About me
Professor Pandula Athauda-arachchi, a UK board certified (CCT) Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, is currently attached to Durdans Heart Centre in Colombo & Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University as a Grade 1 Senior Lecturer.
Previously, he served as a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (CTC Broadgreen) Royal Gwent Hospital and University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and also in the Regional Cardiothoracic Centre Morriston, Swansea, in the United Kingdom. He was a consultant providing primary angioplasty service for acute ST elevation MI (heart attacks) for the entire west and south Wales regions in UK.
He has undergone Cardiology specialist training in the United Kingdom, in the prestigious Edinburgh Heart Centre and in Swansea, Wales, completing a high volume of coronary and cardiac procedures with an Interventional Cardiology Fellowship.
He has extensive knowledge and experience in coronary intervention and Aortic Valve procedures, heart devices (pacemakers & ICD),Echo imaging and coronary CT. He has experience in intra-vascular ultrasound (IVUS), Optical Coherence tomography (OCT), Rotablation, Laser assisted angioplasty, managing of critically unwell patients needing balloon pumps, aortic valvuloplasties etc.
He has many UK and European accreditations to his name and has been awarded the fellowship of European Society of Cardiology recently for clinical excellence.
He has many scientific publications and has presented his interventional cardiology work in many World forums including the EuroPCR Congress in Paris, France and in Barcelona, Spain in 2012.
He has been a recipient of the International Gates-Cambridge Scholarship at the University of Cambridge, where he has completed his PhD, for outstanding academic merit.
He has also taught at the University of Cambridge MB/PhD programme.
He graduated from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, with First Class Honours in every exam along with 11 Distinctions and 18 Awards/Prizes to his name during undergraduate career. He had entered and left the University, ranked in the highest categories.
He was a product of Dharmaraja College, Kandy. During his school years, he has won many prizes and accolades in both academic work and extra-curricular activities. He has had the honour of being a mastermind TV quiz champion (including Dulux Do you know Quiz) on many occasions and has represented Sri Lanka internationally (SAARC quiz) during his school years.
At present, he has the objective of developing the state-of-the art cardiac care, to be provided with the best of evidence based practice, for the benefit patients attending his care.
Research and Publications
- Athauda-arachchi, P. et al. Analysis of the Utility of JCTO Score in Real Life Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) PCI Revascularization in Sri Lanka- Insights from a Two-year Single centre, Single Operator Study. Sri Lanka Journal of Cardiology June 2021: 4 (2), 35-40
- Athauda-arachchi, P. Advanced interventional cardiac procedures and perioperative care required to prevent the epidemic of end-stage heart disease in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Medicine, 28(1), pp.54–60
- Athauda-arachchi, P. Challenges of a Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in a calcified Bicuspid aortic valve – the 1st experience in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Cardiology June 2019: 1 (3), 105-107
- Athauda-arachchi, P. 5 year outcome of double rotablation of unprotected leftmain/LAD/Lcx with culotte stenting in an 84 year old female- seeing beyond the Syntax scores in real world patients. Sri Lanka Journal of Cardiology June 2019: 1 (3), 127-129
- Athauda-arachchi, P M and Hutcheon S D. Assessing the implications of implementing the NICE guideline 95 for evaluation of stable chest pain of recent onset: a single centre experience. Scott Med J. 2013 Feb;58(1):12-5.
- Athauda-arachchi, P. and Dorman, S. (2012). Retention and fracture of a hydrophilic radial artery sheath due to severe spasm: an uncommon radial artery complication occurring after coronary angiography. Interventional Cardiology, Future Medicine. February 2012, Vol. 4, No. 1, Pages 57-60.
- Athauda-arachchi, P., Mordi, I., Koch, S., Tzemos, N. Anomalous pulmonary venous drainage: chest radiography and cardiac imaging Postgrad. Med. J. 2013;0:postgradmedj-2012-131469v-postgradmedj-2012-131469.
