Dr Carl Shakespeare consultant cardiologist  
       
 
   
consultant cardiologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blackheath Heart Centre, Lister Hospital and London Independent Hosptial
arrowAbnormalities of the
Electrical Conducting System
arrowAtrial Fibrillation
arrowValvular Abnormalitities and
Murmurs of the Heart

arrowHeart Surgery
arrowAngina-Coronary Artery
Disease

arrowCoronary Stents and Balloon
Angioplasty

arrowCardiac Risk Factors
arrowHeart Failure
arrowHypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
arrowPericardial Disease
arrowMale Sexual Dysfunction
arrowAortic Diseases
arrowHoles in the Heart
arrowPulmonary Hypertension
arrowEndocarditis
arrowPacemaker Implantation
Personal Profile:

heartI received my medical degree from Westminster Medical School, University of London in 1984. Specialist training was undertaken at the National Heart Hospital, St. Thomas', St George's and the Royal London Hospital. I became an accredited specialist in both Internal Medicine and Cardiology in 1995.

I am a consultant cardiologist at St Thomas’ Hospital, London and have been previously the lead consultant cardiologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich for 18 years.

Special Interests:

I am one of the few physicians accredited in both general cardiology and general medicine. Many patient’s symptoms relate to both the heart and the rest of the body. More recently, I have gained a vast experience in Covid 19 patients, both in my capacity as a physician and as a cardiologist. In addition to dealing with general cardiac ailments, I have a specialist interest in:

Hypertension: (Fellow of the European Society of Hypertension)
Cardiac imaging: CT Imaging, accredited in the USA (board certified)
Cardiovascular Risk assessment: (including hyperlipidaemia)
Women’s heart disease.

Research Profile:

I was awarded a British Heart Foundation Fellowship in 1989, and completed my MD thesis entitled: "Autonomic Nerve Function in Silent Myocardial Ischaemia". I am the author of over 40 research publications in peer reviewed academic journals.

I created and am the Director of the Cardiovascular Risk Institute based in Woolwich. We undertake research trials mainly in the field of high blood pressure and cholesterol treatments.

  Membership of Medical Societies:

British Medical Association


Royal College of Physicians


European Society of Cardiology


American College of Cardiology


Society of Cardiac Computed Tomography


Fellow of the European Society of Hypertension


Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance


British Heart Rhythm Society


British Cardiovascular Society


British Society of Echocardiography

Clinical Profile:

My NHS activity has been in the setting of a busy general hospital serving a population of 350,000. I provide daily care for acute cardiac patients with angina, heart attacks, heart failure, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), and patients requiring pacemakers. More recently, at the behest of St Thomas’, I am the clinical lead for community cardiology in Bexley Kent.

You can read more details about my services on my profiles held with a number of the below medical bodies, including patient feedback:

BMI Healthcare >
HCA Healthcare UK >
BUPA Consultant >
One Heart Clinic >
Doctify >

Being accredited in internal medicine, I am regularly on call (every 10 days) for the last 25 years, and see many patients with general medical problems (such as diabetes, strokes, cancer, etc).

In the outpatient setting I provide additional specialist advice in:

  • high blood pressure,
  • high cholesterol,
  • palpitations,
  • shortness of breath
  • male sexual dysfunction.

A significant proportion of our activity is centred on undertaking cardiac tests (diagnostics) and procedures. These are the specialist procedures I have performed regularly:

Cardiac CT Angiography: Visualizing the coronary arteries directly but non-invasively to diagnose coronary disease. I received my training and US accreditation in Nashville Tennessee. I am US Board certified.

Cardiac Catheterisation: This is an invasive technique that involves intubating the coronary arteries directly to investigate patients with significant cardiac sounding chest pain. Catheters are placed via the leg artery and advanced to the heart using X-ray imaging. I have had 30 years experience.

Echocardiography: This is a painless non-invasive imaging technique. It provides information on heart function and the size of the chambers, valve function, and may reveal evidence of heart damage.

Ambulatory monitoring of ECG and blood pressure: We regularly perform these tests to gain a more continuous evaluation of symptoms of palpitations or dizziness over a day, or even up to a week.

Ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure: This is performed to gain a more continuous evaluation of blood pressure in “real life conditions”. This is quite useful in excluding artificial elevations in blood pressure – so called “white coat hypertension”.

Transoesophageal Echocardiography: This is a more detailed invasive technique for viewing the heart and its structures more closely. It is particularly useful in assessing the degree of heart valve function (especially the mitral valve), and diagnosing “holes in the heart”. It also has a major application in excluding or diagnosing clots (thrombus) as a cause of mini-strokes.


Cardiac Pacemakers: These are devices implanted under the skin to deliver extra heart beats in patients usually with dizzy symptoms whose own heart rates are not sufficient. It is an invasive procedure, and I have 30 years experience.

Cardiac MRI: This is a relatively new technique of imaging the heart and is non-invasive and not generally available. I was trained in this technique at the Royal Brompton Hospital. The technique is especially useful at imaging the structures of the heart, measuring the flow across heart valves, and determining the degree of reversible heart damage from heart attacks.

Cardiovascular Risk Assessment: The stratification of cardiovascular risk factors is essential in preventing vascular risk long term. This is particularly the case with patients who have borderline blood pressures and cholesterol.

I employ various vascular assessments to determine whether there is a tendency to develop arterial damage associated with future risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (endothelial function).

Carl Shakespear