Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Specialist in Dorset

Congenital heart disease covers the wide range of heart conditions that are present from birth — from simple holes between the chambers and valve abnormalities to more complex conditions that have required surgery in childhood. As an adult, you may have been discharged from paediatric care, moved to the area, or simply lost touch with regular follow-up.

Specialist review is for any adult born with a heart condition, whether you feel completely well or have noticed new symptoms such as breathlessness, palpitations or reduced exercise tolerance. It is also important at particular life stages — for example when planning a pregnancy, before non-cardiac surgery, or if you are considering more strenuous exercise — when expert advice is especially valuable.

As pan-Dorset lead for this area, Dr Khambekar brings the specialist knowledge needed to interpret the long-term picture and to coordinate care with regional congenital heart networks where more complex input is required.

Your appointment begins with a thorough review of your history — your original diagnosis, any operations or procedures, and how you have been since. An examination and a resting ECG follow, alongside an assessment of your exercise tolerance and any current symptoms.

Imaging is central to ACHD care. An echocardiogram assesses the structure and function of the heart, and cardiac MRI — which Dr Khambekar performs and reports herself — is often invaluable for examining the heart and great vessels in the detail these conditions require. Having the same specialist acquire and interpret this imaging provides important continuity.

You will leave with a clear understanding of your heart's current state, what to look out for, and a sensible plan for ongoing surveillance. Where your condition needs input from a specialist congenital heart centre, that can be arranged while keeping your routine monitoring convenient and local.

Adult congenital heart disease review and the imaging that supports it are available at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, The Harbour Hospital in Poole, and the Dorset Heart Clinic. This local, pan-Dorset provision means much of your lifelong follow-up can take place without the need to travel far, with onward referral arranged when specialist centre input is needed.