"By the same token it's personally very rewarding, as you're helping people who otherwise would not be helped. These people have no other options, there is no other pacing service anywhere near them and they're always incredibly grateful."
The team provided critical services such as inserting pacemakers and ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) which aren't provided by the local health service.
Twice a year the trip was made to Fiji for a week or 10-day visit to see as many patients as possible.
The cost of the trip was covered either by Friends of Fiji or donations from individuals and Rotary.
The team is made up of a cardiologist, two or three experienced cardiac physiologists and a senior cardiac cath lab nurse.
The team worked alongside a local Fijian team of senior doctors, nurses and a radiographer.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board team leader and senior pacemaker technologist Sheryl Tait also volunteered her time and expertise on this trip.
"We are the pacemaker service for the Pacific essentially," Tisch said.
"There's no local service. That's why we've increased it to twice a year, because the more pacemakers you put in the more follow-up you've got. This trip we saw 87 patients and operated on 14."
The focus was on upskilling the local medical team.
"We make a goal of trying to train the local cardiologists and nurses," he said.
"Every time we go there the local team is getting better and better. Our aim is to make ourselves redundant, for them to be self-sufficient."
The New Zealand team arrived in Nadi on a Sunday afternoon, travelled across to Suva, operated for five days, and then flew out on the following Saturday.
"We saw some fantastic cases," Tisch said.
"One guy was brought in who was getting CPR at the time. If he'd come in the day before or the week after we arrived he would've died. So there are lives saved, it's not only about lifestyle improvement. It's why you get into medicine, it's very gratifying."
Tisch thanked all those who were involved.
"I'm very grateful to my colleagues for donating their time, the various charities that support us with airfares and other costs, and the device companies which donate the gear. Pacemaker manufacturers Medtronic have been particularly good in this regard for a long time. And we're grateful for the support of the DHB in allowing us the time off."
PIPS is driven by Bay of Plenty District Health Board consultant cardiologist Dr Dean Boddington who had operated in Fiji and other islands multiple times.
A number of other DHB staff had helped out in various capacities on previous trips. The next trip to Fiji was scheduled for September, when the pacemaker team would accompany another which performed open heart operations.
