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Franco Ciulli is one of the most experienced Adult Cardiac Surgeons in the UK. He is the head of Cardiac Surgery at the Bristol Heart Institute and has performed over 5000 open heart procedures since being appointed as a Consultant in 1996. Mr Ciulli's practise is based in the South West of England for both Private and NHS patients. As one of the most senior surgeons in the UK, Mr. Ciulli has a vast experience in high risk and complex cases with better than 98% survival after open heart surgery. He specialises in minimally invasive cardiac surgery in adult patients, beating heart surgery, coronary artery bypass and aortic valve surgery. He also has a specialist interest in mitral valve repair and arrhythmia surgery.

After completing his medical degree, Mr Ciulli undertook further in training in Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Verona in Italy. In 1990, he moved to the UK and worked as a Cardiothoracic Registrar on the Glasgow Rotation and a Heart and Lung Transplant Registrar at Papworth Hospital. Following this, he undertook a Transplant Fellowship at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and was entered onto the Specialist Register for Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery in 1996.

Mr. Ciulli's first Consultant position was in Sheffield in 1995 where he went on to lead the team performing the first Heart- Lung Transplant and double lung transplant 1997. Mr Ciulli moved to Bristol in 1999 to take up the position of Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Bristol Heart Institute (part of the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust), where he held positions of Clinical Director, Clinical Governance Lead and is now Clinical Lead for the adult Cardiac Surgery Unit. Mr. Ciulli performs a wide variety of open heart and minimally invasive heart operations in his daily practice. Coronary artery bypasses (MIDCAB), Aortic valve replacements and Mitral and Tricuspid valve repairs which continue to be a field of Reseach and innovation. He has been instrumental in bringing modern mitral valve repair techniques to the Bristol Heart Institute and Spire Hospital Bristol.

Mr Ciulli has an active interest in clinical research and had this work published in a number of peer-reviewed journals and in the text book Moghissi's Essentials of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery which he also co-edited.

He has trained many established cardiac surgeon in the UK and coming from abroad including Italy, Australia and USA. Mr. Ciulli has performed the first minimally invasive mitral valve replacement in 1997 at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he also lead the teams performing the first heart-lung and double lung transplants in that centre.

Mr. Ciulli has introduced minimally invasive techniques such as MIDCAB (Minimal Incision Direct Coronary Artery Bypass), Minimally Invasive Mitral valve surgery and Aortic Valve Surgery. He regularly performs Beating heart Coronary artery bypass surgery (also known as off pump OPCAB). He has also introduced minimally invasive surgical ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation with greater than 75% conversion rate to sinus rhythm using a hybrid approach (Convergent).

Franco Ciulli is an adult cardiac surgeon who has a wealth of experience in all areas of adult cardiac conditions. He has worked in the most prestigious international centres such as Papworth Hospital where he performed Heart and Lung Transplantation at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney where he was performing Double Lung Transplantation, Heart Lung Transplantation as well as conventional open heart surgery.

Mr. Ciulli is often asked for a second opinion regarding high risk and complex cases which other surgeons may be more reluctant to accept for surgery. He often consults with patient from overseas who seek advice in the UK and operates overseas by invitation.

• Minimally Invasive Valve Repair
• Minimally Invasive Valve Replacement
• Second opnion in high risk cases
• Arrhythmia Surgery
• Beating Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (OPCAB)
• Mitral Valve Repair,
• Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass (MIDCAB)
• MitraClip and TransCatheter Mitral and Tricuspid valve surgery

• Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
• Minimally invasive Mitral Valve Regurgitation
• Aortic Valve Regurgitation
• Arrhythmia (Irregular Heartbeat)
• Coronary Artery Bypass
• Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB)
• Beating Heart Surgery