Coronavirus: valve disease service update
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, please read our advice and information before sending any referrals.
Referral contacts
Name: Dr Jane Hancock
Tel: 020 7188 1047
Name: Professor Ronak Rajani
Tel: 020 7188 7577
Name: Dr Julia Grapsa
Tel: 020 7188 7577
Name: Professor Bernard Prendergast
Tel: 020 7188 1047
Name: Professor Simon Redwood
Tel: 020 7188 1083
Email: gst-tr.cardiology@nhs.net
Referral criteria
Most referrals are tertiary and of patients with documented valve disease of at least moderate grade.
Any referral with significant cardiac symptoms or a significant murmur will be considered and seen in either a general cardiac clinic or the specialist clinic.
Asymptomatic patients with a soft ejection systolic murmur and well-heard second heart sound do not usually need referral.
Referrals from other hospitals must include a completed Inter-Provider Minimum Data Set or ensure that one is sent within 48 hours of referring a patient.
Infective endocarditis referral contacts
Name: Dr Julia Grapsa (valve endocarditis)
Tel: 020 7188 1045
Name: Dr Jane Hancock (valve endocarditis)
Tel: 020 7188 1045
Professor Bernard Prendergast (valve endocarditis)
Tel: 020 7188 1045
Professor Ronak Rajani (valve endocarditis)
Tel: 020 7188 1045
Professor Aldo Rinaldi (device endocarditis)
Tel: 020 7188 1045
Email: gst-tr.endocarditismdt@nhs.net
Infective endocarditis referral criteria
Most referrals are tertiary and of patients with suspected or confirmed infective endocarditis. Referrals for management advice or for transfer to St Thomas' Hospital for specialist endocarditis team management are accepted.
Patients generally accepted for transfer include:
- endocarditis with heart failure
- endocarditis with severe valve incompetence
- endocarditis with structural destruction (abscess, perforation or fistula formation)
- prosthetic valve endocarditis
- endocarditis with embolic or neurological complications
- prosthetic valve endocarditis
- endocarditis in patients with an implantable cardiac device
- Staphylococcus Aureus endocarditis
- endocarditis caused by resistant organisms (for example, fungi)
- culture negative endocarditis
Referrals from other hospitals should be made by completing the endocarditis referral form (Word 126Kb) and emailing to gst-tr.endocarditismdt@nhs.net.
All referrals should be accompanied by a transfer of local imaging data. Our specialist microbiologists will contact the referring hospital laboratory to confirm microbiological details and request transfer of any relevant bacterial or fungal isolates.
Once this is received a member of the team will contact the referring hospital to provide further guidance. If a transfer is accepted a formal interhospital transfer request form will be need to be completed, including an Inter-Provider Minimum Data Set.
Where an urgent transfer (within 24 hours) is required the on-call cardiology team should be contacted with a completed referral form.