Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have been awarded with ‘Centre of Excellence’ status and Dr Shouvik Haldar, consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Harefield Hospital, has been recognised as a pioneer in the management of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), by international charity Arrhythmia Alliance.
The Heart Rhythm Centre at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the UK. Experts at the Centre provide highly specialised care for patients with arrhythmias – problems with the rhythm of the heartbeat. SVT is a type of arrhythmia where the heart suddenly beats very fast and abruptly slows down again.
Trudie Lobban, founder and CEO of Arrhythmia Alliance, said: “With our new Centres of Excellence programme, we are delighted to recognise experts in the field of arrythmias and in particular SVT. Dr Shouvik Haldar has demonstrated best practice and Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have been recognised by the Arrythmia Alliance international panel of medical experts as a Centre of Excellence. We hope that others will learn from the service at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals and be able to offer similar excellent practice to people with SVT to improve outcomes for this group of individuals.”
Commenting on the recognition, Dr Haldar said: “I am honoured to be recognised as an SVT pioneer and delighted that Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have been acknowledged as a Centre of Excellence. We actively seek to provide an efficient service for patients with SVT and our care pathway ensures that all patients fully understand their condition and all available options for treatment. This award will help us achieve our goal of setting the standard of care for patients with SVT.”
As part of its Centres of Excellence programme, Arrhythmia Alliance has published a new report to highlight the work of SVT pioneers such as Dr Haldar. A case study by Dr Haldar on using personal electrocardiogram (ECG) devices to diagnose SVTs is included in the report.