Dr Sarah Clarke

Dr Sarah Clarke

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr Sarah C Clarke MA, MD, FRCP, FESC, FACC is a Consultant Cardiologist and the Clinical Director of Cardiac Services at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge.  She has a specialist interest in interventional cardiology with a private practice that covers general and interventional cardiology. She is Vice President (elect) for Education and research at the British Cardiovascular Society.

 

Dr Clarke studied medicine at Girton College, University of Cambridge where she obtained a BA in 1987 and MB BChir in 1989. Following junior hospital posts in the region her specialist training was undertaken at Addenbrooke’s and Papworth Hospitals.  She was awarded a fellowship in interventional cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, University of Harvard, Boston, USA in 2001.  Dr Clarke gained extensive experience in all aspects of interventional cardiology and vascular intervention. She was awarded her research doctorate in medicine (MD) in 2004, by the University of Cambridge, UK.

Dr Clarke took up a consultant post in cardiology at Papworth Hospital in 2002 and was appointed Clinical Director of Cardiac Services, Papworth Hospital in 2006.  She leads and manages both cardiology and cardiac surgery. She holds clinical sessions at Hinchingbrooke (a local District general Hospital) and is an honorary consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.  She has developed and introduced key initiatives for the Trust: the rapid access diagnostic service, Papworth Direct, at Papworth hospital, and primary angioplasty (PPCI) for acute myocardial infarction. She is the PPCI lead for the Acute Programme Board at the East of England Strategic Health Authority and through this role she has overseen the roll out of PPCI to the East of England catchment area (approximately 5 million population) within 18 months.

  

Dr Clarke was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) in 2006.  She is an active member of the British Cardiovascular Society and Chair of the Communication and Education Committee. This year she was elected to Vice President (elect) for Education and Research at the British Cardiovascular Society. She is the first ever female Executive of the Society!  Through this post she will deliver the Annual Conference and lead on Education and Research initiatives for members including education for trainees and revalidation for Consultants. She is also a member of the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society and is a member of the Programme Committee for the Annual Conference. She attends both national and international meetings in Europe, USA and Africa.   This year she was elected to the Fellowship of the European (FESC) and American (FACC) Colleges of Cardiology.  She remains closely affiliated to Girton College, Cambridge and has an ongoing commitment to supervise medical students there in the early years of their medical careers.

Dr Clarke has a subspecialty interest in interventional cardiology-coronary intervention and she is one of the most experienced operators in this area in the UK having performed over 750 cases per year, with a success rate higher than 98%.

Dr Clarke is experienced in the use of interventional devices to treat complex coronary lesions or narrowings including rotablation for heavily calcified lesions, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for evaluation of coronary narrowings, pressure wire for assessment of the significance of a coronary narrowing, and devices designed to cross chronically occluded or blocked arteries. She is a proctor for rotablation training for the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society.

As well as being an experienced interventional cardiologist, Dr Clarke also has extensive general cardiology experience.  She has developed and introduced Papworth Direct which is a rapid access diagnostic service in the NHS sector and she has tailored diagnostic pathways to ensure appropriate tests are performed for early diagnosis and onward passage to treatment.

Dr Clarke is a member of several advisory boards for the cardiovascular industry and is also the Book Editor for Cardiology News, a cardiology journal.

All this work extends into Dr Clarke’s private practice where she consults for all aspects of general cardiology (including chest pain, murmurs and valvular disease, palpitation, dizziness and blackout, shortness of breath, heart failure and hypertension or high blood pressure).  Dr Clarke undertakes coronary angiography and interventional cardiology as described above.

Dr Clarke’s research thesis (2004) assessed the effects of hormones on biochemical risk factors (such as cholesterol and other markers of coronary artery disease in the blood) and endothelial function (artery wall behaviour) in men and women with coronary artery disease.

Currently her main areas of research are in the interventional field, particularly relating to novel stents, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and pressure-wire assessment of various coronary narrowings.

Dr Clarke is a member of the Research and Development Directorate at Papworth Hospital and is active in the field of cardiovascular research.

Treatments offered:

• Consultation and investigation of general cardiology problems/concerns:
  • Chest pain, angina 
  • Murmurs and valvular disease
  • Palpitation, arrhythmia  
  • Dizziness and blackout
  • Shortness of breath
  • Heart failure
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Coronary angiography
• Coronary intervention with angioplasty and stenting
  
• Rotablation for heavily calcified lesions
• Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for evaluation of coronary plaques
• Pressure wire for assessment of the significance of a coronary paque
• Use of devices designed to cross chronically occluded or blocked artries
• DVLA assessment
• Screening for cardiovascular disease

• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) (FRCP)
• Member of the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS)
• Member of the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS)
• Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC)
• Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC)

750 per year

Higher than 98%