Doctor's Profile
Dr Hsu Li Fern
Cardiology
Clinic
Novena Heart Centre
Address
Mount Alvernia Hospital
820 Thomson Road
Medical Centre A #05-01
Singapore 574623
Clinic Hours
8.30am to 5.30pm (Mon – Fri)
8.30am to 12.30pm (Sat)
About
Dr Hsu graduated from the National University of Singapore, and obtained his postgraduate degree, the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (United Kingdom) in 1997. He underwent advanced specialist training in Cardiology at the National Heart Centre, Singapore, from 1998 to 2001, followed by further training in the management of cardiac arrhythmias at the Hopital Cardiologique du Haut-Leveque, Bordeaux, France, from 2002 to 2004. During this period, he obtained the Certificate of Specialist Training in Cardiology from the University of Bordeaux. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the Fellowship of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore, and is also a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.
Dr Hsu is widely recognized as an expert in the field of heart rhythm problems. He has been invited to give talks at both regional and international scientific meetings, particularly on heart rhythm issues. He has also been invited to teach and demonstrate catheter ablation and device implantation techniques at various regional hospitals. He has more than 70 papers published to date in prominent international scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Circulation, and had won prizes for his research, including the Myer Sims prize of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 2005. His specific interests include the evaluation and treatment of atrial fibrillation and flutter, and sudden cardiac death.
Academic and Professional Certifications
MBBS (National University of Singapore) – 1992
MRCP (Royal College of Physicians, UK) – 1997
Specialist Accreditation in Cardiology (Singapore) – 2001
AFS Cardiologie (Diploma in Cardiology, University of Bordeaux, France) – 2003
FRCP (Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh) – 2005
FAMS (Academy of Medicine, Singapore) – 2005
FESC (European Society of Cardiology, Europe) – 2007
Current Clinical Subspecialty Interests
General and Preventive Cardiology
Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing
– Management of all forms of cardiac arrhythmias, especially using interventional techniques such as catheter ablation, as well as pacemaker and defibrillator implantation
– Particular interest in the management of atrial fibrillation
Awards and Prizes (Academic/Professional)
1. Myer Sims Prize (Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh) 2005 for Best Publication
2. Health Manpower Development Program Overseas Training Award 2002, Ministry of Health, Singapore
Current Teaching Appointments
1. Teaching Faculty, Master of Medicine Degree in Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore 2006 – Present
2. Visiting Specialist, Military Medicine Institute 1999 – 2009, then ad-hoc
3. Instructor in Advanced Cardiac Life-Support, Life-Support Training Centre, Singapore General Hospital 2000 – Present
Current Research Interests
1) Screening and prevention of sudden cardiac death
2) Treatment of atrial fibrillation – pharmacological and catheter ablation
3) Heart failure and arrhythmias
Relevant Publications (Selected out of a total of >70)
1) Hsu LF, Jaïs P, Sanders P, Garrigue S, Hocini M, Sacher F, Takahashi Y, Rotter M, Pasquié JL, Scavée C, Bordachar P, Clémenty J, Haïssaguerre M. Impact of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation on cardiac function in patients with congestive heart failure. N Engl J Med 2004; 351: 2373-2383
2) Hsu LF, Jaïs P, Keane D, Wharton JM, Deisenhofer I, Hocini M, Shah DC, Sanders P, Scavée C, Weerasooriya R, Clémenty J, Haïssaguerre M. Atrial fibrillation originating from persistent left superior vena cava. Circulation 2004; 109: 828-32
3) Antzelevitch C, Pollevick GD, Cordeiro JM, Casis O, Sanguinetti MC, Aizawa Y, Guerchicoff A, Pfeiffer R, Oliva A, Wollnik B, Gelber P, Bonaros EP, Burashnikov E, Wu Y, Sargent JD, Schickel S, Oberheiden R, Bhatia A, Hsu LF, Haissaguerre M, Schimpf R, Borggrefe M, Wolpert C. Loss-of-function mutations in the cardiac calcium channel underlie a new clinical entity characterized by ST-segment elevation, short QT intervals, and sudden cardiac death. Circulation 2007;115:442-449
4) Brooks AG, Stiles MK, Laborderie J, Lau DH, Kuklik P, Shipp NJ, Hsu LF, Sanders P. Outcomes of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation ablation. Heart Rhythm 2010; 7:835-846
5) Haïssaguerre M, Extramiana F, Hocini M, Cauchemez B, Jaïs P, Cabrera JA, Farre G, Leenhardt A, Sanders P, Scavée C, Hsu LF, Weerasooriya R, Shah DC, Frank R, Maury P, Delay M, Garrigue S, Clémenty J. Mapping and ablation of ventricular fibrillation associated with long-QT and Brugada syndromes. Circulation 2003; 108: 925-8
Research and Other Grants
As Principal Investigator/Project Director
1. Health Service Development Programme Award. Curing Atrial Fibrillation by Catheter Ablation Guided by Detailed Electroanatomical Mapping and Intra-Cardiac Echocardiography. (Awarded: October 2006; Amount: S$ 1,380,000)
2. SingHealth Foundation Project-Based Research Grant. Rejuvenating the failing heart: An experimental study of a minimally invasive method of repopulating cardiomyocytes with bone marrow stem cells using contact mapping system of the Endocardial Solutions, Inc. (ESI) and Stiletto cell injection system. (Awarded: April 2006; Amount: S$ 212,500)