Heart valve service

We are one of the largest heart valve services nationally and perform thousands of surgical and transcatheter valve treatments each year.

We put the patient at the heart of everything we do, bringing together all of the expertise needed to look after you. The heart valve team includes cardiothoracic surgeons, structural interventionalists, imaging cardiologists and radiologists, many of whom are leading experts in their field.

We have a number of outpatient clinics, including a dedicated valve clinic, where we monitor your valve condition long-term with echocardiograms on the same day. 

We treat all forms of valve disease including mitral, aortic, pulmonary and tricuspid valve disease and offer some of the newest, cutting-edge treatments available in the country.

Your tests and investigations

Tests are done that look at, or measure, different aspects of your heart closely. At Barts Heart Centre, we have state-of-the art equipment and technology under one roof. 

Tests you may need include:

Coronary Angiogram

This is a procedure where a tube (catheter) is passed through a blood vessel (artery) in your arm (radial) or groin (femoral) to  look at  the coronary arteries that supply oxygen to your heart  muscle . We can also do a non-invasive CT coronary angiogram. Your consultant will decide if this investigation is necessary.

CT scan

This scan allows us to look inside the body and take measurements of your blood vessels and the size of your aortic valve.

Echocardiogram

This is an ultrasound scan of your heart and is how we routinely monitor the structure of your heart, including the valves, and how well your heart is pumping.

Lung function test

These are short, non-invasive tests that look at how well your lungs are working. Your consultant will decide if you need this.

MRI scan

This scan uses magnetic and radio waves to show detailed pictures of the inside of your heart. You may have a cardiac MRI to help look for abnormalities, like tumours, heart muscle conditions, congenital conditions and problems with blood supply to the heart. Please let the MRI team know if you have metal in your body, like joint replacements, stents or mechanical heart valves.

Transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE)

A TOE takes detailed pictures of your heart from your oesophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach) which lies behind your heart. This test is used to get closer and more defined images of the heart as it can detect areas of the heart that are not as easy to see with a standard echo. Local anaesthetic will be used to numb the back of your throat and you will be offered a light sedative.

Exercise stress echocardiogram

A different type of echocardiogram may be done to look at your heart muscle and valves while it is beating faster. This echo is performed when you are on an exercise bike. You may have an exercise test at the same time for which you wear may need to wear a mask.

Your treatment options

Treatment for heart valve disease depends on the severity of the condition. Effective management typically involves either valve repair or replacement. Advances in medical technology have significantly improved treatment outcomes, with less invasive procedures now available.

 Valve Repair or Replacement

Open-heart surgery for valve repair or replacement have been successful for many decades. These procedures involve either repairing the damaged valve or replacing it with a prosthetic valve. Sometimes, surgery can also be minimally-invasive.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

A less invasive option that can have similar outcomes to traditional aortic valve surgery. This procedure is often recommended for patients who are considered high-risk for open-heart surgery. TAVI involves inserting a new valve through a thin, flexible tube (catheter), typically inserted through a blood vessel in the groin or arm.

Trancatheter Edge- to-edge repairs

This is new treatment used to treat severe leaking of the mitral valve (mitral regurgitation) and tricuspid valve (tricuspid regurgitation) if it is too high risk to repair your valve surgically.

Sometimes, treatments may not be suitable for your valve condition and your symptoms will be managed with medications first.

Your care team

A Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) will review your case to determine the most appropriate treatment pathway. The MDT typically includes cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and other healthcare professionals who collaborate to give you high quality care.

Consultant cardiologists

Sveeta Badiani, Sanjeev Bhattacharyya, Christos Bourantas, Csilla Jozsa, Mohammed Khanji, Abhishek Joshi, Guy Lloyd, Ketna Patel, Thomas Treibel, Roshan Weerackody.

Cardiothoracic surgeons

Dincer Aktuerk, Shirish Ambekar, Wael Awad, Carmelo Di Salvo, Shyam Kolvekar, Kulvinder Lall, Neil Roberts, Amir Sheikh, Rakesh Uppal, Kit Wong, John Yap

Structural interventional cardiologists

Andreas Baumbach, Simon Kennon, Michael Mullen, Mick Ozkor,

Clinical nurse specialists

Judy Banton (TAVI), Kerry Bedford (TAVI), Mel Jerrum (TAVI), Angela Kirk (TAVI), Katreena Opada (TAVI), Munira Patel (Valve clinic) 

Cardiac physiologists (valve clinic)

Luisa Buhayan, Marta Costa, Delfin Encarnacion,

Consultant radiologists

Emma Cheasty, Francesca Pugliese, Amir Awwad

Your outpatient appointments

For any appointment queries, please ring the number or use the email address at the top of your appointment letter.

You can also manage your appointments with Patients Know Best app or ring the Central Appointments Team on 020 7767 3200.

Valve clinic

The specialist valve clinic is an echo surveillance clinic at St Bartholomew's Hospital runs once a week with one-stop diagnostics tests on the same day.  We monitor valve patients long-term and refer for treatment when required. We have physician, physiologist and a nurse-led clinic that runs on the same day.

The valve clinic is located in Clinic 5 2nd floor, KGV building, St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Structural intervention clinic

The structural heart clinic runs at least twice a week You will be assessed by one of the structural interventionalists if you require treatment and are too high risk for surgery.

Appointments are located in Clinic 1, Ground floor, KGV building, St Bartholomew’s Hospital. 

Cardiac surgery clinic

If you need treatment, you will be assessed by a surgeon to see if you are suitable for open heart surgery.

Appointments are located in Clinic 1, Ground floor, KGV building, St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Education and research

We are an active research centre. We are always looking to improve our knowledge in valvular heart disease and improve our outcomes. Your team may ask if you want to participate in some of our trials if you are suitable. Please speak to your care team for more information.

For more information about your condition, please visit:

NHS UK website:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-valve-disease/ .

British Heart Foundation:  https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-valve-disease