Dr Javed Akhtar

Availability: Monday evening, Friday afternoon.

I am a Consultant Cardiologist at Spire Hartswood Hospital in Brentwood, Essex, offering private cardiology tests and treatment in our clean and comfortable private hospital. I became a consultant cardiologist in 1989 and became Associate Professor of Cardiology in 1994 at King Saud University, Riyadh. I returned to the UK in 1998 as a consultant cardiologist at St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust in Liverpool. In 2004 I moved to London as a consultant cardiologist at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

I established the Permanent Pacemaker Implantation service at Queen’s Hospital, Romford and I implant approximately 150 pacemakers every year. The heart failure service at Queen’s Hospital is run under my supervision. I have also established a heart failure service at St George’s Hospital, Hornchurch, Essex.

I am a senior cardiologist with extensive experience in all the major fields of cardiology including intervention. I have performed coronary angioplasty, stenting, mitral balloon valvuloplasty, pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty, inferior vena cave umbrella insertion etc.

I take pride in teaching and I have been awarded “best teacher of the year” for three consecutive years. I run the cardiology training programme at Queen’s Hospital and conduct regular training for specialist registrars (doctors in training to become cardiologists), junior doctors, GPs, cardiac physiologists and technicians. I am a training supervisor for the MSc and I have a Diploma in Cardiology.

I have designed protocols for the NHS Trust for the following topics: Managing atrial fibrillation, Managing acute heart failure, Managing syncope, and Evidence based drugs for heart failure.

I have been heavily involved in the British Heart Foundation campaign to create awareness among the Asian communities for risk factors of coronary artery disease and how to prevent them. I have participated in many talks, interviews and phone-in programmes on various Asian TV channels. Some of my interviews have been relayed live on BBC international radio programmes on topics related to the heart.