Aman Coonar
Consultant Thoracic Surgeon

Mr Aman Coonar is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon and sees private patients at the Papworth Clinic in Cambridgeshire, Nuffield Hospital in Cambridge and the Spire Hospital in Bushey, Hertfordshire.  

His base is at Papworth Hospital which is the UK’s largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital for adult patients.

Thoracic services at Papworth Clinic in Cambridgeshire

Papworth Hospital provides care to patients with a wide range of acute and chronic chest conditions, including:

• Lung cancer
• Complex lung resections
• Minimal access surgery
• Lung function
• Lung volume reduction surgery
• Investigation and management of pleural diseases
• Chest wall surgery
• Thoracic oncology
• Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
• Respiratory infection, inflammation and immunology (RIII) service
• Pectus surgery
• Airway surgery
• Surgery for the mediastinum
• Metastasectomy
• Thoracic sarcoma
• Thoracic outlet problems
• Excessive upper body sweating
• Diseases of the diaphragm
• Respiratory physiology laboratory
• Pulmonary vascular disease unit (PVDU)
• Respiratory support and sleep centre (RSSC)

Training and qualifications in thoracic surgery

After school at the Haberdashers’ Aske’s School in Hertfordshire, Mr Coonar qualified as a doctor from Guy’s & St.Thomas’ Medical schools in London. He trained first in internal medicine and intensive care. Then he undertook basic science research. After, he undertook general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery training at Guy's, St Thomas's, King's, Royal Brompton and the London Chest Hospitals.

In 2005-2007, Mr Coonar worked at the Toronto General Hospital in Canada and took senior fellowships in general thoracic surgery and lung transplant surgery.

He returned to the UK to take a consultant surgeon position at Papworth in 2007 and his practice is in pure thoracic surgery. He works closely with a large specialized team including other surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists radiologists and physicians. When needed there is support from our dedicated cardiothoracic intensive care unit. The Papworth consultant anaesthetists are all specialists in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and as a team are recognized for private work.

Teaching

As well as to Cambridge University students and junior doctors Mr Coonar regularly hosts an airway surgery training class in Cambridge.

Recent major meetings

• Convener UK Thoracic Surgery Forum 2010
• Co-convener ‘Regenerative Medicine for the heart, lungs and airways’, Royal Society of Medicine, 2010
• Convener Toronto-Cambridge Thoracic Surgery Review course 2011

Outside interests

• Governor - Parkside Schools, Cambridge
• Charity Clinic, Punjab, India

Areas covered for private thoracic surgery and chest treatment in Cambridgeshire

Patients are referred from throughout the United Kingdom and from abroad. Many are referrals from East and South East England especially Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and North and Central London, including those from

• Cambridge
• London
• Bury St Edmunds
• Peterborough
• Bedford
• Saffron Walden
• Newmarket
• Huntingdon
• Royston

Clinical interests

• Mr Coonar handles benign diseases and cancer and his main clinical interests are:

  • Minimally invasive surgery (VATS)
  • Lung cancer surgery
  • Chest sarcoma surgery
  • Mesothelioma surgery
  • Chest wall surgery and trauma
  • Airway surgery
  • Surgery for metastases to the lung
  • Lung volume reduction surgery
  • Benign problems such as empyema and pneumothorax

Research interests

• Mr Coonar is involved in various research activities including:

  The PULMICC trial, which is an investigation of the role of surgery for colorectal cancer metastases to the lung. Papworth Hospital was the first unit to enter patients into this study and Mr Coonar is the local principal investigator.

  The MESOVAT trial, which is run from Papworth Hospital, is studying the role of minimally invasive surgery for mesothelioma. Mr Coonar is currently the designated surgeon for this study at Papworth.

   

  Key publications

  Mr Coonar has published several research papers and book chapters, some of which have received awards.