Queensland Cardiovascular Group is pleased to welcome Dr Maggie He to our team. Dr He is an interventional cardiologist with subspecialty expertise in the treatment of complex coronary artery disease.
"I realised I liked interventional cardiology when I was completing my advanced training. I found it to be an interesting and evolving field because there's always new techniques and technologies that are being developed. It is a very rewarding field because most of the time when you go ahead and do something, the results of that are imminent. I found that really, really rewarding in that it was something that was tangible."
A Path Shaped by Complexity
Dr He completed her advanced cardiology training between Gold Coast University Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, achieving Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP). She then pursued an interventional cardiology fellowship, first at Gold Coast University Hospital, and then a highly competitive Australia and New Zealand Endovascular Therapies (ANZET) Fellowship at Leeds General Infirmary in the United Kingdom.
Her UK training took her to one of the busiest heart attack centres in the world; a hospital recognised internationally for the volume and complexity of its coronary disease caseload.
"Leeds is the busiest STEMI [Acute Heart Attack] hospital in the UK. They do over 3000 stenting procedures including almost 1,500 STEMI procedures in one year. There is no single hospital in Australia that comes close to that volume. I got exposure to sick patients, complex disease and people presenting in all sorts of ways.”
Dr He returned to Australia as a recipient of the ANZET Fellowship Award, which reflects recognition of her international training year. She now brings that breadth of experience to patients across Queensland through QCG.
"Procedural skills are not the only thing I brought back from the UK. I have a true appreciation of the work our GPs do in the primary care setting to prevent and treat heart disease. We have a world class primary care service which I missed during my overseas Fellowship. Stents and angioplasty treat coronary disease, however non-procedural techniques managing heart disease are equally important"
What is Interventional Cardiology?
Interventional cardiology is a subspecialty of cardiology focused on the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease and other structural heart conditions using catheter-based techniques, that is, without open-heart surgery.
"Interventional cardiology involves procedures related to your heart arteries. We do a type of keyhole surgery in which we go through an artery in the arm or the leg to get to the heart. We can then introduce equipment to do various interventions. These include stenting procedures, ballooning, testing the blood flow in the arteries or high definition imaging of the inside of heart arteries.”
Treating Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease occurs when the arteries supplying the heart become narrowed or blocked, usually due to a build-up of fatty deposits. It is one of the leading causes of death in Australia. Dr He has a particular clinical interest in the management of coronary artery disease, from medical management through to complex intervention.
"Having coronary artery disease does not always mean you will present with a heart attack. Sometimes the growth of cholesterol plaque is slow and it is important that we detect and treat it before you have a major event.”
Not every person with coronary artery disease will need a procedure. For some, the condition is best managed through medication and lifestyle change. For others, intervention may be considered. The pathway is always determined by careful assessment and shared decision-making with the patient.
A Precision Approach to Complex Cases
Among Dr He’s areas of clinical focus is the use of intravascular imaging to guide coronary procedures. Rather than relying solely on X-ray imaging, this technique allows the cardiologist to look inside the artery with a specialised camera, providing a more accurate and objective picture of the disease and the optimal treatment approach.
"Intravascular imaging involves taking special catheters that create high definition images of your arteries with ultrasound or light waves. It helps us measure the artery, define the type of plaque and help plan stenting. Based on a few research trials, people have better long-term outcomes if you use intravascular imaging."
Dr He also has expertise in calcium modification techniques for patients with heavily calcified coronary arteries, including rotational atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy, and manages complex cases involving left main disease.
Prevention as Part of Every Consultation
While Dr He’s procedural expertise addresses coronary artery disease once it has developed, she approaches every patient with an equal emphasis on prevention and long-term heart health.
"As an interventional cardiologist it may seem that I want to do more stents and procedures, but I try to only do an intervention if it is necessary. Prevention is the key to good heart health. Medications and getting on top of your lifestyle factors are even more important in some cases than stents."
"It's never too early to start looking after your heart. We're now seeing people having heart attacks at a younger age and I think education is key. We are living more sedentary and high stress lifestyles. We lack sleep and sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. We have easy access to processed and fast foods.”
A Patient-Centred Approach
Dr He is known for her calm, considered approach to patient consultations. She takes time to explain conditions and treatment options clearly, with the aim of ensuring patients feel informed and supported throughout their care journey.
"I try to be very open to a person's feelings, whether that is anxiety towards the appointment, or whether it's their own beliefs about themselves and their healthcare. I strongly believe in shared decision-making. I'm not one to just force things on my patients. I really highlight the importance of educating patients in their own language, in a way that's understandable for them."
"I think all of those things have to be tackled in bite-sized pieces and in a way that is an open-ended discussion for both the clinician and the patient together."
Joining Queensland Cardiovascular Group
Queensland Cardiovascular Group is Queensland’s largest group of private cardiac specialists, with cardiologists practising across a range of subspecialties and locations throughout the state.
"QCG has the highest reputation of providing really good, reputable and high-quality cardiology care in Brisbane. My own values of cardiology care align with that. I want to provide really good, high-quality care and I believe that their core values and also their staff will push me to do that."
"We, as a team, provide evidence-based care. Being in a very big group with this multidisciplinary team gives us a wealth of not only experience to draw on, but also we have lots of subspecialties. If I was to encounter a condition that my patient has that I'm not specialised in, I know that I can refer them on to an expert who does. QCG is also associated with some of the best private heart hospitals in Queensland."
A Note from Dr He
We asked Dr He what she would want patients and GPs considering a referral to know about the care they can expect.
"I want to provide world class care to my patients in a calm and approachable manner. I always want my consultations to be presented in a way that is accessible to a non-medical person who just wants to improve their cardiovascular health."
Consulting Locations
Dr Maggie He consults at:
📞 (07) 3016 1111 | 📧 bookings@qcg.com.au
To learn more about Dr He, visit her profile page.
