Dr Alex Sirker

Dr Alex Sirker is highly experienced Consultant in Interventional and General Cardiology, based in the NHS at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He is Clinical Lead (Head of Department) for Cardiology at University College London Hospitals and an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London (UCL).

Dr Sirker trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge, graduating with First Class Honours in Physiology in 1994. He was awarded several prizes, an exhibition and three scholarships. He completed undergraduate training at Cambridge University Clinical School, qualifying as a doctor in 1996 with triple Distinctions in the Final MB examinations.

His specialist postgraduate training in Cardiology was undertaken at a number of leading cardiac centres, including the Royal Brompton, Harefield, and Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals. His specific expertise in Interventional Cardiology was gained at King's College Hospital, London and during an international fellowship year at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, British Columbia, Canada – a pioneering centre in the use of radial access for angioplasty and stenting.

Dr Sirker has specific expertise in coronary angiography, angioplasty and stenting procedures. Other invasive and interventional procedures undertaken by Dr Sirker include pressure wire studies, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), intravascular lithotripsy (IVL, using ultrasound to treat artery disease) and rotational atherectomy (use of a diamond-tipped drill to treat calcified arteries).
His particular interests in Interventional Cardiology include i) use of the radial artery (at the wrist) for ‘keyhole' access in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and ii) complex coronary interventional procedures, including treatment of bifurcation disease, calcified lesions and diseased bypass grafts.

With his broad training, Dr Sirker undertakes outpatient clinics in General Adult Cardiology in both the NHS and private sector. He cares for patients with a wide range of conditions, including coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, high blood pressure and heart failure. He sees patients with symptoms that include chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness and loss of consciousness.

He also deals with pre-operative cardiac assessment prior to non-cardiac surgery and with cardiovascular risk assessment more generally.

He has gained formal national accreditation in echocardiography and has also trained in cardiac CT. He is an accredited specialist in General (Internal) Medicine.

He also has a strong interest in clinical risk reduction and has acted as the site lead at St. Bartholomew's Hospital for implementation of National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures across all medical specialities.

Clinical Posts:

• Consultant Cardiologist, Welbeck, London

• Consultant Cardiologist at University College London Hospitals and Barts Heart Centre London

• Clinical Lead for Cardiology, University College London Hospitals

• Honorary Associate Professor, University College London