Last update: January 24, 2007

Giovanni Speziali, M.D, FECTS

Curriculum Vitae

 

1. PERSONAL

 

Address:  418 William Street, Mount Washington, PA 15211

Date of Birth: August 21, 1964.

Place of Birth: Sondrio (Italy).

Citizenship: United States of America

Contact: 1-412-958-7048 (direct, pager); 1-507-202-7012 (cell);

email:  spezialig@upmc.edu

 

 

2. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE starting from current position

 

June 1st 2006 to present: Attending cardiac surgeon, UPMC Pittsburgh; Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

 

Oct. 2001 to May 2006: Staff Associate Surgeon, Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

 

February 2000 to September 2001: Attending Physician and Consultant, Adult Cardiac Surgery, Policlinico di Monza Hospital, Monza (MI), Italy.

 

January 1997-January 2000: Attending Physician, Adult Cardiac Surgery, Torino/Rapallo Hospitals,  Italy.

 

 

3. CLINICAL TRAINING

 

July 1995 – December 1996: Senior Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.

 

July 1994 - June 1995: Cardiothoracic Transplantation Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

 

January - June 1994: Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA.

 

July 1992 through December 1993: Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, PA.

 

September 1988: to July 1993: Residency Program in Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Verona (Verona, Italy), graduated with a score of 50/50.

 

November 1985 - September 1988: clinical internship training in the Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery of the University of Pavia

 

Dr. Speziali is fully trained in all aspects of cardiovascular surgery, including adult cardiac, pediatric cardiac and heart-and-lung transplantation surgery. As an attending physician and consultant he has personally performed > 1,200 unsupervised open heart procedures (adult cardiac), with an operative mortality < 1%.

 

 

 

 

4. EDUCATION  and ACADEMICS

 

July 1982: Graduated from Liceo Classico "G.Piazzi" in Sondrio, Italy.

 

October 1982 to July 1988: University of Pavia School of Medicine (Pavia, Italy), graduated with a score of 110/110 cum laude.

 

September 1988: to July 1993: Residency Program in Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Verona (Verona, Italy), graduated with a score of 50/50.

 

March 1994: Certification by the Italian Board of Cardiovascular Surgery (Score: 50/50).

 

July 1991: Took and passed ECFMG examinations in Minneapolis, MN.

 

Dec. 1992: Took and passed FLEX examinations in Philadelphia, PA.

 

November 1995: Unrestricted license in the State of Minnesota-USA.

 

June 2002: Certification by the European Board of CardioThoracic Surgery (Helsinki, Finland).

 

 

5: TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

 

6. MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS

 

1) International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

2) Mayo Alumni Association.

3) Member ANMCO (Italian Society of  Hospital-Based Heart Physicians)

 

 

7. PATENTS AND PATENT APPLICATIONS

 

U.S. Patent holder # 6,916,338: “Synthetic leaflets for heart valve repair or replacement”

 

Patent applications

1)      Speziali G, Ereth M, Friedman P, Daly R, Bruce CJ. Device and Method to Perform Intra-Cardiac Repairs on a Beating Heart

2)      Speziali G, Ereth M, Friedman P, Daly R, Bruce CJ. Devices and Methods to Perform Mitral Valve Repair Endoscopically and on a Beating Heart

3)      Speziali G, Ereth M, Friedman, P, Daly R, Bruce CJ. Devices and Methods to Perform Endoscopic, Beating Heart Surgery for Hypertrophic, Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

4)      Speziali G, Ereth M, Friedman P, Daly R, Bruce CJ. Devices and Methods to Perform Endoscopic, Beating Heart Surgery for Congestive Heart Failure

 

 

8. OTHER

 

- Author and Webmaster, www.cardiochirurgia.org , website in Italian language with cardiac surgical-related information for patients and physicians.

- Principal Investigator of an ongoing research project at Mayo: “Totally endoscopic intracardiac repairs on a beating heart”, regarding a minimally invasive approach to perform mitral valve artificial chordal implantation on a beating heart. This innovative technique utilizes intracardiac echography and fiber-optic intracardiac visualization for real-time procedural guidance. The project is in a pre-clinical experimental stage.

- Award recipient, “Discovery-Translation Fund”, Mayo Clinic 2005, to continue development of the above mentioned technology.

 

9. POSTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS

 

1. Ragni T, Roda G, Speziali G et al. Echo-guided endomyocardial biopsy (poster). Int Soc Heart Transp. Munich, Germany 1988.

