Training and experience

Dr Pat Phen is a Consultant Cardiologist who qualified at Guy’s Hospital Medical School in 1991. Since then he has trained in cardiology at several prestigious London teaching hospitals including St George’s Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and The Royal Brompton Hospital.

He undertook 3 years of clinical research at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London and was awarded a PhD in Cardiovascular Medicine. He was appointed Consultant Cardiologist at Basildon University Hospital in 2004, where he is now the Clinical Service Unit Lead for Secondary Care Cardiology, and The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, when it opened, in 2007.

Dr Phen has extensive experience in managing patients with all common cardiac conditions such as angina (chest pain), heart attack, heart failure, heart rhythm abnormalities (palpitations and/or blackouts) and heart valve disease. He also regularly sees patients for cardiovascular risk assessment, treatment for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and preoperative cardiac assessment.

Having trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital, he is also one of the few cardiologists in Essex with experience in congenital heart conditions.

Dr Phen was part of a team of doctors that helped to set up The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, one of the newest and most modern heart and lung centres in the UK, where he now works in close liaison with heart surgeons and other colleagues. He also has an active role as a clinical advisor and member of the Essex Cardiac and Stroke Network.

Clinical Interests

Dr Phen’s has a special interest in using advanced echocardiographic techniques in the assessment of heart valve and heart failure patients, as well as in the use of specialised pacemakers (cardiac resynchronisation therapy) to help restore proper coordination of heart muscle contraction.

Research Interests

Dr Phen’s PhD thesis was based on how lifestyle factors such as diet, obesity and physical exercise can interact and influence the health and performance of the cells that line the inside of all blood vessels (the vascular endothelium). The health of these cells is vital in determining one’s risk of heart attacks, strokes and other vascular disorders.

He has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented to international conferences on the subject. He continues this interest in his clinical practice, which is termed preventive cardiology. Additionally, he is an investigator in a current multicentre research trial on virtual clinic follow up of patients with cardiac pacemakers via the internet.

Treatments

Dr Phen is available for consultations for all types of heart complaints including high blood pressure, or for cardiovascular risk assessment. He has expertise in performing cardiac catheterisation and coronary angiogram, echocardiogram including dobutamine stress echo, transoesophageal echo and 3-D echo. He also performs cardioversions and implants cardiac pacemakers, cardiac resynchronisation devices (CRT) and implantable defibrillators (ICD).

• Cardiac pacemaker insertion
• Coronary angiogram and angiography
• ECG - exercise and resting (or stress)
• Echocardiogram
• Shock treatment for irregular heartbeat (Defibrillation)