Dr Alex Sirker

Dr Alexander Sirker works as a Consultant in Interventional and General Cardiology 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. He is also 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, then continued training at Cambridge University Clinical School, qualifying as a doctor in 1996 with a triple Distinction in the Final MB examinations.

His specialist 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.

He 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), and rotational atherectomy. 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 interventions, including treatment of bifurcation disease, calcified lesions and diseased bypass grafts.

With his broad background in General Adult Cardiology, Dr Sirker undertakes outpatient clinics at the main University College Hospital site, treating patients with conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, high blood pressure and heart failure. He sees patients with symptoms including 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 formal national accreditation in echocardiography and has trained in cardiac CT. He is also 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 the new National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures across all medical specialities.

Diseases, Medical Tests and Treatments

• Heart Attack
• Heart Valve Problems
• High Blood Pressure
• Loss of consciousness (Syncope)
• Unstable Angina
• Angina
• Chest Pain
• Dizziness
• Valvular Heart Disease
• Transthoracic echocardiography
• 12 lead ECG
• Holter (ambulatory ECG)
• Ambulatory BP monitoring
• CT coronary angiography
• Coronary angiography
• Coronary angioplasty and stenting