 

2. Speziali G, Lee RJ, David CS, McGregor CGA: The expression of Major Histocompatibility Complex antigens in rejected heart xenograft (mouse-to-rat): experimental study using Class-I antigen-free mice as donors (oral comm.).Int Soc Heart-Lung Transp. San Diego, CA, USA 1992.

 

3. Speziali G, Tazelaar HD, Griffith MM, Lee RJ, McGregor CGA. Antigen expression in the bronchial epithelium following orthotopic single lung transplantation in the rat: effects of chronic Cytomegalovirus infection (poster). Int Soc Heart-Lung Transp. San Diego CA, USA, 1992.

 

4. Speziali G, Lee RJ, David CS, McGregor CGA. Experimental Heart transplantation using antigen-free donors: a possible means to reduce graft immunogenicity? (oral comm.). Transp Society. Paris, France, 1992.

 

5. Speziali G, Russo P, Davis DA, Wagerle LC. Hypothermia enhances adrenergic contractility in cerebral arteries of newborn lamb. (oral comm). Association for Academic Surgery, Hershey, PA, USA, Nov 1993.

 

6. Speziali G, Potter DD, Gilman G, Bruce CJ, Daly RC. Totally endoscopic intracardiac repairs on a beating heart (oral comm). Intl Soc Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, San Francisco, CA, June 18-21 2003.

 

7. Speziali G, RC Daly, JA Dearani, CJ Bruce. La plastica valvolare mitralica in endoscopia ed a cuore battente: risultati di uno studio sperimentale 64th Annual Congress of the Italian Society of Cardiology, Rome, Italy, Dec.6-10, 2003 (Oral Presentation).

 

8. Speziali G, Potter DD, Bruce CJ, Gilman G, Henke PS, Suddendorf SH, Timmons MJ, Daly RC. Endoscopic, Off-pump Mitral Valve Repair: Continued Development of a New Technique. Intl Soc Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, London, UK, June 24-26, 2004 (oral presentation)

 

10. PUBLICATIONS

 

1. Ragni T, Roda G, Intili A, Rinaldi M, Speziali G et al. Endomyocardial biopsy in Patients after heart transplantation: technical considerations (Original title: La biopsia endomiocardica nei pazienti sottoposti a trapianto cardiaco: note di tecnica). Boll Soc Med Chir Pavia, 1988: 102: 141-8.

 

2.Martinelli L, Goggi C, Speziali G, Vigano’ M. Outpatient follow-up in patients after heart transplantation (Original title: Il follow-up in regime ambulatoriale nel paziante sottoposto a trapianto cardiaco). VI Corso Aggiorn. Ospedale Niguarda Ca’Granda Milan, Italy, Sept 4-6, 1989.

 

3. Vigano’ M, Martinelli L, Minzioni G, Previtali B, Goggi C, Speziali G. Heart transplantation in pts with ischemic cardiomyopathy (Original title: Il trapianto cardiaco nella cardiomiopatia ischemica). La Chirurgia Toracica, 1989,42(3);171-7.

 

4. Ragni T, Martinelli L, Goggi C, Rinaldi M, Speziali G et al. Echo-controlled endomyocardial biopsy. J Heart Transpl 9(5): 538-42, 1990 Sep-Oct.

 

5. Davis DA, Speziali G, Wagerle LC, Heckman JL, Russo PA. Effects of halothane on the immature lamb heart. Ann Thorac Surg 59(3): 695-8, 1995 Mar.

 

6. Speziali G, Russo PA, Davis DA, Wagerle LC. Hypothermia enhances contractility in cerebral arteries of newborn lambs. J Surg Res. 57(1): 80-4, 1994 Jul.

 

7. Davis DA, Russo PA, Greenspan J, Speziali G, Spitzer A. High-frequency jet versus conventional ventilation in infants undergoing Blalock-Taussig shunts. Ann Thorac Surg 57(4) 846-9, 1994 Apr.

 

8. Greenspan JS, Davis DA, Russo P, Speziali G, Antunes MJ, Spitzer AR, Shaffer TH. Infant thoracic surgery: procedure-dependent pulmonary response.  J Ped Surg 31:878-80, 1996.

 

9. Speziali G,  McDougall JC, Midthun DE, Peters SG, Scott JP, Daly RC, McGregor CGA. Native lung complications after single lung transplantation for emphysema. Transplant Intl 10:113-115, 1997.

