24 February 2023

As part of the Heart Research Month, we had a chat with Janet Chen, Cardiac Physiologist. Janet moved to Australia from China in 1992 where she worked in Sydney and trained as a Cardiac Physiologist. She began working at Austin Health in 2001 and now works on 5 North Cardiac Diagnostics. Janet has had the opportunity to train in Echocardiography and Cardiac Devices, under the guidance of supportive and esteemed medical specialists.

You work as a Cardiac Physiologist, can you tell us a bit about your role and the role of the broader Cardiac Technology team?

We have about 25 Cardiac Physiologists in our Deptartment. Staff have different qualifications depending on their role in the department and which stream they choose to follow.

We provide access to the full range of cardiac services, including, Car Park Pacemaker clinic (only one is Australia) and Remote Monitoring Clinic and follow up. In my role, I primarily work as an echocardiographer and cardiac device specialist.

The comprehensive services make our jobs very interesting and challenging. We need to be up-to-date with the latest information and technology, so we can provide the best service possible for our patients and treating teams.

I love and enjoy working in Cardiology/Cardiac Diagnostic Dept. We have great cardiologists, cardiac physiologists and nurses!

February is Heart Research Month, shining a light on heart disease. What is something about heart disease people may not know?

We often come across patients who present to hospital too late after they have had a heart attack. People may not be aware that heart attacks do not always present with typical symptoms, like chest pain. Non-typical symptoms of heart attacks include jaw pain, sweating, left arm pain, indigestion etc. Recognising your symptoms and coming to the hospital as soon as possible after a heart attack is crucial.

The theme for this day is all about wearing red. Who are you wearing red for?

For patients and all Austin Health staff who are working very hard for our patients.

What’s one moment in your career you are most proud of?

There have been many of those moments throughout my career. One I remember well is when I insisted on having one of the EP consultants look through past ECGs of a patient who was originally booked in for a pacemaker implant. The ECGs appeared to show heart block, though on closer examination there needed to be further investigations. The patient ended up having an electrophysiology study (EP study) on the same day which proved that she did not need a pacemaker.

It is important to recognise when patients may not need the procedure they have been referred for. This shows the important role we play as a Cardiac Physiologist.

How important is research to the future of medicine?

Research is very important. There are many unanswered questions in science and medicine. We should always be thinking outside the box. Medicine is ever-changing, as are methods of diagnosis and treatments of conditions.

Which Austin Health value do you feel you live out daily in your work?

Together we achieve. I believe that working collaboratively ensures that we can provide the best outcomes for our patients, and I take pride in my work and the work of colleagues.