e-Consultation with Cardiothoracic surgeon

Professional statement

Mr George Asimakopoulos is a leading consultant cardiac surgeon based in London. His specialist interests include aortic root surgery, aortic valve replacement, surgery for endocarditis, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) and surgery for atrial fibrillation. He subspecialises in complex problems of the aortic valve, aortic root, ascending aorta and arch. He also has extensive experience in treating endocarditis and operating on patients who have had previous cardiac surgery. In 1992, Mr Asimakopoulos qualified in medicine at The University of Hamburg, Germany. From 1999 to 2006, he trained on the West London rotation in cardiothoracic surgery. He went on to spend a year as a fellow in heart and lung transplantation at The Harefield Hospital. Mr Asimakopoulos spent seven years working as a consultant cardiac surgeon at The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. During his time at Bristol, Mr Asimakopoulos was one of the busiest cardiac surgeons in the UK. He performs more than 230 cardiac surgery operations every year. He also joined The Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Hospital in February 2014 as an aortic surgeon and continues to see patients at this highly regarded centre. Mr Asimakopoulos is also an educational supervisor for trainee doctors in adult cardiac surgery. He regularly supervises medical students and sits on selection and interview panels for the national selection of surgical trainees. He's published over 80 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Currently, he is taking part in ongoing research on the performance of sutureless aortic valves, outcomes of surgery for aortic dissection and training in cardiac surgery.

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Professional statement

Mr Franco Ciulli is one of the UK's leading consultant cardiothoracic surgeons. He is based in Bristol and operates both at the Spire Hospital Bristol and the Bristol Heart Institute. He has performed over 5000 open heart procedures since being appointed as a consultant almost 30 years ago. Mr Ciulli has extensive experience in a vast range of adult cardiac conditions. He is an expert in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), beating heart surgery (OPCAB) and aortic valve surgery (AVR). He also has a specialist interest in arrhythmia surgery for Atrial Fibrillation  and mitral valve repair (MVR). One of Mr Ciulli's main interests is coronary artery bypass surgery which amounts to 75% of his workload. This is mostly performed with an 'off-pump' or beating heart  technique that Mr Ciulli helped develop at the  Bristol Heart Institute. Mr Ciulli uses the latest techniques for mitral valve repair. He has vast experience in performing high risk and complex cases that have had had an over 98% survival rate after open-heart surgery. Mr Ciulli acquired much of his knowledge at prestigious centres across the globe in France, Italy, the UK and Australia. Mr Ciulli is the head of cardiac surgery at the renowned Bristol Heart Institute. He is one of the most senior surgeons in the UK. After completing his medical degree, he undertook further training in cardiovascular surgery at the University of Verona in Italy. Mr Ciulli started working as a cardiothoracic registrar on the Glasgow rotation and the heart and lung transplant registrar at Papworth Hospital in 1990. He later also undertook a transplant fellowship at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and was entered onto the GMC specialist register for thoracic and cardiac surgery in 1996. Mr Ciulli's first consultant position was in Sheffield in 1995. He went on to lead the team there that  performed the first heart-lung transplant and double lung transplant in 1997. Mr Ciulli also carried out the first minimally invasive mitral valve replacement in 1997 at the northern general hospital in Sheffield. Since 1999 Mr Ciulli has worked as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Bristol Heart Institute, which is part of the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Mr Ciulli has held positions of clinical director, clinical governance lead, and is the clinical lead for the adult cardiac surgery unit. Mr Ciulli has been vital in helping bring modern mitral valve repair techniques to the Spire Hospital Bristol and Bristol Heart Institute. Mr Ciulli is an active researcher and has had work published in various peer-reviewed journals as well as the reputable textbook, Moghissi's Essentials of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, also coedited by Mr Ciulli. Mr Franco Ciulli recently appeared in the film Deep in the Heart, a documentary that follows four patients for several months as they undergo life-saving surgery at the Bristol Heart Institute. The open heart surgeries are actually performed by Mr. Ciulli. and Deep in the Heart can be found on Amazon Prime.

