Cardiology Policy

Glenfield Hospital’s Nurse-Performed TAVI Uproar

Glenfield Hospital Cardiology – a leading NHS heart center just outside Leicester in the UK – set cardiology channels ablaze earlier this week with a since-deleted celebratory tweet announcing that one of its advanced nurse practitioners performed a whole TAVI procedure (aka TAVR in the U.S.) as the first operator.

While Glenfield Cardiology proclaimed it a “momentous day for Glenfield, UHL and the whole world,” most of CardioTwitter saw it quite differently, highlighted by two prominent Twitter threads that combined to accumulate over 1.6M views, 575 retweets, and 2,200 likes.

CardioTwitter’s many NP-led TAVI/TAVR critics…

  • Were in disbelieve that this actually happened
  • Disagreed with choosing TAVI, given its complexity and specialization
  • Reminded that being a TAVI operator also includes handling planning, patient management, and complications
  • Questioned why cardiologists must go through years of training and costly boards to perform the same procedure
  • Criticized the impact decisions like this have on physician training
  • Worried that this is a turning point in NP cardiology scope creep

Although massively outnumbered, CardioTwitter’s handful of NP-led TAVI/TAVR defenders…

  • Noted that this NP was likely talented and Glenfield is a solid institution (even critics agreed with these points)
  • Reminded that NPs are already expanding their role in the cath lab and other areas of cardiology
  • Suggested that TAVI is a team effort, and an NP with the right capabilities and training could be the first operator if they worked alongside a physician

The threads also revealed widespread confusion about Glenfield and the NHS’s motives…

  • Few seemed to agree with Glenfield’s suggestion that NPs would improve TAVI access
  • Some suggested that this is part of a larger conspiracy to shift more procedures to “mid-levels,” prioritizing costs over patient care
  • Some theorized that health systems are shifting procedures to NPs to prepare for future physician shortages 
  • Others argued that this “was done purely for clout,” which seems more problematic than any of the above theories

The Takeaway

Regardless where you stand on the role of NPs in cardiology, these Twitter responses make it very clear that most cardiologists aren’t ready for NPs to lead complex procedures and aren’t comfortable with the potential motivations behind this decision. Even if Glenfield’s first NP-led TAVI seems like an isolated event, these Twitter treads provide a helpful (and concerning) glimpse into what to expect if NPs’ scope continues to expand to more advanced areas of cardiology.

Get twice-weekly insights on the biggest stories shaping cardiology.

You might also like

Cardiac Imaging June 16, 2025

Beyond Hardware: Is AI the Answer to Making Cardiac Imaging more Accessible? June 16, 2025

Sponsored by Philips Healthcare Cardiac imaging has traditionally improved through hardware advances, enabling the speed needed for high-quality images. However, hardware is rapidly reaching its physical limitations in suppressing cardiac motion and represents a large financial investment. Today, software and AI are driving the next leap in cardiac image quality and motion control – offering […]

Cardiology Pharmaceuticals June 12, 2025

FDA Approves a New BP Triple Polypill June 12, 2025

Bringing a more effective BP therapy to the U.S. market, the FDA approved George Medicines’ triple therapy polypill called Widaplik for patients with hypertension, making it the first of its kind to go to market in the U.S. Widaplik’s approval stems from two studies, including one comparing the polypill against placebo as an initial treatment […]

Cardiology Pharmaceuticals June 12, 2025

Pharmacologic Preconditioning to Improve Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery  June 12, 2025

The majority of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, especially those on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), experience post-operative complications such as new-onset atrial fibrillation (POAF) and acute kidney injury (AKI), largely driven by oxidative stress and inflammation.   Several approaches have been explored to reduce complications following cardiac surgery, however, a clinically meaningful impact has yet to be realized.  […]

You might also like..

Select All

You're signed up!

It's great to have you as a reader. Check your inbox for a welcome email.

-- The Cardiac Wire Team

You're all set!