Meet the Specialist with Professor Stables
We are pleased to share a new series of articles where we hear from LHCH specialists about their career inspiration, experiences and achievements. For the first in the series we spoke to Professor Rod Stables who is a Consultant Cardiologist with an international profile in both practice and clinical research.
Where it Started
Rod Stables was born in Liverpool and spent his childhood in the city, attending the Liverpool Blue Coat School. When he left school at 18, Rod first went to Sandhurst and completed a short-service commission, as an infantry officer in the Army, serving in the UK and abroad. He subsequently went to university, reading medical sciences at Churchill College, Cambridge for 3 years and then clinical medicine at St Edmund Hall, Oxford for a further 3 years, qualifying as a doctor in 1985.
We asked Professor Stables what motivated him to embark on a career in medicine and specifically as a cardiologist. He said:
“I grew up in a normal Liverpool household where your parents wanted you to get a good job and, as you might expect, being a doctor was high on the list of acceptable possibilities. I liked the sciences, and it seemed natural to go to medical school. Nobody in my family had ever been to university, and apart from my GP, I did not even know any doctors, so I had no real idea what I was getting myself into. If I am asked now by a young person if I think they would enjoy being a doctor – the answer is always yes. There are so many different types of career possibilities and so there is almost always a job out there to suit everyone.”
“I was motivated towards cardiology because my dad had coronary heart disease and had his first heart attack in his forties, whilst I was at school, eventually dying from a heart attack when I was at medical school.”
“Cardiology is a very exciting and demanding speciality because it tackles one of the UK’s leading causes of death and poor health. Sometimes you are required to treat patients in the throes of a genuine, life-threatening emergency and this demands a cool head, clear thinking and the ability to make decisions under pressure. As an interventional cardiologist, much of what I do involves practical skills and I get to work with my hands, performing procedures that can be quite intricate. Finally, cardiology practice is guided by research, development and innovation, perhaps more so than some other fields.”
Professor Stables worked in Oxford and at the Royal Brompton in London until the year 2000, when he relocated to join the, then, Cardiothoracic Centre – Liverpool NHS Trust which later became Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation trust.
Role at LHCH
Professor Stables joined CTC (now LHCH) when he was 40 years old, as a Consultant Cardiologist, having completed specialist training two years previously at the Royal Brompton Hospital. The opportunity here was “one of the best roles in cardiology, in one of the nation’s leading specialist units”. This was coupled with the chance to move back home to Liverpool and live closer to family. Professor Stables shared:
“I was the 6th cardiologist when I started, and I was the new face. I looked up to senior colleagues such as Drs Charles, Perry, Ramsdale, Harley and Morrison who were already here. It was a much smaller group in those days. There has been substantial growth since and we now have more than 40 cardiologists.”
“Even in those early years, the success and potential of the hospital was recognised and there was a nationally funded programme for growth that saw us double our size and activity in the 2000’s. This recognition, and investment for expansion, has continued and we have become a national leader, not only in cardiology clinical activity and outcomes, but also in patient safety, patient experience, staff satisfaction and in research. It’s been great to be part of that.”
“There have been milestone developments along the way. In January 2009 we launched the Primary PCI Service so, for the 2.4 million people that we serve in the region, anyone experiencing a heart attack will be brought, directly, to us for an emergency angioplasty procedure. This provision involves a clinical team drawn from several different clinical disciplines and a lot of hard work, much of it out-of-hours. It is demanding but satisfying work, and has saved many lives over the last 15 years.
“Another standout for me has been the continuing, relentless improvement in the safety and effectiveness of coronary angioplasty and stenting over the past 20 years. We are now able to offer treatment to patients who may previously have needed open heart surgery, and to do this, in the vast majority of cases, as a day-case - with no nights in hospital, with patients remaining in their own clothes and with no substantial discomfort or recovery time.”
“I have very much enjoyed being part of teams that have developed, pioneered and introduced new procedures. I have a special interest in the invasive treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, having been involved in the world’s first procedure, performed in London in the 90s. We are now the leading centre in the UK for this procedure and offer unique levels of efficacy and safety. Much of this comes from the use of techniques conceived and first used here, based on work that I did with Dr Rob Cooper and Dr Binukrishnan.”
“We’ve also introduced new minimally invasive percutaneous approaches to valve treatment, like TAVI. There have been so many developments and improvements in quality of care that it is hard to pick out just a few.”
