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Staff Profile

Dr Louise Coats

Clinical Intermediate Fellow and Honorary Consultant Adult Congenital Heart Disease

  • Email: louise.coats@ncl.ac.uk
  • Address: Population Health Sciences Institute
    Faculty of Medical Sciences
    Newcastle University
    International Centre for Life,
    Central Parkway,
    Newcastle upon Tyne,
    NE1 3BZ
Background

Introduction

I am a Principal Investigator in the Congenital Heart Disease Group which sits in the Reproduction, Development and Child Health Theme. My work is on outcomes in adult congenital heart disease, in particular understanding the markers of decompensation and what matters to patients.

 

Background

Guildford High School, Guildford 1987- 1994

St George’s Hospital Medical School, London 1994-1999

  • MBBS distinction Medicine
  • Anatomy prize
  • Brackenbury prize for Medicine

Adult Medical Training, Plymouth and London 1999-2003

  • DHMSA (Diploma in History of Medicine Society of Apothecaries) 2000
  • MRCP (UK) 2002

Great Ormond Street Hospital and Institute of Child Health 2003-2006

  • British Heart Foundation Junior Fellowship
  • (PhD) University College London

Adult Cardiology Training, Northern Deanery 2007-2016

  • NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer
  • Academy of Medical Sciences Start-Up Grant
  • British Society of Echocardiography Transthoracic Accreditation

Completion of Clinical Training 2016

Google SCHOLAR:  Click here. 

Orcid number: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3422-5497 

    Memberships 

    • Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
    • British Cardiac Society
    • British Congenital Cardiac Society
    • ESC Grown up Congenital Heart Disease Working Group

    Research

    Research Interests

    How can we promote resilience in adults with congenital heart disease? 

    Adults with congenital heart disease are a growing and increasingly complex patient group at risk of premature decompensation. As part of a collaborative research effort with Bill Chaudhry and Deborah Henderson I am interested in understanding both their medical and psychosocial issues that influence their general wellbeing. There are three ongoing strands to this work:

    • Finding biomarkers that will indicate problems before they become clinically apparent
    • Investigating the potential of microvascular function as an early marker of decompensation
    • Understanding the psychosocial needs of this patient group

    What is the role of transplant and mechanical assist for adults with congenital heart disease? 

    The growing burden of heart failure in ACHD is reflected in the rapidly increasing numbers of referrals for transplant assessment to our centre. Donor organs are a scarce commodity and mechanical assist devices are not yet developed that can adequately support the complex failing single ventricle patient. Together with clinical colleagues, Katrijn Jansen, David Crossland, John O’Sullivan and Asif Hasan I am interested in understanding the current and future role of mechanical assist and heart transplant in the decompensating adult congenital patient.

    What is the relationship between flow and morphology in adults with congenital heart disease? 

    Surgical modification has been the main modifier of the natural history of congenital heart disease over recent decades. In the normal heart, recent work (link PFO paper) in collaboration with Kieren Hollingsworth has highlighted the potential relationship between subtle differences in cardiac morphology, flow and late pathophysiological complications in the setting of patent foramen ovale. I am interested in how this concept may be applied to more complex conditions, such as the Fontan palliation, to understand better where and how intervention might be designed and targeted to improve outcomes.

    Technical expertise

    Imaging (Tissue Doppler and 4D Flow MRI)

    Patient Related Research

    Teaching

    Teaching

    I am lead for training in Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) in the Northern Deanery and sit on the Speciality Trainee Committee. I contribute to Regional and National clinical teaching programmes in Adult Congenital Heart Disease. I currently provide supervision to undergraduate and master’s students from our own medical school and others across the UK.

     

    Administration

    Northern Deanery

    Co-ordinator for trainee attachments in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

    North East and North Cumbria Congenital Heart Disease Operational Delivery Network

    ACHD Lead

    Congenital Heart Disease Research Group

    Administrative Lead

    Clinical

    Co-ordinator of Fontan MDT

    Publications