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Professional statement

Mr Inderpaul Birdi is an experienced traditional and keyhole (minimally invasive) heart surgeon. He works privately at The Keyhole Heart Clinic where he carries out keyhole mitral, aortic and tricuspid valve surgery, coronary bypass surgery, TAVI, atrial fibrillation ablation and general cardiac surgery. He is also one of only a handful of surgeons in the world who can perform keyhole coronary bypass surgery, and keyhole aortic valve repair. He founded The Keyhole Heart Clinic to provide patients with information and clinical access to specialised minimally invasive cardiac therapies within the most prestigious hospitals in the UK.  Mr Birdi trained in medicine in the UK and trained in cardiothoracic surgery at the world acclaimed Royal Papworth Hospital. He undertook research at The Bristol Heart Institute and contributed numerous publications to leading international journals.  Alongside his private practice, the lead consultant for minimally invasive cardiac surgery at The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre which provides both NHS and private facilities and delivers one of the largest keyhole valve programs in the UK. He also works at The Harley Street Clinic and The Wellington Hospital, London. Mr Birdi is now leading a team to develop a world-class robotic cardiac surgery program in the UK. He is involved in several multi-centre randomised trials as a primary investigator and involved with many world-class clinicians in a wide array of clinical specialities, tasked to develop international VIP clinical services in the United Kingdom. He is a member of the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and the Royal Society of Medicine.

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Professional statement

Dr Kristo Papa is a leading cardiothoracic surgeon who is based in London. He currently sees patients at Royal Brompton Hospital and Italian Doctors Holborn. Dr Papa treats heart disease as well as lung and chest issues. He carries out medical procedures such as heart and lung transplants, repair of aortic aneurysm and artificial heart valve surgery. Dr Papa gained his master's degree in medicine at University of Geneva in Switzerland and his doctorate of medicine at University of L' Aquila in Italy. He's also written in various internationally recognised journals and publications.

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Professional statement

'My patients are the most important aspect of my professional life'. Mr Aman Coonar is a consultant thoracic surgeon and leads the Thoracic Surgery unit at the new Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge which has amongst the best one-year survival rate for lung cancer surgery. Patients from round the world visit Cambridge or have on-line consultations. The hospital was opened by the Queen in 2019. He is author of the best-selling book "Thoracic Surgical Techniques". Mr Coonar is the past President of the Royal Society of Medicine cardiothoracic section. He is a tutor at Cambridge University. He also undertakes research and is an educator running numerous courses. He has an interest in all benign and malignant chest conditions that may require surgery for diagnosis or treatment. This includes chest wall problems such as pectus and trauma; thoracic outlet syndrome, thoracic endometriosis, pneumothorax and empyema. He has a major interest in lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) for Emphysema / COPD.  In addition he treats lung cancer, mesothelioma, metastases, sarcoma and rare tumours,  He undertakes minimally invasive (keyhole or VATS) and open surgery.  Mr Coonar qualified as a doctor from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, University of London. He also obtained a BSc(Hons) in psychology and was a visiting student at Harvard. He trained in internal medicine, intensive care and research. Mr Coonar’s general and cardiothoracic surgery training was at Guy’s, St Thomas’, King’s, Royal Brompton and London Chest Hospitals. From 2005 – 2007 Mr Coonar was a senior fellow in thoracic and lung transplant at the world famous Toronto General Hospital. He is also an expert witness for medicolegal purposes frequently providing reports for the NHS and solicitors.

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Professional statement

Professor Aung Ye Oo is an esteemed cardiothoracic surgeon with more than 15 years of consultant-grade experience. Practising at Barts Health NHS Trust, Professor Aung Ye Oo has a particular expertise in aortic, valvular and coronary surgery, and minimally-invasive surgical techniques. He is a national and international expert in the field of complex aortic surgery in treatment of aneurysm of arch, descending and Thorac-abdominal aorta. Professor Aung Ye Oo originally obtained his medical degree in Myanmar, before moving to the UK to pursue specialist cardiothoracic training in London and Liverpool. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1996 then earned a further fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery in 2002. For the following 14 years he was Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, before becoming the Clinical Lead for Aortovascular Surgery at Barts Health in 2017. In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, Professor Aung Ye Oo is committed to the dissemination of the latest surgical techniques and hosts the annual Aortovascular Symposium at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He is also a highly sought-after professor, with academic and teaching responsibilities at Barts Heart Centre, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Medicine in Yangon, Myanmar.

