environment in which to learn, but also to teach more junior doctors training in the field. The department has a reputation for continually evaluating new medical technologies, and constantly refreshes its approaches to treating heart rhythm disorders. I had the opportunity to be involved in designing new ways of treating heart rhythm patients, including the development of new operative ablation techniques to cure heart rhythm disorders.”

Dr Liang-han Ling – Endeavour Research Fellowship 1 of 2 Han says he not only gained valuable clinical experience—he also had the opportunity to work on a range of research projects, focussing on a form of arrhythmia that causes irregular heartbeats called Atrial Fibrillation (AF). “This heart rhythm disorder is widespread in the elderly and causes the dreaded complications of stroke and heart failure. One of my projects investigated the impact of curative keyhole surgery for AF in patients with heart failure. The combination of AF and heart failure is particularly problematic to treat, and associated poor outcomes in terms of quality of life, complications, and survival. This study included multiple specialist centres across the UK and its results strongly support the use of AF ablation in improving patient outcomes and avoiding potentially life-threatening complications like stroke. “The Endeavour Research Fellowship gave me the opportunity to venture overseas for sub- specialty clinical and research training in an overseas centre of international repute. I have gained invaluable skills from my training at St Bart’s. This process allows a global exchange of ideas and practices, engenders fruitful international collaborations, and importantly imports medical expertise back into Australia. “Living in London gave me the opportunity to see and experience a lot of Europe and its people. I have been fortunate to get to know number of UK doctors, cardiac physiologists, and nurses who have been great colleagues and friends.” After completing his Endeavour fellowship, Han decided to stay on at Barts till early 2015 to gain further clinical and academic experience. Han has now returned to Melbourne and is working as a consultant cardiologist at the Alfred Hospital. He also continues to conduct medical research at the neighbouring Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. Han says, the professional relationships he developed in the United Kingdom further strengthened ties and ongoing collaborative projects between the Alfred Hospital- Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute network and St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Two of several studies Han has co-authored are now published:

 Ullah W, Hunter RJ, Baker V, Ling LH, Dhinoja MB, Sporton S, Earley MJ, Schilling RJ. The Impact of Catheter Contact Force on Human Left Atrial Electrogram Characteristics in Sinus Rhythm and Atrial Fibrillation. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2015 Jul 7.

 Breitenstein A, Glanzmann M, Falk V, Maisano F, Stämpfli SF, Holy EW, Finlay M, Ling LH, Schilling RJ, Lüscher TF, Steffel J, Camici GG. Increased prothrombotic profile in the left atrial appendage of atrial fibrillation patients. Int J Cardiol. 2015 Apr 15;185:250-5.

Dr Liang-han Ling—Endeavour Research Fellowship Page 2 of 2