MD/ Chief Executive Officer Clinical Specialist Respiratory Medicine and Rehabilitation Consultant
Dr Kola Akinlabi (BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, PGcert NMP, MSCP) is a Clinical Specialist in Respiratory medicine, ITU Rehabilitation and a Consultant Physiotherapist. He completed his respiratory speciality training at the University College London (UCL) School of medicine, and awarded an MSc in Advanced cardiorespiratory medicine and Physiotherapy. Also did a subspecialty training in ITU Neuro-rehabilitation and Respiratory at National Orthopaedic Hospital Stoke Mandeville and General respiratory medicine and Physiotherapy at Kings College Hospital. Dr Akinlabi had his PhD in respiratory and pulmonary rehabilitation from University of Essex. He also studied at M-level for independent medicine prescribing at the University of Hertfordshire in 2019 and M-level Neurorehabilitation at Brunel University. Dr Akinlabi specialist and research interests are in chronic respiratory condition particularly COPD, frailty in respiratory diseases, Post intensive care rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation and neuro-rehabilitation. He has served extensively as a clinical lead in various intensive care unit and outpatient respiratory services across the UK, from Imperial College Healthcare at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington London, Whittington Hospital, Highgate London, Barts Health NHS Foundation Trust, at Newham University Hospital, to Basildon and Thurrock University, working with patients with post upper abdominal surgery, general medicine, respiratory failure, lung collapse and acute on chronic respiratory conditions with a general aim of improving lung mechanics, compliance, lung volume, airway clearance and early rehabilitation. Dr Akinlabi has recently work extensively in outpatient respiratory medicine within the NHS with chronic respiratory conditions and pulmonary rehabilitation working mainly with COPD, Chronic Asthma, Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV), Long Term Oxygen Therapy (LTOT) and ambulatory oxygen therapy.
He is a member of NHS leadership clinical network group, being part of NCL respiratory network group and NCL Post COVID clinical network group and London Pulmonary rehabilitation member. He has led and set up several NHS services including Haringey Whittington Health COPD Respiratory, pulmonary rehabilitation and oxygen service, Barnet Post COVID and pulmonary rehabilitation service.
Dr Akinlabi, has presented most of at his research studies at the British Thoracic Society Conferences and the European Respiratory Congress. One is his research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Paris showed that 1 in 4 COPD patients are frail. Pulmonary rehabilitation can reverse 60% of frail population Muscle loss, weakness, slowness. Exhaustion and sarcopenia are all indices of frailty. Falls, hospitalisation & nursing home admissions are adverse healthcare outcomes of frailty and our study shows they are preventable
Clinical interests
Dr Akinlabi’s work and clinical interests in respiratory medicine, pulmonary rehabilitation include:
- acute and chronic respiratory failure and non invasive ventilation
- frailty and sarcopenia
- intensive care and post ITU rehabilitation
- asthma disease management and exercise
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- bronchiectasis disease management and airway clearance
- pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic respiratory diseases
- interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- long term oxygen therapy and ambulatory oxygen
- sleep disorders breathing
- neuromuscular disease and chest wall disease
- airway clearance in acute and chronic respiratory disease
- weaning from invasive ventilation
- peri-operative optimisation
- breathlessness
- long covid
- exercise testing (6MWT and ISWT)
Teaching
Dr Akinlabi has given around 200 talks to many group of GP(s) in primary care on COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation and frailty. He currently serves as a lecturer at the Middlesex University teaching on respiratory, spirometry and pulmonary rehabilitation. He has been invited to speak by various pharmaceutical companies on respiratory medications to improve breathlessness and avoid exacerbation and food supplement to improve frailty. Dr Akinlabi has also delivered lectures internationally at various cardiopulmonary educational meetings and ITU departments such as University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Evercare Hospital, Lekki Nigeria; topics included managing complex patient in ITU, weaning from mechanical ventilation, pulmonary rehabilitation in ITU, lung mechanics and respiration, COPD, long term oxygen therapy, Asthma, motor neurone disease and respiratory muscle weakness.
Memberships
Dr Akinlabi is a member of:
- the faculty for the BSc Sports and Rehabilitation Science, Middlesex Univeristy
- the pathways and strategic planning North Central London, Long COVID group
- education and governance Barnet Respiratory COPD and Home Oxygen And Review Service (HOSAR)
- London Respiratory Network clinical leadership group
Publications
5. Kola , Alex Havey . Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), a new strategy in the pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with severe and very severe MRC 4 and 5 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
6. The Association Between Epworth Sleepiness Score (ESS) and STOP-BANG Questionnaire in COPD Patients
B40. CLINICAL ISSUES IN COPD I. May 1, 2018, A3258-A3258