Professional background
Dr Sirker trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge. He graduated with a first class honours degree in physiology in 1994. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded three scholarships, an exhibition and several prizes. He then continued training at the University of Cambridge Clinical School, qualifying as a doctor in 1996 with a triple distinction in the final MB examinations.
His specialist training in cardiology was undertaken at a number of leading cardiac centres, including the Royal Brompton, Harefield, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. His specific expertise in interventional cardiology was gained at King’s College Hospital, London and during an international fellowship year at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, British Columbia, Canada – a pioneering centre in the use of radial access for angioplasty and stenting.
Dr Sirker is the clinical lead (head of department) for cardiology at UCLH NHS Foundation Trust. He undertakes general cardiology outpatient clinics at the main University College Hospital site. He sees patients with symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, dizzy spells and blackouts. He is involved in the care of patients with conditions that include coronary artery disease, heart valve diseases, high blood pressure and heart failure. He deals with cardiac assessment prior to non-heart related surgery and also with cardiovascular risk assessment more generally.
He is also involved with in-patient care at UCLH, for patients needing specialist cardiology input during their hospital admission.
He has specific expertise in coronary angiography, angioplasty (‘balloon treatment’) and stenting procedures. Other invasive and interventional procedures undertaken by Dr Sirker include pressure wire studies, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and rotational atherectomy.
His particular interests in interventional cardiology include i) use of the radial artery (at the wrist) for ‘keyhole’ access in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures ; ii) complex coronary interventions, including treatment of bifurcation disease, calcified lesions and diseased bypass grafts ; iii) the use of imaging inside the heart arteries to optimise the outcomes of balloon and stent based procedures.
He also has a strong interest in clinical risk reduction, for example leading the successful introduction of a safety checklist prior to procedures in the cardiac catheter laboratories at UCLH. He has also acted as the site lead at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital for implementation of the new National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures across all medical specialties.
Dr Sirker retains a broad interest in general adult cardiology. He achieved formal national accreditation in echocardiography and has trained in cardiac CT. He is also an accredited specialist in general (internal) medicine.
Specialties
Research interests
Dr. Sirker was awarded a British Cardiac Society prize research fellowship in 2007, to study the development of heart failure following a heart attack - to better understand why this occurs in some cases but not others, and how it might be prevented. This research was undertaken at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence at King’s College London, and led to the award of a PhD degree from the University of London. He has given presentations at leading cardiovascular conferences in both Europe and the United States.
He remains actively involved in clinical research as a consultant and is a member of the Research and Academic Committee of the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) for the period 2013-2017. He is also principal investigator at the Barts Heart Centre for various international multi-centre clinical research trials on coronary artery disease.
Dr Sirker is also a member of the editorial board of the British Journal of Hospital Medicine.
His current areas of research interest include:
- Outcomes research in Interventional Cardiology using national registry data
- Optimising the outcomes of acute coronary syndromes through clinical trials of novel therapies and strategies
- Ventricular remodelling (and its modification) in cardiac disease states
Publications
Publications include :
Kwok CS, Sirker A, Nolan J, et al A National Evaluation of Emergency Cardiac Surgery After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Postsurgical Patient Outcomes.
American Journal of Cardiology. 2020 Sep 1;130:24-29
Rathod KS, Sirker A, Baumbach A, et al.
Management of cardiogenic shock in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
British Journal of Hospital Medicine (Lond). 2019 Apr 2;80(4):204-210
Olier I, Sirker A, Hildick-Smith DJR, et al. Association of different antiplatelet therapies with mortality after primary percutaneous coronary intervention.
Heart 2018 Oct;104(20):1683-1690
Sirker A, Kwok CS, Kontopantelis E, et al. Antiplatelet drug selection in PCI to vein grafts in patients with acute coronary syndrome and adverse clinical outcomes: Insights from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society database
Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions. 2018 Oct 1;92(4):659-665
Vuurmans T, Er L, Sirker A, et al. Long-term patient and kidney survival after coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, or medical therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease: a propensity-matched cohort study
Coronary Artery Disease. 2018 Jan;29(1):8-16
Holroyd EW, Sirker A, Kwok CS, et al. The Relationship of Body Mass Index to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Outcomes: Does the Obesity Paradox Exist in Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Cohorts? Insights From the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society Registry
Journal of the American College of Cardiology : Cardiovasc Interventions. 2017 Jul 10
Sirker A, Kwok CS, Kotronias R, et al. Influence of access site choice for cardiac catheterization on risk of adverse neurological events: A systematic review and meta-analysis
American Heart Journal. 2016 Nov;181:107-119
Sirker A, Mamas M, Robinson D et al. Bivalirudin, glycoprotein inhibitor and heparin use and association with outcomes of primary percutaneous intervention in the United Kingdom.
European Heart Journal, April 2016. 37(16): 1312-20
Sirker A, Mamas M, Kwok CS et al. Outcomes from Selective Use of Thrombectomy in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: An Analysis of the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society/National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (BCIS-NICOR) Registry 2006-2013.
Journal of American College of Cardiology Cardiovascular Interventions, January 2016. 9(2): 126-34
Sirker A, Scott P, Melikian N. Rare insight into the rapid evolution of a coronary aneurysm and fistula. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, November 2013. 62(21): 2023
Sirker A, Sohal M, Oldroyd K, et al. The impact of bifurcation stenting strategy on health-related functional status – a quality of life analysis from the British Bifurcation Coronary; Old, New and Evolving Strategies (BBC ONE) study.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology Cardiovascular Interventions, February 2013. 6(2): 139-45.
Sirker A, Melikian N, Kenny C, Deshpande R. A rare indication for surgery in acute myocardial infarction: spontaneous aortic thrombus causing left main stem occlusion.
European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, May 2014. 45(5): 948
Sirker A, Byrne J and Monaghan M. The pyramid of danger: The value of TEE in detecting the risk of aortic perforation in TAVI.Echocardiography, Mar 2014. 31(3): E96-7
Sirker A, Zhang M and Shah A.M. NADPH oxidase in cardiovascular disease. An overview of insights from in vivo models and clinical studies.Basic Research in Cardiology, May 2011. 106(5):735-47.
Sirker A and Murgatroyd FD. Not just alternating ectopics. Heart, Feb 2010. 96(3):247-8.
Sirker A and Shah AM. Biochemistry and physiology of cardiac muscle. Medicine, 2010, 38(7), 340-343. Elsevier Ltd
Sirker A, Astroulakis Z and Hill JM. Vascular progenitor cells and translational research : the involvement of endothelial- and smooth muscle- progenitors in endogenous arterial disease in the adult. Clinical Science, February 2009;116(4):283-99.
Sirker A, Malik N, Bellamy M and Laffan MA. Acute myocardial infarction following tranexamic acid use in a low cardiovascular risk setting. British Journal of Haematology, June 2008; 141(6): 907-8
Sirker A, Zhang M, Murdoch C and Shah AM. Involvement of NADPH oxidases in cardiac remodelling and heart failure.
American Journal of Nephrology, September 2007; 27(6): 649-60
Sirker AA, Hyde J and Hildick-Smith D. Refractory hypoxemia after mitral valve surgery: an unusual cause and its percutaneous treatment. Journal of Invasive Cardiology, February 2006; 18(2): E86-8
Sirker AA, Rhodes A, Grounds RM and Bennett ED. Acid-base physiology: the traditional and the modern approaches.
Anaesthesia, April 2002; 57(4): 348-56
Sirker AA, Missouris CG and MacGregor GM. Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and peripheral side effects.
Journal of Human Hypertension, October 2001;15:745-6.