Cambridge University Hospitals’ (CUH) Blood Pressure Clinic housed within the Clinical Pharmacology Department offers one of the leading hypertension services in the UK, and is recognized as an European Society of Hypertension Centre of Excellence. We provide a comprehensive clinical service, specialist training, and conducting cutting edge clinical research.
The service runs two outpatient clinics per week at CUH, one joint obstetric hypertension clinic per month with Rosie Maternity, and two outreach hypertension clinics per month in Saffron Walden Community Hospital, covering Uttlesford. We serve as both a secondary care referral centre for the local region – straddling three ICSs and a tertiary referral service for the East of England and increasingly more widely afield.
The inpatient service covers hypertensive emergencies, obstetric hypertension, and investigation and management of suspected secondary hypertension.
We offer investigation and treatment for all forms of hypertension and have a particular interest in hypertension in young people and secondary forms of hypertension. As recommended in relevant NICE guidelines, we are happy to receive referrals from primary care and other centres for the following types of patients: -
- Hypertension in young people i.e age of onset ≤ 40 years
- Resistant Hypertension (i.e not at target on 3 drugs – confirmed with ABPM or home monitoring and with prior urinary adherence check completed, where possible)
- Suspected secondary hypertension (e.g. low potassium, palpitations, renal disease)
- Hypertension in pregnancy (can be seen in pregnancy in the joint Obstetric Hypertension clinic)
- Women who remain hypertensive postpartum
- Complex polypharmacy
We are happy to provide general advice and guidance, or assist with interpretation of investigations of ambulatory BP/home monitoring. We are able to offer a comprehensive set of investigations including: -
- Urinary adherence testing
- 24 hour BP monitors
- Plasma renin, aldosterone and metanephrines
- 24 hr urinary aldosterone
- Echocardiography
- MR/CT angiography
- Ga-Dotatate PET/CT
- Adrenal/renal vein sampling
- Functional kidney testing
- Genetic testing (where appropriate)
Together with colleagues at CUH and Royal Papworth, we are able to provide treatment options for all forms of secondary hypertension including adrenalectomy, aortic surgery and renal artery angioplasty. Cambridge has the largest number of Clinical Pharmacology trainees at a single site and offers the most comprehensive training in the UK. Research is seamlessly integrated into the clinical service and has helped shape National hypertension guidelines and our understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension, particularly in young people and pregnancy.
The department also houses a research echocardiography service which provides high end echocardiography for research trials across the biomedical campus, supporting over 80 cardiovascular, respiratory and oncology clinical trials. The unit has attained European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) accreditation – one of only 4 in the UK.
The department is co-located with the University Division of Experimental Medicine & Immunotherapeutics (opens in a new tab) within the ACCI Building at CUH.
Clinics
- Addenbrookes outpatient clinic 12 – weekly, Monday afternoon
- Addenbrookes Rosie Maternity – monthly, Monday afternoon
- Addenbrookes outpatient clinic 12 – weekly, Wednesday afternoon
- Saffron Walden clinic – twice a month, Tuesday mornings at Radwinter Road Hospital
