Biography

Dr Francesca Caliandro graduated in 2006 from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, and continued as a doctor in their anaesthesia and intensive care department for the next year. 

She then moved to the UK, and to St George’s Hospital, London, to take up a clinical fellowship in their cardiothoracic intensive care unit. This was followed by a research fellowship in intensive care medicine at St George’s until 2013.

Dr Caliandro then moved to a clinical fellowship in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital Foundation Trust, followed by another at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Foundation NHS Trust. In 2015, she moved back to Newcastle as a consultant in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care, where she stayed until January 2017. 

She then returned to Harefield Hospital as a consultant in cardiothoracic anaesthesia. 

Since 2016 she is accredited by the British Society of Echocardiography in Transoesophageal Echo.

Areas of expertise

During her time in Rome, Dr Caliandro developed an interest in haemodynamics, so based her advanced training in cardiac surgery. 

Her work in hospitals in London and Newcastle developed her experience in this specialty, exploring anaesthesia and intensive care medicine for adult cardiac surgery, transplantation, ventricular assist devices, thoracic surgery and interventional cardiology.

Dr Caliandro’s research interests include studies into fluid responsiveness, high-risk post-operative patient optimisation and different cardiac output monitoring devices. 

Teaching

Dr Caliandro has extensive teaching experience throughout her career. She was certified as an Advanced Life Support Instructor by the UK Resuscitation Council in 2014, and since then has taken part in Advanced Life Support courses, performing bedside teaching in theatre where, in particular, she focuses on introducing transoesophageal cardiac echography to trainees. 

At Harefield, Dr Caliandro takes part in weekly pre-operative talks with patients having cardiac surgery, to allow them an opportunity to express any doubts or fears they may have. She is confident teaching via formal lectures, simulations, workshops and skill stations, and has been given return invitations to speak and teach again at the centres she has spoken at. 

Publications

Dr Caliandro has contributed to a number of medical publications. This includes articles in Anaesthesia Analgesia, Anaesthesia International and the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.