The Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic Podcast

Insulin resistance often develops silently for years before diabetes or heart disease appears. Discover how modern metabolic assessment, including body composition, visceral fat analysis and targeted blood testing, can identify early risk, allowing personalised lifestyle and medical strategies to restore metabolic health, improve energy, and reduce long-term cardiovascular risk. Full blog at https...

Body recomposition focuses on reducing visceral fat while preserving muscle mass, offering superior cardiovascular protection compared to traditional weight loss. This approach proves particularly valuable for patients with coronary disease, those starting GLP-1 therapy, and adults over 60 facing age-related muscle loss.  https://www.scvc.co.uk/cardiovascular-prevention/cardiologist-body-recomposi...

Transoesophageal echocardiography before atrial fibrillation cardioversion prevents stroke by detecting hidden left atrial appendage clots. The greatest risk comes from atrial stunning after rhythm restoration, not existing thrombus. TOE enables safe early intervention. Read blog

A single episode of atrial fibrillation in patients with a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score ≥2 often leads to a recommendation for lifelong anticoagulation. But is this always necessary? This article explores when exceptions may be reasonable, the importance of rhythm monitoring, and how shared decision-making can guide personalised, safe stroke prevention strategies. Read blog  

Patients with a low CHA₂DS₂-VASc score are often considered low risk for stroke. However, around cardioversion, this changes. Atrial paresis following restoration of sinus rhythm creates a temporary high-risk period for clot formation, particularly after AF lasting more than 24 hours, making short-term anticoagulation essential even in younger patients. Read blog

Modern lipid management requires both substantial percentage LDL reduction and achieving low absolute LDL levels. Relative reduction reflects treatment intensity, while absolute LDL determines residual risk. Trials consistently show “lower is better.” Even with good percentage drops, patients may remain undertreated—making combined pharmacological and lifestyle strategies essential to reduce ather...

LDL-C alone may miss important cardiovascular risk. This article explains why ApoB and small dense LDL often better reflect atherosclerotic burden, especially in metabolic disease and high visceral fat. It outlines practical lipid targets by risk category and shows how LDL-C:ApoB ratios can estimate dangerous particle patterns Read blog  Cardiology for medics podcast series

Gain-of-function mutations in PCSK9 increase LDL cholesterol by accelerating LDL receptor degradation, helping explain inherited cardiovascular risk. Unlike evolutionary adaptations such as sickle-cell heterozygote advantage, these mutations directly enhance protein activity. Understanding this genetic pathway has transformed cholesterol science and led to powerful new treatments for coronary arte...

Cardiometabolic risk develops gradually through visceral fat accumulation, insulin resistance and rising blood pressure. A structured escalation model — from supported self-management to specialist review and selective GLP-1 therapy — allows proportionate intervention before overt cardiovascular disease emerges. Early, coordinated action can alter long-term risk trajectories. Read blog For more in...

Semaglutide’s cardiovascular benefits extend beyond weight loss — it powerfully reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT), the internal fat that drives inflammation, insulin resistance and small dense LDL. At SCVC, our GLP-1 programme targets VAT directly using personalised VAT scans and flexible dosing to improve long-term heart health. For full article see blog

As we age — particularly if we have inherited genes that predispose us to metabolic disarray that accompanies modern diet and lifestyles, we start to gain weight as visceral fat increases , and muscle mass declines . This double effect worsens blood pressure, cholesterol triglycerides, and blood sugar — contributing to what is known as the metabolic syndrome . Fat cells that have reached their cap...

Hypothyroidism is a very common medical condition. Most patients symptoms improve with standard thyroxine treatment, however some do not. There are some genetic variations that leads to poor conversion of T4 to T3 (the active thyroid hormone).  It is not always possible to tell from TSH and T4 chemistry that this issue is present. This podcast covers a review article published in the Lancet in 202...

This podcast is a discussion around  Guidance Document for GPs on Blood Pressure Management: Timeline of Events - where significant events and research in the evolution of blood pressure management guidelines, focusing particularly on heart failure. It aims to aid General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK in understanding the historical context and current standards for managing blood pressure across...