“I’ve been happy and fortunate enough to have worked in one of the most effective, collaborative and positive hospitals in the country. I have been grateful for the support and fellowship of my colleagues from all clinical disciplines and indeed from all the fantastic staff that keep this place running so effectively, and with such a good atmosphere. This makes coming to work a pleasure, just about every day.”
Cutting Edge Facilities
In 2024, LHCH officially unveiled a Cath Lab re-development providing national leading, state-of-the-art facilities. Professor Stables along with Dr Perry, former Medical Director, had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon to the new facility. Professor Stables spoke of the phenomenal changes to infrastructure and facilities over the years:
“When I first started, we had 3 Cath Labs. One of these was very old but functional. I was here when we got the 4th, and I think, in total, we have had 3 or 4 sequential development phases to improve the facilities. The latest re-development (in 2024) has been transformational and we now have 7 spacious and well-equipped Cath Labs, with additional access to a hybrid theatre in the surgical department.”
“It’s much easier now to live stream live cases and share our skills with other centres. Only yesterday we were transmitting live cases to a national audience. It’s good we have this capability, but also gratifying, that other professionals from around the world, want to watch our cases!”
International Profile in Research
Professor Stables has an established and leading reputation for practice and research in interventional cardiology. He is the national lead for the British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Collaborative which seeks to better coordinate and deliver clinical research at a UK level.
We asked Professor Stables what his motivation is for research, why it is so important and what difference does it make:
“Outside of my clinical responsibilities, research is my main interest and where I have tried to make the biggest extra contribution at LHCH.”
“Research is the key to improving what we do. Finding the best treatments - the most effective and most safe to provide the best quality care for the patients of tomorrow. That alone is enough of a motivation to do research.”
“However, it creates an environment that encourages staff stimulation, development and hence satisfaction. Research encourages us to think about the future and about doing things differently. In clinical research we are, in effect, performing scientific experiments. This also teaches us to be disciplined and to behave in accordance with best practice protocols. Attention to detail rubs off and probably makes you a better doctor, or nurse, or radiographer, all the time. You are more informed, motivated and because you adhere to systematic methods of practice, the quality of care improves.”
“Other benefits for me are that I’ve been able to work with younger staff members, from different disciplines, to support them in planning, conducting and reporting research. I’ve been able to offer 1.1 support to cardiologists in training which is very satisfying and has helped to advance their careers. I’ve supervised 10 higher research PHDs based on clinical research and, in truth I have probably learned as much from the students as they have from me!.”
Research Milestones
Asked about his ‘stand out’ achievements and milestones in research Professor Stables said:
“My aim for research is to answer questions about every day clinical care, which are directly relevant to what we do here at LHCH. Although I have interests in databases, registries and statistics, my main projects have involved organising large, pragmatic clinical trials, sometimes in collaboration with other Uk and international centres, but also, notably, using our own teams.”
“In the history of world cardiology, the two largest ever single centre randomised trials have been conducted here at LHCH. This is a big achievement and is a testament to the teamwork of our staff. We are probably the only centre that has delivered on a dream that, every patient, every time gets the chance to participate in research.”
“One of these trials is called HEAT PPCI and this stands out because of its international impact and recognition – for both the clinical findings and novel research methods. In the US market, the findings of this study saves the health industry about $700 million every year. When it was 70th birthday of the NHS, the National Institute of Health Research published a tribute naming what it considered to be the 70 greatest research achievements in the history of the NHS, and this study, conceived and delivered by us, made the list.
Interests
Outside of work Rod is married and has two sons and two labrador dogs.
“I enjoy climbing and outdoor activities, but it’s in the Lake District mainly now. When in was younger I climbed some of the world’s highest mountains such as Mount McKinley in North America, 4000 metre peaks in the European Alps and I was the Deputy Leader of the 1992, Army, Everest in Winter expedition.”
“It is a similar story (of past glory) in sport, with current interests focussed mainly on golf. Previously I played Rugby, to a good level. I was forced to give up aged 42, when a lack of pace was creating liabilities for my teammates. I then coached in junior rugby and latterly became a referee. Over recent years this has been a passion and I have managed to officiate at some good games. Last year, at a match on the Isle of Man, it was a real pleasure to walk off down a tunnel of previous patients, who had come to the ground to show their support for all the work that LHCH does for their community.”