Our specialist clinics and tests you may need

Our specialist clinics

We have established four outpatient valve clinics so we can ensure that our patients are seen by the correct healthcare professional, at the correct time in their individual pathway, and so we can ensure appropriate access to essential diagnostic tests on the day. More information about what will happen during your appointment can be found in the ‘Useful resources’ tab.

Surveillance of patients with more complex valve disease is undertaken by one of our specialist Consultant Cardiologists or one of our specialist Cardiology Registrars. You will always see a Doctor on your first visit to the valve clinic. Please expect this appointment to take 1-4 hours.

Surveillance of patients with more complex valve disease may be offered a telephone appointment as an alternative to the face to face clinic. This will happen if one of the doctors has reviewed your case and has sufficient information to manage your condition remotely, or if we would like clarification to consider further tests before a clinic visit. Please expect this appointment to take less than 1 hour.

Surveillance of those with less complex and stable valve disease, and those who have undergone valve surgery is undertaken by one of our specialist valve nurses. These clinics can either be telephone or face to face. Patients in this clinic do not routinely see a doctor during their visit. Please expect this appointment to take less than 1 hour.

Surveillance of those with stable valve disease who also require an echo is undertaken by one of our Highly Specialist Cardiac Sonographers. Patients in this clinic do not routinely see a doctor during their visits. Please expect this appointment to take around 1 hour.

Those attending face to face appointments may have a number of diagnostic tests performed on the day. Those attending telephone appointments usually have had their diagnostic tests completed prior to their appointments.

Tests you may need

You may have a range of tests to diagnose and monitor the severity of your valve disease. A brief outline of the more common tests we will undertake during your valve clinic appointment is provided below, however please visit the ‘Useful Links’ tab for more detailed information, and for information about a number of tests you may need to have on a different day.

this is an ultrasound scan of your heart and is the key diagnostic test for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of valve disease. This a painless test lasting around 30 minutes which shows us moving images of your heart.

this is a tracing of the electrical activity of your heart, takes only a few minutes and is completely painless.

a number of patients will need to have a blood sample taken to measure very specific enzymes in their blood