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Professional statement

Mr Shahzad Raja is a highly-experienced cardiac surgeon based in London. He performs the highest number of coronary artery bypass surgery operations at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust and also specialises in minimal access aortic valve surgery, arterial revascularisation, endoscopic vein harvesting, keyhole heart surgery and TAVI. He also has a special interest in medical education and writing. Mr Raja graduated in 1996 with a medical degree from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan, before moving to Edinburgh to continue his studies. He was appointed as a consultant cardiac surgeon at Harefield Hospital in 2012, where he is now actively involved in the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) program at Harefield Hospital. Before this, Mr Raja worked in Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London and hospitals in Glasgow, Liverpool Cardiff and Pakistan.  Mr Raja is an experienced teacher at undergraduate and postgraduate level and has published extensively in peer-reviewed medical journals. He is associate editor of the Journal of Thoracic Disease, assistant editor of the International Journal of Surgery and a member of the editorial board of the World Journal of Methodology, World Journal of Cardiology, Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery & Open Access Journal of Science & Technology.​ 

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Professional statement

Mr Shyamsunder Kolvekar is a globally-renowned consulant cardiothoracic surgeon based in central London. He specialises in corneal arterial bypass grafting, valve repair and aortic valve replacement alongside chest wall deformities and lung cancer. He privately practices at The Harley Street Clinic, Barts Heart Centre at St Bartholomew's Hospital and The Royal Free London Hospital Private Patients. He also works at The Wellington Hospital. He is an internationally-recognised surgeon for the adult NUSS procedure that treats pectus excavatum (a condition where the breastbone is sunken into the chest). Mr Kolvekar prides himself in innovative new techniques for this treatment, allowing for better pain control and reduced risk from surgery.  Other specialist interests of Mr Kolvekar include open beating-heart surgery, cardiac arrhythmias and minimally-invasive cardiac surgery. He is also interested in ischaemic pre-conditioning of the heart and has thoracic practice in pneumothorax and pleural effusion. Mr Kolvekar is highly qualified and is a senior lecturer at University College London. He lectures and teaches the NUSS procedure and connate minimally invasive surgery to surgeons from across the world. He also has research published in various international peer-reviewed journals and books. Furthermore, he also the medical advisor for the BBC hit series Holby City, making sure all the terms and scenarios are correct.  

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Professional statement

Mr Paul Modi is a world-leading consultant cardiac surgeon who specialises in minimally invasive and robotic mitral valve and atrial fibrillation surgery, robotic and off pump coronary artery bypass surgery and minimally invasive myxoma surgery. He is one of only a small number of surgeons in the UK who performs minimally invasive mitral valve and atrial fibrillation surgery and is currently the only British heart surgeon performing robotic mitral valve repair and robot-assisted coronary artery surgery. He was the first surgeon in the UK to perform totally endoscopic robotic mitral valve repair. Mr Modi graduated from Leeds University in 1994 and soon after became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He then spent two years as a British Heart Foundation research fellow at Bristol University before being awarded the prestigious Doctorate in Medicine (MD) in 2003 for research into ways of better protecting childrens' hearts during open-heart surgery.  Mr Modi trained in cardiothoracic surgery in the UK, before spending a year as a clinical instructor (consultant/attending surgeon) in the USA, where he worked alongside Dr Randolph Chitwood Jr. at East Carolina Heart Institute, learning minimally invasive and robotic cardiac valvular surgery, and atrial fibrillation surgery techniques. Uniquely, he was also trained by Dr Doug Murphy, the current world lead in robotic mitral valve surgery in Atlanta, USA. Mr Modi went on to complete super-specialist training in minimally invasive valve and robotic coronary surgery with Dr Sam Balkhy in Chicago, USA, Professor Frederich Mohr in Leipzig, Germany, and with Dr Hugo Vanermen in Aalst, Belgium. Mr Modi currently works at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, the second biggest specialist centre for cardiac surgery in the UK, where he brings with him the pioneering techniques that he learned overseas.

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Professional statement

Mr Ishtiaq Ahmed is an internationally-trained consultant cardiothoracic surgeon based in Brighton and Hove. His areas of expertise lie in mitral valve repair, minimal access surgery (keyhole surgery), aortic valve surgery, atrial fibrillation ablation, coronary bypass grafting and adult cardiac surgery. Mr Ahmed is considered an expert in his field and has received specialised training in centres of excellence in the UK, France, Belgium and Australia. In 2012, he was awarded multiple fellowships by the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of the UK and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. This allowed him to train with world-class surgeons in Brussels and Lyon (Dr Hugo Vanerman and Professor Obadia) to advance his experience in mitral valve surgery. In addition, he has been invited to Mount Sinai in New York to further his mitral expertise. He currently works as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at The Montefiore Hospital in Hove and the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. He has a mitral valve repair rate over 90%. This includes complex bileaflet prolapse, Barlow's valves and infective endocarditis. In addition to his consultancy roles, Mr Ahmed has an academic background which includes a PhD in cardiac regeneration and currently he is closely involved in mentoring medical students in Brighton. He is lead for cardiac education in the London Deanery and has been invited to speak at international conferences on minimally invasive and mitral valve surgery.

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