New technique set to revolutionise heart rhythm treatment

Published: 28 September 2025

Heart Foundation grant recipient Dr Allan Plant received hands-on training in a new heart rhythm treatment method which could improve outcomes for New Zealand patients and the health service alike.

A New Zealand cardiologist is helping bring a groundbreaking heart treatment to our shores, thanks in part to a Heart Foundation overseas research and training fellowship.

2023 Heart Foundation Benjamin Fellowship recipient Dr Allan Plant has spent the last year at a world-renowned French university hospital investigating a strategy for a new heart rhythm treatment.

CHU Haut Leveque is regarded as one of the leading centres worldwide for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart rhythm problem that can lead to heart failure and strokes. Recently, this has included the adoption and investigation of novel pulsed field ablation (PFA) techniques.

This treatment is in its early days in New Zealand but overseas has been shown to have benefits for both the patient and for the health service.

Unlike traditional ablation (which uses heat or cold), PFA uses electric fields to selectively target heart muscle cells without impacting surrounding tissues. 

“PFA procedures are often shorter and more accurately target areas of the heart and as such has less potential for complications. In addition they require less anaesthesia, and result in a faster recovery time compared to traditional ablation techniques with better use of hospital resources,” says Dr Gerry Devlin, Heart Foundation Medical Director.

Allan will be sharing his knowledge with local cardiologists at New Zealand conferences and hospitals, after returning home in September 2025 to take up a role as cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Tauranga Hospital.

Learnings support introduction of new technique

For Allan, access to this technology was a crucial part of his overseas training and research grant. He gained hands-on experience with new PFA products that aren’t yet available here but are expected to arrive in the next few years.

“Hopefully it will enable a shorter and faster adoption process for this new technology in New Zealand,” he says. “It’s been great to learn from experts at a hospital who developed the techniques that are used to treat patients with AF throughout the world every day.”