About Michael Polkey
Professor Polkey is a chest physician with 25 years of experience. His NHS base is the Royal Brompton Hospital in London where he chairs the lung failure team, which deal with sleep and home ventilation. The Royal Brompton Hospital is a National centre of excellence for patients with lung disease in the UK. He is expert with all aspects of advanced lung disease which result in respiratory failure. He is particularly expert in sleep disorders, the management of chronic respiratory failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and respiratory aspects of neurological disease such as ALS.
In addition, since 2016 he has also been the Chest Physician for the Isle of Skye and Lochaber, a commitment to which he devotes 20% of his time and where is practice is very general and extends to all aspects of respiratory medicine.
He is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College and has published almost 300 peer reviewed scientific articles. Professor Polkey was elected a Foundation Fellow of the European Respiratory Society in 2014 and awarded the Gold medal of the ERS for his research in COPD in 2018.
Expertise
- COPD
- Sleep
- Snoring
- Home Ventilation and General Respiratory Medicine
Overview
- Age of patients seen
- 18+
- Qualifications
- Languages spoken
- English
- Online profiles
- Research highlights
Key Publications
Nici L, Mammen MJ, Charbek E, Alexander PE, Au DH, Boyd CM, Criner GJ, Donaldson GC, Dreher M, Fan VS, Gershon AS, Han MK, Krishnan JA, Martinez FJ, Meek PM, Morgan M, Polkey MI, Puhan MA, Sadatsafavi M, Sin DD, Washko GR, Wedzicha JA, Aaron SD; American Thoracic Society Assembly on Clinical Problems. Pharmacologic Management of COPD: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020. 2020 Sep 15;202(6):910
(https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1164/rccm.202003-0625ST)Mebrate Y, Phillips S, Field D, Mumuni I, Josse P, Alexander D, Das Gupta R, Trimlett R & Polkey MI, Modification of a domiciliary ventilator to increase FiO2; an off label modification which may be of value in COVID-19. Thorax 2021 Jan;76(1):83-85 (https://thorax.bmj.com/content/thoraxjnl/76/1/83.full.pdf?with-ds=yes)
Polkey MI, Praestgaard J, Berwick A, Franssen FME, Singh D, Steiner MC, Casaburi R, Tillmann HC, Lach-Trifilieff E, Roubenoff R, Rooks DS. Activin Type II Receptor Blockade for Treatment of Muscle Depletion in COPD: A Randomized Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019;199:313-320
Polkey MI, Qiu Z-H, Zhou L, Zhu M-D, Wu Y-X, Chen Y-Y, Ye S-P, He Y-S, Jiang M, He B-T, Mehta B, Zhong N-S & Luo YM. Tai-Chi and pulmonary rehabilitation compared for treatment-naïve patients with COPD; A Randomized Controlled Trial. Chest 2018 153(5):1116-1124
Polkey MI, Lyall RA, Yang K, Johnson E, Leigh PN & Moxham J. Respiratory Muscle Strength as Predictive Biomarker for Survival in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017; 195:86-95
Luo YM, He BT, Wu YX, Yuan H, Xu J, Moxham J, Polkey MI. Neural Respiratory Drive and Ventilation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease during Sleep. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014;190:227-9
Shaikh ZF, Kelly JL, Shrikrishna D, de Villa M, Mullen MJ, Hopkinson NS, MJ Morrell & Polkey MI. Patent foramen ovale is not associated with hypoxemia in severe COPD and does not impair exercise performance. AJRCCM 2014; 189: 540-7
- Professional memberships
British Thoracic Society
European Respiratory Society
- Certifications and Awards
COPD award of the European Respiratory Society (UK Winner 2002)
Buckston Brown Lecturer of the Harveian Society 2005
Linacre Lecture of the Royal College of Physicians 2005
Moran Campbell Medal of the British Thoracic Society: Inaugural recipient 2005
European Respiratory Society Gold medal in COPD 2018
Consultations and services
- Self-pay available from £300
- Health insurance
- Self-pay available from £300
- Health insurance
Insurers covered
- +4 more
- Cigna International
- Allianz Partners
- Henner
- Healix
Tests & treatments
Conditions & symptoms
Locations
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, but only for certain services. Some consultations, assessments, and treatments can be booked directly, while others require a GP or specialist referral. Please check the relevant service page for guidance, and contact the centre if you’re unsure.
We aim to offer appointments as quickly as possible, and many services have same-day or next-day availability. Waiting times vary depending on the appointment type, specialty, and consultant availability, but our team will always offer the earliest suitable appointment.
Yes. You can arrange an appointment for a family member, or someone you care for, just let us know when you get in touch. We’ll need their details and consent to complete the booking, unless you're their legal guardian or have power of attorney.
Your first consultation includes a detailed discussion of your symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle factors, followed by a thorough examination. It’s helpful if you can bring the results of any previous investigations with you, as well as a list of your current medications. Come with a comfortably full bladder so you can provide a urine sample if requested.