Consultant Cardiologist in West Hertfordshire, Watford and London.
Welcome to my website
About Me
About me
I am an experienced consultant cardiologist with a specialist interest in heart rhythm disorders. I see all patients with cardiovascular disease but the most common symptoms I deal with are chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations or irregular pulse, funny turns, loss of consciousness or dizziness. I aim to provide a high quality level of care, taking a holistic view, but also where appropriate I use state of the art technology to investigate and treat heart rhythm disorders. The goal is to help you make informed choices in terms of your care and of course to make you feel better as quickly as possible.
I am trained in all aspects of general cardiology but have a major subspecialist interest in the investigation and treatment of arrhythmias (heart rhythm disorders), stroke prevention and implantable cardiac devices. I perform therapeutic cardiac procedures in the form of catheter ablation for arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. I am also a cardiac device specialist, implanting loop recorders, pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac resynchronisation devices and left atrial appendage occluders.
As of 2021, I am the current Lead Cardiologist and Heart Rhythm consultant cardiologist at West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford. I also work as part of the highly regarded, internationally renowned Arrhythmia Team at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital in London, participating in the many research projects aimed to improve the lives of patients with heart rhythm conditions. I am a senior honorary clinical lecturer with Imperial College, London, associated with the National, Heart and Lung Institute.
I am a founder member of the Leaders in Heart Rhythm Care; a group of highly specialised Heart Rhythm doctors currently working with HCA Healthcare to provide comprehensive state of the art care for the diagnosis and treatment of all heart rhythm conditions.
My Qualifications
I graduated from Guy's, King’s and St. Thomas’ Medical School, London with distinctions in 2000, having intercalated a BSc in Pharmacology in 1997. I have a PhD in cardiac electrophysiology, awarded by Imperial College, London in 2010.
My postgraduate training in cardiology and arrhythmia management was mainly based in London (St.Mary's and Hammersmith Hospitals) with an international visiting fellowship to the Harvard Medical School associated Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA.
I am an appointed Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, member of the British Cardiac Society, European Cardiac Society and British Heart Rhythm Association.
A list of my research publications can be found on: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.koa-wing05/publications.html
Testamonials
My testamonials can be found on Doctify and iWantGreatCare.
Cardiovascular disease is complex and nowadays doctors increasingly subspecialise into niche areas of interest but I am fortunate to work with excellent doctors who are also leaders in their field. If your problem falls outside of my specific skillset I will ensure that you are referred to someone whom I trust and shares the same philosophy of evidence based, high quality, patient focussed care.
Site Content
Common complaints or symptoms that I see
- Palpitations
- Funny turns, dizzy spells
- Collapse
- Chest pain
- Breathlessness
Common cardiac conditions that I treat
- Atrial flutter
- Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
- Atrial fibrillation (AF/Afib)
- Ventricular tachycardia and ventricular ectopy
- Bradycardia (slow rhythm)
- Heart block
- Hypertension
- Heart failure
Useful websites
The Arrhythmia Alliance is a national coalition of charities, patient groups, patients, carers, medical groups and allied professionals who deal with cardiac arrhythmias.
The Heart Rhythm Society (Upbeat) is a US based international society of specialists in cardiac arrhythmias.
The British Heart Foundation is a a UK based charity supporting patients with all cardiac conditions.
My own patient information leaflets
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Privacy policy and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
My full privacy policy can be downloaded below.
Between myself, the digital clinical notes system, the secretarial services that I use and the separate hospitals that I work from, we are all in process to ensure 100% GDPR compliance by end of 2018. Each hospital site will have their own Privacy policy which can be obtained directly through them.
I use a well known bespoke medical records system and run my practice almost completely paperlessly. Any paper documents, eg contemporaneous notes, from our consultation are digitally stored and originals destroyed usually within 7 days of upload. As per legal requirements regarding medical records, your file will be retained up to 8 years after treatment has ended or after death.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
I am self-paying, how much do you charge?
Please contact my secretary for details. In general, any procedures are charged at rates comparable to insured rates.
For insured patients I am an approved provider for BUPA (Fee-assured, Platinum), AXA-PPP, Aviva, Cigna, Healix, Vitality among others and therefore charge according to the agreed rates set by the companies.
How long is a consultation?
As long as it needs to be, but most consultations last 30mins on average.
How quickly can have I have my procedure done?
Any private procedure will be done much quicker than on the NHS, in most cases several months quicker, and you are also being guaranteed named consultant care. The wait for a private procedure is dependent on the type and complexity of procedure required, the available timeslots at the facilities that I use as well as your choice of hospital and availability. This is usually within a few weeks at most.
Do I need a referral from my GP to see you?
You do not need a direct referral from a GP but the majority of patients see their GP first to exclude non-cardiac causes of symptoms before seeking specialist advice, unless you have recently attended A&E with a complaint and have been advised to see a cardiologist directly.
What should I bring to my appointment?
Bring any documentation or letters. eg referral letters, copies of ECGs (an electrical reading of the heart rhythm often taken in hospital or by the GP), and a list of your current medications. It is often useful to be accompanied by someone not only for support but also to listen in and help discuss with you any issues that arise after the consultation. A second pair of ears is often very useful!
Where I work
West Herts NHS Trust (NHS/Private)
Elstree Outpatients Centre, HCA (Private)
West Herts NHS Trust (NHS/Private)
West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust,
Watford General Hospital,
Vicarage Road,
Watford WD18 0HB.
Hammersmith Hospital (NHS/Private)
Elstree Outpatients Centre, HCA (Private)
West Herts NHS Trust (NHS/Private)
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust,
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road,
London W12 0HS.
Elstree Outpatients Centre, HCA (Private)
Elstree Outpatients Centre, HCA (Private)
Elstree Outpatients Centre, HCA (Private)
Elstree Diagnostic Centre (HCA)
Beaufort House, Elstree Road,
Elstree, WD6 3BS.
Spire Bushey Hospital (Private)
The Wellington Hospital (Private)
Elstree Outpatients Centre, HCA (Private)
Spire Bushey Hospital,
Heathbourne Rd,
Bushey WD23 1RD.
The Wellington Hospital (Private)
The Wellington Hospital (Private)
The Wellington Hospital (Private)
The Wellington Hospital, North Bldg,
27 Circus Road,
London NW8 6PD.
Bushey Medical Centre (Private)
The Wellington Hospital (Private)
The Wellington Hospital (Private)
Bushey Medical Centre, (HCA)
London Road, Bushey,
Herts, WD23 2NN.