Consultant Cardiologist and Interventional Cardiologist
Dr. Vasim Farooq
MBChB, PhD, MRCP, FESC
26 years of experience
GMC – 4710480
Dr Vasim Farooq is a Consultant Cardiologist and Interventional Cardiologist specialising in general cardiology, chest pain and angina, cardiovascular risk reduction, coronary artery disease, complex coronary angioplasty, TAVI and PFO closure.
He has a particular specialist interest in patients with angina or persistent chest pain despite normal coronary arteries or otherwise reassuring heart tests, including microvascular angina and coronary artery spasm.
Dr Farooq has performed more than 3,500 coronary angioplasty and stent procedures. He also provides heart attack risk assessment, preventive cardiology, second opinions and ongoing care following a heart attack or coronary stenting.
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ABOUT Dr. Vasim Farooq
Dr Vasim Farooq is a Consultant Cardiologist and Interventional Cardiologist with expertise across general cardiology, chest pain and angina, coronary artery disease, complex coronary angioplasty (PCI), TAVI, PFO closure, preventive cardiology, cholesterol and lipid management, and cardiovascular risk reduction.
He has a particular specialist interest in patients who experience angina or persistent chest pain despite normal coronary arteries or otherwise reassuring heart tests, including a normal CT coronary angiogram or invasive coronary angiogram. Possible causes include abnormalities affecting the heart’s small blood vessels, known as microvascular angina, and intermittent coronary artery spasm.
Dr Farooq sees patients with common cardiac symptoms including chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations, as well as people concerned about their future risk of a heart attack or stroke who would like a detailed cardiovascular assessment.
He also provides ongoing specialist care for patients who have experienced a heart attack, undergone coronary stenting or have established coronary artery disease and want to minimise their risk of another cardiovascular event.
Alongside his general and preventive cardiology practice, Dr Farooq has performed more than 3,500 coronary angioplasty and stent procedures (PCI) and has specialist expertise in TAVI and PFO closure.
General cardiology
Dr Farooq provides comprehensive general cardiology assessment and treatment for patients with:
His approach centres on careful assessment, appropriate investigation, clear explanation and treatment tailored to the individual patient.
He also provides specialist second opinions for patients who have undergone previous cardiac investigations or treatment and would like their diagnosis, test results or management options reviewed.
Angina or chest pain despite normal heart tests
Not all angina is caused by a significant blockage in one of the major coronary arteries.
Some patients continue to experience chest pain, chest tightness, breathlessness or other symptoms suggestive of angina despite a normal CT coronary angiogram, invasive coronary angiogram or otherwise reassuring cardiac investigations.
In some cases, symptoms may arise from abnormalities affecting the heart’s small blood vessels or from intermittent spasm of the coronary arteries. These conditions include microvascular angina and vasospastic angina and may not be apparent on standard coronary investigations.
Dr Farooq has a particular specialist interest in assessing and treating patients with persistent angina despite coronary arteries that appear normal or have no significant narrowing.
His aim is to establish whether there is an underlying cardiac explanation for the symptoms and to develop an individualised treatment strategy focused on symptom control, cardiovascular health and quality of life.
Preventing heart attacks and reducing cardiovascular risk
Dr Farooq has a strong interest in preventive cardiology, cholesterol management and reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
He sees people who are concerned about their future cardiovascular health and would like a detailed assessment of their personal risk. This includes patients with:
He also provides ongoing cardiovascular care for patients who have experienced a heart attack, undergone coronary angioplasty or have established coronary artery disease and want to minimise their risk of a further cardiovascular event.
This includes assessment and optimisation of cholesterol and other lipid levels, blood pressure, lifestyle and other modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, with an individualised plan to prevent a first heart attack or stroke or reduce the risk of further events.
Coronary angioplasty and complex PCI
Dr Farooq has performed more than 3,500 coronary angioplasty and stent procedures (PCI) and has extensive experience in treating both straightforward and complex coronary artery disease.
He uses advanced coronary assessment and imaging techniques where appropriate, including:
These techniques can provide a more detailed understanding of coronary artery disease and help optimise treatment.
Dr Farooq also provides second opinions for patients with coronary artery disease, including those who have undergone CT coronary angiography or invasive coronary angiography and wish to discuss whether medical treatment, coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery is the most appropriate approach.
TAVI and aortic stenosis
Dr Farooq has specialist expertise in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), a minimally invasive treatment for severe aortic stenosis.
He assesses patients with aortic stenosis and works as part of a specialist structural heart programme to determine the most appropriate treatment for each individual, including TAVI or conventional valve surgery where appropriate.
PFO closure and unexplained stroke
Dr Farooq has specialist expertise in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), a Dr Farooq has particular expertise in patent foramen ovale (PFO) assessment and closure and leads the PFO closure service at the University Hospital of Wales.invasive treatment for severe aortic stenosis.
He assesses patients in whom a PFO has been identified following an otherwise unexplained, or cryptogenic, stroke and helps determine whether closure is appropriate.
Where indicated, PFO closure can be performed using a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure.
Academic and research background
Dr Farooq was awarded a PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam, where his research focused on the management of complex coronary artery disease.
He has published extensively in the cardiovascular literature, with research spanning coronary artery disease, complex PCI, coronary imaging, structural heart intervention and microvascular angina.
He contributed to the SYNTAX programme, which helped shape contemporary decision-making between coronary angioplasty and bypass surgery in patients with complex coronary artery disease.
Dr Farooq has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and has an h-index of 48, reflecting the citation impact of his research.
In 2013, he received a Young Investigator Award at Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), an international meeting in interventional cardiology.
He combines this academic background with more than 20 years of experience in clinical cardiology.
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