Your Cardiovascular Health at OneMedicine
Heart specialists Birmingham
Heart disease is best prevented — and best controlled — when primary and specialist care work together.
At OneMedicine, cardiovascular care is led by a dedicated team:
Professor Jawad Khan — Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Focused on reducing the risk of recurrent heart events and preventing complications, especially in patients undergoing surgery or with established disease.
Dr Ibrar Ahmed — MRCP, PhD, Primary Care Physician Special interest in cardiovascular disease, helping you prevent heart disease before it starts and optimising long-term health in those already diagnosed.
✔︎ Primary prevention — lower your future risk
✔︎ Secondary prevention — stop events from recurring
✔︎ Optimisation before & after surgery
✔︎ Joined-up care between GP & Consultant
No referral needed and no long waits — access advanced tests, imaging and treatment planning quickly and seamlessly in Birmingham.
Prevention is key!
Preventing heart disease starts with embracing a heart-healthy lifestyle and taking proactive steps to manage risk factors. Focus on nourishing your body with a balanced diet, staying active through regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight. If you smoke, quitting is one of the most impactful changes you can make. Keep stress in check, monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol, and manage diabetes effectively. Limiting alcohol and scheduling regular checkups are also key to staying on top of your heart health.
By making these thoughtful adjustments, you can significantly lower your risk of heart disease, strengthen your overall well-being, and enjoy a fuller, healthier life. Your heart will thank you.
We would suggest an initial 30 minute face to face consultation to thoroughly understand your symptoms and plan management
Heart age calculator - check your cardiovascular risk in minutes
Common Heart symptoms
Chest pain
If your chest hurts, it might not always be from your heart. But if it is, you might feel pain when you walk, which could be a sign of something called angina.
Hypertension
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition where the force of blood against the walls of the arteries is consistently too high.
Palpitations
Palpitations are sensations of irregular, rapid, or pounding heartbeats that a person can feel in their chest, throat, or neck.
Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath can be a significant symptom of various heart conditions, each with its own causes, investigations, and management approaches.
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a heart condition where the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) don't beat normally. Instead of a regular, steady rhythm, they quiver or flutter irregularly.
Reducing the Risk of Surgery
Preparing you for Surgery
We recognise the uniqueness of each patient, with their own inherent risks, and that one-size does not fit all.
Anticipating Problems
Before your operation, we take steps to make sure you're as healthy and ready as possible. This is called presurgical optimisation. It helps reduce the risk of complications, supports a smoother recovery, and ensures your care is tailored to you.
✔ Reviewing your medical history and current health
✔ Managing conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure
✔ Running tests such as blood work or heart checks
✔ Discussing anaesthetic options and recovery plans
By choosing OneMedicine, you benefit from
- Experienced Clinicians, regional experts, who have a passion for providing excellent health care in Cardiovascular disease.
- No long waits or GP referrals needed
- Continuity of care, getting to know you, enabling personalised, consistent, and holistic management of your health over time
- Access to a network of highly reputable Specialists within Cardiology, should you require further care
- Access to cutting edge investigations, which will be carried out by hand picked Cardiac Physiologists as necessary
- Exceptional medical facilities
- Bespoke patient care
The importance of early cardiovascular diagnosis
- Prevention of complications: Swift diagnosis allows for timely intervention, preventing severe outcomes like heart attacks, stroke, or heart failure, and reducing irreversible heart damage.
- Better treatment options: Early detection enables healthcare providers to initiate suitable treatments promptly, enhancing their effectiveness and improving patient outcomes.
- Improved quality of life: Timely diagnosis leads to better symptom control, increased energy levels, and improved physical function, enhancing overall quality of life for patients.
- Prevention of progression: Early identification allows for the implementation of preventive measures, slowing or halting the progression of heart disease and preserving heart function.
- Risk stratification and counselling: Timely diagnosis enables healthcare providers to assess cardiovascular risk and offer personalised counselling, empowering patients to adopt lifestyle modifications and preventive measures for better heart health.
When a OneMedicine Cardiology appointment may not be suitable
If you’re experiencing new or ongoing chest pain—especially if it’s tight, heavy, or feels like pressure—you should not book a routine cardiology clinic appointment. This kind of pain could be a warning sign of a heart attack or another serious heart condition. Other symptoms that need urgent medical attention include sudden shortness of breath while resting, fainting or feeling like you’re going to faint, a racing or irregular heartbeat that makes you feel unwell, very high blood pressure with symptoms like headache or vision changes, or signs of fluid in the lungs such as severe breathlessness. These issues should be assessed immediately in A&E or by calling 999—please don’t delay by booking into a clinic
Proactive Care
At OneMedicine we are well aware of the significant benefits of proactive management in regards to heart disease, and will offer thorough consultations regarding heart health, including necessary tests and discussions surrounding medical history and lifestyle factors. If you have a history of heart ailments or are currently experiencing ongoing heart related symptoms, scheduling an appointment with OneMedicine will prove beneficial.
We are passionate about prevention, timely diagnosis, continuity of care and excellent disease management, to provide the best quality of life and outcome.