- Athauda-arachchi, P. and Lang, C. Metabolic Antianginal Agent Ranolazine Offers Good Symptom Relief in a Patient with Inoperable Severe Aortic Stenosis. Cardiovascular Therapeutics. 25th May 2011. 30 (4): e210-e211
- Athauda-arachchi P M and Christopher Lang. ECGs and assessing patients with severe chest pain. Cardiology News. April/May 2012.
- Athauda-arachchi P M, Jenkins G, Smith D. “New aggressive ostial left main stem disease following PCI to LAD, requiring further emergency PCI within 3 months »EuroPCR Paris- 2012- abstract and clinical case presentation.
- Athauda-arachchi P M, Elder D, Guntur P, Tzemos N. Cardiac Imaging Conundrum Resolved by Clinical Examination. BJC Arrhythmia Watch, 2012.
- Athauda-arachchi P.M. PhD dissertation: “Analysis of the effect of fate determining transcription factors on the terminal differentiation of stem cell populations”. Archives- Library of University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2010.
- Joannides A and Athaud-arachchi P et al. A scaleable and defined system for generating neural stem cells from human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells. 2007 Mar;25(3):731-7.
- Athauda-arachchi P, Kularatne W, Jayatillake M.M et al. Utility of intracoronary injection of peripherally derived bone marrow stem cells to treat a patient with severe symptomatic ischemic left ventricular failure, as a bridge to future revascularization with Rotablation and PCI (e-abstract TCT 2018 number 1674), San Diego, CA, USA.
- Athauda-arachchi P, Unprotected left main Rotablation and bifurcation stenting in octogenarian female (e-abstract) , Euro PCR 2015, Paris, France.
- Advanced interventional cardiac procedures and perioperative care required to prevent the epidemic of end-stage heart disease in Sri Lanka. 2019
- Challenges of a Transcatheter aortic valve implantation(TAVI) in a calcified bicuspid aortic valve-a first in Sri Lanka. 2019
- 5 -year outcomes of a double rotablation of unprotected leftmain/LAD/Lcx with culotte stenting in an 84 year old lady-seeing beyond the Syntax score in real world patients. 2019
- Analysis of the Utility of JCTO Score in Real Life Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) PCI Revascularization in Sri Lanka- Insights from a Two-year Single centre, Single Operator Study. 2021
- Case report: Unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms - Multimodality imaging correlation helps determine indications and approaches for repair. 2022
- Intracoronary Transplantation of Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cells in Ischaemic End-Stage Left Ventricular Failure. 2022
- Mitigation of cardiac death risk in a subset of patients with late presenting ST elevation myocardial infarction with preserved or mild Left Ventricular systolic dysfunction … 2022
- Cardiac cathlab procedure patterns in elderly patients, pre and post covid pandemic : experience in a tertiary level cardiac centre. 2022
- A Unique Challenge in Management in the Emergency Department and Cardiac Cathlab: Case Review of Two Subjects with Kounis Syndrome Complicated with ST Elevation Myocardial … 2022
- Under-deployed TAVI with occluded Left main and severe aortic regurgitation; Bailout chimney-in-chimney stenting & aggressive post-dilatation saves the day. 2022
- Stem cell manipulation with plasmid-based transcription factor over-expression systems to successfully generate pre-specified cells fates in-vitro; proof of concept of in-vitro … 2023
Presentations
- National Oration :Kandy Society of Medicine 2019- Selected annual oration : “Advanced interventional cardiac procedures and perioperative care required to prevent the epidemic of end-stage heart disease in Sri Lanka”
- EuroPCR Cardiology Summit; Paris, France- 2012- Presentation–“Aggressive ostial Leftmain disease post PCI”
- GulfPCR Cardiology Summit, Dubai, UAE. Nov 2014-Oral Presentation & Abstract- Tackling calcific coronaries during Primary PCI
- Lumen STEMI Global Cardiology Summit- Bangkok Jan 2015-Country representation and Oral Presentation
- AsiaPCR Cardiology Summit, Singapore Jan 2015 – Oral Presentation & Abstract-Tools to tackle complex coronary disease during PPCI: Utility of laser…
- EuroPCR Cardiology Summit, Paris, France- May 2015-Oral Presentation &Abstract- Unprotected LM rotablation and bifurcation stenting in octogenerian female
- AsiaPCR 2016-Presentation on Successful rotablation and PCI to unprotected calcific LMS to LAD in octogenarian…
- AsiaPCR 2017- Guest International Faculty-Oral Presentation-Predictors and procedural of challenging calcified lesions.
