Dr Hesham Abdelaziz

I am a Consultant Cardiologist and the Director of interventional cardiology service at Lancashire Cardiac Centre, Blackpool Victoria Hospital. I am specialised in the management of coronary artery disease, advanced percutaneous coronary intervention, valvular heart disease and percutaneous replacement of the aortic valve using transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). I provide expert, evidence-based cardiac care with an emphasis on safety, precision and achieving the best possible outcomes for my patients.

In clinic, I assess symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness, blackouts, fainting episodes, POTS, reduced exercise tolerance and fatigue. I manage a wide range of cardiac conditions including coronary artery disease, heart rhythm disorders, heart failure and cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease and postural drop of blood pressure, and uncontrolled hypertension.

I have extensive experience in interventional managing of coronary artery and valvular heart diseases having performed extensive number of coronary ballooning/stenting and TAVI procedures throughout my career. I am recognised as one of the highest volume operators in my hospital for simple/complex percutaneous coronary intervention (balloon and stenting) for patient with significant coronary artery disease and TAVI procedure for patient with symptomatic severe Aortic valve disease.

I perform a wide range of percutaneous coronary interventions using state-of-the-art technologies. These include balloon angioplasty with specialised balloons, coronary stent implantation, rotational and orbital atherectomy for heavily calcified arteries, and shockwave balloon lithotripsy. I routinely use advanced intracoronary imaging with OCT and IVUS, as well as detailed intracoronary physiological assessment including FFR, iFR/RFR and microvascular measurements, to guide treatment and optimise results. I am particularly recognised for the management of high-risk and complex coronary interventions, including patients who are not surgical candidates, those with previous failed bypass surgery, chronic total occlusions and challenging coronary anatomy.

I am an expert TAVI operator offering this service for patients with severe aortic valve disease including those who had prior aortic valve replacement whether surgical or by prior TAVI. I use a minimally invasive approach carried out under local anaesthetic, offering an effective alternative to open heart surgery/ repeat heart surgery for suitable patients.

I am the program Director and the Lead operator for chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention which is considered the highest level of complexity in coronary artery disease management requiring special skills and high level of experience. Similarly, I am one of a small number of specialists in UK and worldwide who are leading and well trained to perform both simple and complex coronary interventions without the use of contrast dye, significantly reducing the risk of kidney injury in patients with impaired renal function.

I hold Master of Science (2010) and PhD (2014) degrees in Cardiovascular medicine, and I have published multiple scientific papers in high-impact journals, with numerous national and international presentations. I was also the lead for audit and quality improvement within the cardiology department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and remain actively involved in advancing interventional cardiology practice and patient care.