It’s the heartbeat that can be heard from over 250km away — well, through an app at least.
Data released on June 6 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that cardiovascular-related diseases were the leading cause of death across the nation for females and males.
The data also found that those rates were higher in regional Australia than in metropolitan areas, which could be attributed to the lack of cardiovascular care available in rural areas.
However, technology is the new frontier and promising cardiovascular machinery could save countless lives.
Living on a farm in Lancaster, Jeannine Oman lived with her husband, Greg Oman, and raised cattle, horses and sheep.
She loved the freedom and the endless grassy plains.
Mrs Oman’s battle with cardiovascular disease began when she experienced a persistent cough, dizziness and constant tiredness.
Mrs Oman went to her GP in Geelong, Michael Roberts, who said he had tested everything except for the heart.
“He said ‘I’ve done every conceivable test but about your heart’ so we tested the heart and that’s how we discovered that I had cardiomyopathy,” she said.
Cardiomyopathy is a condition that refers to several conditions where your heart is damaged and it is harder to pump blood through your body.
Mrs Oman was relieved to have been diagnosed but shocked to find that it was cardiovascular-related.
“I’ve never had anything that would indicate any issues with my heart … I’ve never had high-blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, anything,” she said.
“I used to say to Greg all the time when we bought the farm, ‘As long as we have each other, that’s all that matters — we can’t buy health.
“Needless to say, I lost a bit of mine, and he lost all of his.”
In July 2023, Mr Oman passed away from a heart attack.
It was a shocking blow for the Oman family — including the couple’s son, daughter and three grandchildren — who only had Mrs Oman left.
From then, Mrs Oman decided she needed to take her heart health seriously.
“You could have knocked us down with a feather because all of a sudden, the strong person we all knew was vulnerable,” she said.
“It was a shock, but I didn’t let it get me down. I just thought, well, it is what it is, I have to stand up and fight.”
She had been working with Dr Ryan Spencer, who specialises in cardiovascular health, but had not seen many positive results from medication alone.
“After 12 months, Ryan Spencer decided he wasn’t getting the results he wants, so in September of last year he put a pacemaker defibrillator in,” she said.
“So far, I’ve been coming along perfect.”
Dr Spencer grew up in the Macedon Ranges, so he knows the struggle that regional areas face when it comes to health care and access to speciality clinics that assist those with cardiovascular diseases.
When he moved to Geelong to start a family and began working as a cardiologist, he still wanted to be able to look after rural patients.
“Initially, it was designed by the Federal Government as an initiative to bring specialist care to rural areas, so we started using telehealth, and video-conferenced with patients in western districts and all the way out to South Australia,” he said.
“Then other technologies came on board that made the experience better for patients and doctors in terms of remote monitoring with pacemakers and defibrillators, and wearable technology as well.”
When meeting with Mrs Oman, Dr Spencer said she had “a very weak heart muscle”, which showed no improvement after she took medication.
“She was still struggling, so we implanted a pacemaker and defibrillator all in one box, and that basically re-timed her heart into the correct timing,” he said.
“Pacemaker therapy, for her, was completely life-changing, taking it from a state where her heart might have been at a 40 per cent capacity to now back almost to 100 per cent.”
The pacemaker and defibrillator send live data to Dr Spencer, where he can monitor everything from heart rate to fluid intake.
Mrs Oman can also input any worries or concerns she has into an app that is connected to the monitor, which is sent directly to Dr Spencer.
“The data we get from the pacemaker helps us optimise medical therapy, a tablet-based therapy, and allows us to get the best tablets for her.”
The device has allowed Dr Spencer in Geelong to receive Mrs Oman’s data from over 275km away at her new farm on the outskirts of Kyabram.
It cuts down on the travel time that Mrs Oman would have to make for more regular appointments, allowing her to spend more time with the people that matter in her life — her family.
“Without Greg, it’s been a bit lonely — I mean, you do everything with your partner. I still look for messages or a phone call, but it’s coming up to 12 months so we’re going to celebrate him at the Tongala pub,” she said.
Mrs Oman said she hoped this technology could become more accessible soon.
“I sincerely hope the government can get behind Ryan and make people know that this stuff is even available,” she said.
“If you’ve got this then you can rest assured knowing you can live on your own, and live independently which, I think, is really important.
“If I didn’t go to Ryan, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Dr Spencer stressed that people living in rural or regional areas over 40 years old should consult their doctors about heart health.
“Everyone’s busy, especially when you’re on the farm, you’ve always got a million things running through your head, but head down to your GP and have a little chat about your heart health,” he said.
“An ounce of prevention makes a big different in the long run, so we would recommend people pop in and book an appointment at a local GP to specifically discuss it.”