Congenital Cardiac Physiologists (CCPs) have an important role in the diagnosis and management of congenital heart disease (CHD). The fields covered include:

A: Non-invasive techniques:

a. Echocardiography

i. Fetal echocardiography

ii. Transthoracic echocardiography in children and / or adults

iii. Transoesophageal echocardiography

iv. 3D echocardiography

v. Advanced functional analysis

b. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

c. Electrophysiology

i. Electrocardiograms

ii. 24 hour / long term event recorder analysis

iii. Pacemaker assessment

 

d. Exercise testing

i. Treadmill testing

ii. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing

 

e. Tilt testing

 

B. Invasive techniques:

a. Cardiac catheterisation monitoring e.g. haemodynamics

 

b. Procedural imaging

i. TOE procedure guidance

 

c. Electrophysiology

i. Radiofrequency ablation monitoring

ii. Pacemaker insertion

iii. Electrophysiology studies

 

d. XMR haemodynamic monitoring

CCPs are central departmental resource, maintaining high levels of competence and acting as role models in the development and delivery of education to both physiologists and trainee doctors, with the goal of specialist accreditations (such as the European Society of Cardiology Accreditation in Transthoracic Congenital Heart Disease Echocardiography). 

These roles will vary between centres and not all congenital centres will offer every role. 

 

Recently training in this subspecialty has recently undergone much change under NHS England to become part of the Modernising Scientific Careers programme (MSC) under the new Academy of Healthcare Science. Interested students should consult the NHS Careers website or The National School for Health Care Sciences for further information. At the present, there is no direct pathway to Congenital Heart Physiology other than at Higher Specialist Scientific Trainee (HSST) level (visit page on Modernising Scientific Careers).

Students interested in CHD are advised to apply for the STP adult-focused Cardiac Physiology.

 

Key documents/website links: