Services

We also specialise in new treatments for heart valve disease, including transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). This minimally invasive surgery is a lower risk procedure for high risk patients and enables them to go home quicker.

The TAVI procedure was carried out by cardiac surgeons at King’s College Hospital and offers hope to hundreds of patients suffering from failing artificial heart valves and aortic stenosis (narrowing of the valves in the heart) for whom open heart surgery is deemed too high risk a procedure. 

We carry out a wide range of non-invasive investigations using the latest, cutting-edge technology to help diagnose underlying heart conditions. We are also one of the leading centres in Europe for clinical research. We work closely with King’s Heart Failure Service, Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic (RACPC) and Cardiac Rehabilitation.

The main tests we offer include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG). This records the electrical activity that triggers each heartbeat. You have small patches (electrodes) attached to your body that are connected to an ECG machine.
• 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring. This records the electrical activity of your heart while you are doing your normal activities. Electrodes are attached to your chest and connected to a small lightweight recorder on a belt which you wear round your waist.
• 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). You wear a small blood pressure monitor and cuff which take regular readings while you are doing your normal activities.
• Cardio-pulmonary exercise testing (CPET). This measures your breathing, blood pressure and how much oxygen is in your blood while you exercise on a treadmill or cycle machine. You also have an ECG.
• Exercise tolerance test (ETT). This uses an ECG to record the electrical activity of your heart while you walk on a treadmill. Your blood pressure will also be monitored.
• Tilt table test (TTT). This involves lying down on a special table which is moved to a standing position. We then monitor your blood pressure and give you an ECG. We will place safety belts around your body to make you feel secure.

Our staff perform various surgical procedures including:

• Coronary bypass surgery - for blockages in the arteries of the heart, to treat patients with angina or patients who have a history of heart attacks.
• Beating heart bypass surgery
• Minimally invasive 'keyhole' surgery
• Keyhole aortic valve replacement - Our programme for patients with narrowing of the aortic valve. The procedure is the preferred choice for many elderly patients and replaces the need for open heart surgery. It involves cardiac surgeons and cardiologists implanting an artificial heart valve through the apex of the patient’s heart via a small incision in the chest wall or groin.
• Repair or replacement of faulty heart valves - Our service for the repair of leaky mitral valves has excellent results and we pride ourselves on our high rates of success.
• Abnormal main blood vessel (aortic) surgery - for dilatation, aneurysm or tears.
• Thoracic surgery - for lung tumours
• Percutaneous keyhole aortic valve replacement - this has been highly successful.