Dr. Hsu Li Fern

Dr Hsu Li Fern is a cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Novena Heart Centre.

He provides specialised care in all general heart conditions, as well as heart rhythm abnormalities including the evaluation and treatment of atrial fibrillation and flutter and sudden cardiac death. These include performing procedures like catheter ablation, and implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators.

Upon his graduation from the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (MBBS, 1992), he underwent basic training and obtained his post-graduate degree (MRCP, UK, 1997). He then completed his Advanced Specialty Training in Cardiology in 2001.

Then, through the Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) Award, he went on to pursue a two-year fellowship programme at the Hospital Cardiologique du Haut-Leveque in Bordeaux, France in 2002, where he trained in the management of cardiac arrhythmias. The stint earned him the Certificate of Specialist Training in Cardiology from the University of Bordeaux. In 2005, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, as well as of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore. Two years later, he was admitted as a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology. Prior to his move to private practice, Dr Hsu was a senior consultant in the Department of Cardiology at the National Heart Centre, Singapore.

Dr Hsu’s name is well known in regional and international circles. He has been invited as Faculty for numerous regional and international scientific meetings, including the scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society. He is also frequently invited to teach and demonstrate catheter ablation and device implantation techniques at various regional hospitals.

Research is one aspect of medicine that Dr Hsu sets aside time for. With more than 70 papers published to date in prominent international scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Circulation, he has the respect of other researchers in the cardiology arena. Dr Hsu has also received substantial research grants for several of his studies where he was the Principal Investigator. He is also the 2005 winner of the Myer Sims prize awarded by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for best research publication.

In recognition of his vast knowledge and expertise, Dr Hsu has been a Manuscript Reviewer for several journals including Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm, Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology, Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore and ASEAN Journal of Cardiology. He was also given the Reviewer with Distinction Award in 2007 and 2008 for his contributions to the Singapore Medical Journal.

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

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

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, Haïssaguerre 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

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

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