Biography

Mr Fabio De Robertis trained as a cardiac surgeon at the University of Naples, Italy. In 2000 he joined Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub at Harefield Hospital to obtain further subspecialty training in complex cardiac conditions and transplantation. 

In 2007 he moved to Royal Brompton Hospital where he completed a post-CCT fellowship in mitral surgery, the first of its kind to be recognised for training by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. 

In 2009 he became a locum consultant cardiac surgeon and was appointed to his current position in 2010.

Areas of expertise

Mr De Robertis has vast clinical expertise in many aspects of cardiac surgery, including: 

• total arterial revascularisation with off-pump (beating heart) techniques
• minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MIDCAB, mini-sternotomy, mini-thoracotomy) 
• mitral valve reconstructive surgery
• aortic valve and root surgery with human substitutes (homograft) and prosthetic substitutes
• chest wall reconstruction for the treatment of recurrent sternal dehiscence following cardiac surgery
• heart and lung transplantation
• ventricular assist device (VAD) surgery

His clinical interests include minimally invasive lung transplantation, the reconditioning and preservation of the donor organ, and alternative surgical therapies for cardiac failure.

Research

Mr De Robertis is the principal investigator at Harefield Hospital for the Venous External Support Trial (VEST). This prospective multi-centre randomised controlled trial is in collaboration with Oxford University and Royal Brompton Hospital. The pilot trial is evaluating the VGS Fluent external support system and its impact on vein grafts’ patency.

Mr De Robertis was the author of a benchmark paper describing the use of the Levitronix® system to support patients with end-stage cardiac failure not eligible for transplantation.

He is also an investigator for the DEVELOP-UK trial to evaluate the impact of ex-vivo lung perfusion – a technique on reconditioning lungs from marginal donors and increase the number of transplantable organs.

Mr De Robertis performed the first donor run in UK using a new, portable ex-vivo lung perfusion system that can be used from the moment the organs are explanted at the donor hospital. Using the Organ Care System™ (OCS™) lung technology, lungs are transported whilst being perfused and ventilated (rather than stored on ice) thus reducing considerably the ischaemic time but also allowing the reconditioning of marginal lungs from the very beginning.

Teaching

Mr De Robertis is frequently invited to lecture and present original scientific work at national and international meetings for surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and physiotherapists.

He is also an invited lecturer at the Royal Society of Medicine for cardiology trainees and regularly trains visiting postgraduate students from Italy.

He often teaches on cardiac failure surgery for BSc students at Imperial College London and is responsible for the training and appraisal of surgical assistants and advanced practitioners in CT Surgery at the Trust.

Charity work

Mr De Robertis volunteered as a surgeon for the Chain of Hope charity and travelled with Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub to Mozambique on several occasions to provide children with heart disease corrective surgery that normally they would not have access to.

Publications

Mr De Robertis is the author of a benchmark paper describing the use of a short-term ventricular assist device system to support patients with end-stage cardiac failure not eligible for transplantation.

He has written chapters in books and original articles published in peer-reviewed journals including the:

• Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 
• Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation 
• European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Journal of Heart Valve Disease. 

Private patient referral 

If you would like to make an appointment with this specialist for private care, contact the RB&HH Specialist care team.