Ten patients in Tonga have received new pacemakers, in surgeries carried out by a a team of cardiac experts from New Zealand last week at Vaiola Hospital in Nuku'alofa. The first time this surgery has been done in Tonga.

The team consisting of Fiona Ridelle, Bridget McIlraith, Dr Jonathan Tisch and RN Edeltraud Schick, held clinics at the hospital from 1-5 May and assessed patients and checked pacemaker devices. They also providing virtual clinics to monitor patients.

They were in Tonga as of part of a development cooperation funded by New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS) and delivered by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), stated the NZ High Commission in Nuku'alofa.

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The team includes two cardiac physiologists, a cardiologist and a cardiac nurse.

Cardiac Physiologist and Team Lead for the deployment, Dr Fiona Riddell, said in 2018 they undertook the first pacemaker operations. “However these were only replacements as we knew in advance that Tonga did not have a functioning portable image intensifier at the time, which is the x-ray required in theatre to guide the placement of the pacemaker leads in the heart.  

"We held a clinic in December 2022 and identified patients who needed pacemaker replacements; they were reprogrammed to maximise the battery life until we could return to replace the pacemakers, which is a key purpose for our trip." 

Riddell reiterated the importance of the trip to assess all patients with pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD). 

"There are 36 known patients in Tonga with a pacemaker or ICD that require annual check-ups with specialised pacemaker equipment. The exact number of patients who require a pacemaker implant is unknown but the local team have identified eight patients and are still trying to locate any older cases. 

“We will also be assessing any patients referred for a new pacemaker implant and to implant a pacemaker into all patients we can within the constraints of our operating time and our consumables.  The implantation of new pacemakers will be a first in Tonga as the previous surgery in 2018 was only to replace pacemakers." 

Meanwhile, the NZMTS covers six island nations; Fiji, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Vanuatu.

The team were in Tonga from 29 April to 5 May.