 

10. Speziali G, Driscoll DJ, Danielson GK, Julsrud PR, Porter CJ, Dearani JA, Daly RC, McGregor CGA, Mayo Cardiothoracic Transplant Team.  Cardiac transplantation for end-stage congenital heart defects:  The Mayo Clinic experience.  Mayo Clinic Proc 73:923-8, 1998.

 

11. Cassese M, Speziali G, Martinelli GL, Diena M.  Reduced complication rate in bilateral mammary artery-to-coronary artery bypass grafting.  Ann Thorac Surg 65:1841-2, 1998.

 

12. Martinelli GL, Cassese M, Speziali G, Testa A, Lirici M, Bobbio M, Braccio M, Diena M.  Myocardial revascularization through a mini-thoracotomy with thoracoscopic assistance.  European J Cardio-thorac Surg 1:S68-70, 1998.

 

13. Speziale G, Speziali G, Ruvolo G. Flow capacity of inferior epigastric artery in composite arterial graft. European J Cardio-thorac Sur, 1999 (accepted for publication – in press).

 

14. Casati V. Sandrelli L. Speziali G. Calori G. Grasso MA. Spagnolo S. Hemostatic effects of tranexamic acid in elective thoracic aortic surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery. 123(6):1084-91, 2002 Jun.

 

15. V Casati, G Speziali, C D’Alessandro, C Cianchi, MA Grasso, S Spagnolo, L Sandrelli

Intraoperative low-volume acute normovolemic hemodilution in adult open-heart surgery. Anesthesiology 2002:97;367-373.

 

16. "Intraoperative low-volume acute normovolemic hemodilution in coronary surgery". V Casati, G Speziali, C D'Alessandro, S Spagnolo, MA Grasso, L Sandrelli. Submitted for publication: Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

 

11. ABSTRACTS

 

1. Ragni T, Speziali G, Roda G et al. Echo-controlled endomyocardial biopsy (Original title: La biopsia endomiocardica mediante controllo ecocardiografico). Soc Ital Chir Card Vasc, S.Margherita Ligure, Italy, Oct 7-8, 1989.

 

2. Goggi C, Martinelli L, Speziali G et al. Evaluation of heart transplant candidates in the Division of Cardiac Surgery: organizative and logistic aspects (Original title: La valutazione del candidato al trapianto nella Divisione di Cardiochirurgia: aspetti metodologici ed organizzativi). Soc Ital Chir Card Vasc, S.Margherita Ligure, Italy, Oct 7-8, 1989.

 

3. Ippoliti G, Lazzaro A, Malavasi F, Martinelli L, Goggi C, Speziali G, Vigano’ M. Sequential expression of Class I, Class II and CB43 (4F2 cluster) antigens in human transplanted heart grafts. Europ Soc Organ Transpl: 285A, 1989.

 

4. Speziali G, Russo PA, Davis DA, Wagerle LC. Hypothermia enhances contractility in cerebral arteries of newborn lambs. Pediatr Res 34(4): 387A, 1994.

 

5. Speziali G, Russo PA, Davis DA, Wagerle LC. Hypothermia enhances adrenergic contractility in cerebral arteries of newborn lambs. Association for Academic Surgery, pg 115, 1993.

 

6. Wagerle LC, Speziali G, Russo PA. Implications of tyrosine-kinase in the cold-mediated contraction of newborn lamb cerebral arteries. Physiologist 36(5): A18, 1993.

 

7. Diena M, Cassese M, Martinelli GL, Speziali G, Testa A. The Yacoub-David operation for repair of the aortic valve and replacement of the ascending aorta; early experience of 13 cases. Congresso nazionale di cardiochirurgia, Bologna 1998.

 

8. CGA McGregor, N Handa, G Speziali, D Hoffman, S Cicek, JF Breen. Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy: Reduced Mortality and Improvement in Right Ventricular Size, Function, and Hemodynamics. Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA USA 2003.

 

9. P Bajona, KJ Zehr, J Liao, G Speziali. Tension Measurement of Artificial Chordae Tendinae Implanted Between the Anterior Mitral Valve Leaflet and the Left Ventricular Apex. An In-Vitro Study.

 

 

12. BOOK CHAPTERS

 

1. Speziali G, Daly RC, McGregor CGA: Advances in Lung Storage. 2nd Edition, The Transplantation and Replacement of Thoracic Organs, Ed: DKC Cooper
Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pages 689-92, 1997.