- AsiaPCR 2017- Guest International Faculty-Oral Presentation- intracoronary Imaging
- National Heart Foundation- Bangladesh, Invited international Faculty and Speaker ”PCI in Vein Grafts”-National Heart Foundation Conference on Cardiovascular Diseases 2017 Dhaka.
- India Valves summit , New Delhi , India 2017 July, Experts Panel- session 6,11
- AsiaPCR 2018- Guest International Faculty & moderator
- Complex Cardiovascular Therapeutics- 2017- Kobe, Japan- International Faculty and commentator
- Transcatheter Therapeutics (TCT) Cardiology Summit- San Diego, USA- Presenter- Challenging Cases
- SingLive 2019- Complex PCI and TAVI sharing International Faculty
- AICT-AsiaPCR 2019 Cardiology sessions- Plenary session speaker – Topic “Complex Left Main and RCA PCI in a single setting in Tortuous coronaries”
- AICT-AsiaPCR 2019 Cardiology sessions- Large and small of PCI- treating the outliers
- AICT-AsiaPCR 2019 Cardiology : Complex PCI sessions Cases and Abstract corner- Speaker :”When rotablation fails CrossBoss assisted Ostial calcific LAD CTO PCI saves the day”
- India Valves 2019 and 2017- Inaugural session – international Guest Speaker
- India & South Asia High Bleeding Risk Summit 27th June 2020- Speaker-International Webinar-Topic “High Risk PTCA in patients with requirement for Warfarin and complex cardiac history, need for rapid healing deliverable drug eluting stents”.
- US-Asia Symposium- Virtual Conference PCI-Speaker- 12 July 2020- Topic “Intracoronary Imaging and Physiology-What have we been missing in PCI” (on Optical Coherence tomography and Fractional Flow reserve)
- Bangladesh interventional therapy society (BIT) and Bangladesh National Heart Foundation meetings- International expert faculty- 2021/2018
- Society of Critical Care medicine 2014- guest lecture: Acute coronary syndromes and management
- CME teaching programme-Initiation of lecture series- Durdans Hospital, Colombo. Treatment of acute heart attacks /IHD and valvular heart disease – role of interventional cardiology
- Kandy Society of Medicine – Post Graduate CME Lectures @ Teaching hospital Kandy, – Advances in interventional cardiology and managing cardiac emergencies 2014
- Hantana Clinical Society, Teaching hospital, University of Peradeniya. – Invited Guest lecture -Application of interventional cardiology in treating coronary heart disease 2015
- Independent Medical Practitioners Society Sri Lanka, annual sessions, invited lecture 2015.
- Civil Aviation Authority –Presentation on Cardiovascular Disease & Advancements in interventional cardiology and therapeutics. 2019.
- University of Peradeniya, Golden Jubilee Celebrations, Invited Guest of Honour, Plenary Lecture on Non communicable diseases-Advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stem cell therapies to prevent/treat myocardial dysfunction due to acute Myocardial Infarction- 2012
Other Publications
- Local newspapers and magazines- many articles on cardiovascular medicines
- Nugasevana, Chanel D, Nethra TV -presentations on Cardiovascular therapeutics
- A trilingual e-handbook for medical trainees on patient counselling for cardiac procedures and medications (ISBN 978-624-94530-0-5)