Dr. Herbert Felice

Dr. Herbert Felice is one of Malta's most distinguished cardiologists, serving as a senior consultant interventional cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at Mater Dei Hospital in Msida — the Republic of Malta's main tertiary referral hospital and the nation's principal centre for cardiology and cardiac surgery. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Felice has played a foundational role in building Malta's interventional cardiology and electrophysiology infrastructure, transforming the standard of cardiac care available to the approximately 530,000 residents of the Maltese islands.

Dr. Felice trained at the University of Malta before undertaking his cardiology residency and specialist fellowship at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the Royal London Hospital in London — historically one of the UK's leading centres for cardiac electrophysiology and interventional cardiology. He subsequently spent a period at the Ospedale Niguarda in Milan, Italy, gaining additional expertise in complex arrhythmia ablation and coronary intervention. His European training across the UK and Italy — combined with his fluency in Maltese, English, and Italian — positions him as a uniquely multilingual and internationally trained specialist at Mater Dei Hospital.

Among Dr. Felice's most significant clinical achievements is his leadership in establishing the Maltese STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) network — a coordinated system linking Malta's ambulance service (SAMM), Mater Dei's cardiac catheterisation laboratory, and cardiology on-call teams to ensure that patients suffering heart attacks can receive primary PCI (the gold-standard treatment for STEMI) within the recommended 90-minute door-to-balloon time target. The establishment of this network has measurably improved survival from heart attack across the Maltese islands.

In electrophysiology, Dr. Felice manages the full spectrum of cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular arrhythmias, using both catheter ablation and device-based therapies including pacemakers and ICDs. He is regarded as Malta's leading electrophysiologist and performs complex ablation procedures that previously required Maltese patients to travel overseas.

Dr. Felice earned his medical degree from the University of Malta, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, graduating with distinction. He undertook his postgraduate cardiology training in the United Kingdom, completing his cardiology residency and gaining his membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) through the UK MRCP examinations. He subsequently undertook specialist fellowships in interventional cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the Royal London Hospital (Barts Heart Centre) in London — one of Europe's largest and most renowned cardiac centres. He completed additional training in complex atrial fibrillation ablation at the Ospedale Niguarda in Milan, gaining exposure to one of Italy's foremost arrhythmia ablation programmes. He holds the Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) designation and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Maltese Cardiac Society (MCS). He has completed EHRA (European Heart Rhythm Association) certification in cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and is credentialled in echocardiography through the EACVI programme.

Dr. Felice's interventional cardiology practice encompasses the complete range of coronary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. He performs coronary angiography and elective and emergency PCI — including primary PCI for STEMI — using radial artery access and contemporary drug-eluting stent platforms. He is expert in complex PCI including left main coronary artery stenting, chronic total occlusion (CTO) revascularisation, and bifurcation lesion management, using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for procedural guidance.

In cardiac electrophysiology, Dr. Felice performs a comprehensive range of diagnostic and therapeutic electrophysiological procedures. He conducts electrophysiology studies (EPS) for arrhythmia evaluation and performs catheter ablation for atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation (including pulmonary vein isolation and complex fractionated electrogram ablation), supraventricular tachycardias, and selected ventricular arrhythmias. He implants and manages pacemakers (including dual-chamber and CRT devices), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), and subcutaneous ICDs.

As the leader of the Maltese STEMI network, Dr. Felice also oversees the clinical governance of Malta's acute MI pathway, reviewing outcomes data, chairing the STEMI committee, and collaborating with ambulance services, emergency medicine, and cardiac rehabilitation teams to optimise the full cardiac care pathway from symptom onset to recovery.

Dr. Felice has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in leading cardiovascular journals including the European Heart Journal, Heart Rhythm, the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, and the International Journal of Cardiology. His research is focused on acute MI outcomes in Malta, the STEMI network performance and door-to-balloon time optimisation, atrial fibrillation ablation outcomes in a small island state, and cardiac device therapy in the Maltese population. He has contributed Malta-specific data to the ESC EORP (EuroObservational Research Programme) registries for acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation, and cardiac pacing, providing unique insights into cardiovascular care in a Mediterranean island nation. He collaborates with Barts Heart Centre on AF ablation outcome analyses and participates in European multicentre device therapy studies. He has presented at ESC, EHRA, and EuroPCR congresses and serves as a reviewer for the European Heart Journal and Heart Rhythm.

Mater Dei Hospital is Malta's principal tertiary hospital and regularly treats patients from Malta's significant expatriate community, from Gozo (the smaller Maltese island served by ferry), and from overseas — including medical tourists who choose Malta for cardiac procedures given its combination of high clinical standards, English-language care, and competitive costs relative to Western Europe. Dr. Felice conducts consultations in Maltese, English, and Italian. EU citizens can access cardiac care at Mater Dei under the EHIC or S2 cross-border treatment authorisation. Non-EU international patients are accommodated through the hospital's private patient services. For patients seeking interventional cardiology or electrophysiology procedures — including PCI, AF ablation, pacemaker implantation, or ICD implantation — Dr. Felice can coordinate pre-procedural assessment, procedure, and post-procedural follow-up, with comprehensive documentation for onward cardiac follow-up in the patient's home country.

Dr. Felice has received the Maltese Cardiac Society (MCS) Distinguished Fellow award — the society's highest honour — in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to building Malta's interventional cardiology and electrophysiology capabilities and his leadership of the national STEMI network. The Malta Medical Association (MMA) presented him with the Excellence Award for outstanding clinical service and scientific contribution to Maltese cardiology. He holds the Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) designation and EHRA certification in cardiac electrophysiology and device therapy. He has been invited to chair sessions at ESC Scientific Sessions and EHRA conferences and has received the ESC national society recognition for his work in promoting ESC quality indicators implementation within the Maltese cardiac care system.