Books / memoir
Pioneering Bristol heart surgeon writes memoir
From humble beginnings in Tuscany, Professor Gianni Angelini went on to become a leading heart surgeon, whose work is credited with advancing cardiac surgery worldwide.
Moving to Bristol in the 1990s, he played a key role in the development of the Bristol Heart Institute, exhibiting steadfast leadership and commitment to excellence in patient care during the city’s well-documented Babies Scandal – a period in which there were alarmingly high mortality rates of infants receiving cardiac surgery.
“One of the achievements of which I am most proud was working with a dedicated group of colleagues to transform one of the worst-performing cardiac units in the country into one of the best, recognised not only nationally but internationally”, he reflects.
“The Bristol Heart Institute is now regarded as a centre of excellence worldwide. That transformation was never the work of one individual; it was the result of teamwork, shared purpose and collective resilience.”
Amongst his many other career highlights, Angelini was head of Cardiac Surgery for a six-year period at Imperial College London, and was elected a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2011.
Gianni Angelini – photo: courtesy of the author
In 2024, following his invention of a new stabilising heart surgery device – inspired by watching his aunt at her sewing machine – he was given a lifetime achievement award by the International Society of Coronary Artery Surgery.
Now retired from medicine, Angelini has written a memoir: A Knife to the Heart, prompted by a long lunch with his children. “They wanted to know more about my life”, he recalls; “not only what I had done, but why I had chosen the path I did. Their questions made me reflect.”
As a child, Angelini harboured a desire to become an airline pilot, but he was precluded from following that path due to a congenital eye defect. Nevertheless, an indomitable spirit that also spurred him into competitive athletics, remained.
“I suppose I have always been competitive”, he reasons. “But competition alone was never enough. I wanted my work to matter. I wanted to help people and, in doing so, feel that I had achieved something meaningful in my life.”
Photo: The Book Guild
Inspired by Donald Ross, the heart surgeon who performed the first heart transplant in the UK, and Sir Magdi Yacoub, who is renowned for his world-leading work repairing heart valves, Angelini set to following in their footsteps – aspiring to match their huge skill, courage and vision.
And now he embodies that influential figure for the surgeons of the future. What are the key tenets of advice that he gives them? There are many.
“Care for your patients as you would wish to be cared for yourself”, he explains. “Always remember your background and remain humble, or at least less arrogant than your peers. You are part of a team; nothing meaningful is ever achieved alone.
“Be fearless. When situations become difficult, do not raise your voice, that only spreads panic. Calmness is contagious.
“And finally, the best surgeon is not the one who operates the most, but the one who knows when not to operate.”
Gianni Angelini: A Knife to the Heart: Recollections from the Blunt End of the Scalpel is published on April 28 by The Book Guild. It is available for pre-order now.
Main photo: Paul Blakemore / Bristol United Press
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