Sara Camilla ARRIGONI

Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Board-certified and highly experienced with complex surgical procedures and patient management across all age categories, from neonates up to adult with congenital heart disease.

Extensive experience in heart, lung and organ-combined transplant.

Innovative congenital cardiac surgeon possessing expertise in minimally invasive surgery.

Utilizes advanced surgical techniques to ensure high standards of care and patient safety.

Effective collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and used to train residents and fellows.

Several international scientific collaboration and coordination of international multi-centre scientific studies.

5 April, 1980

• Extensive experience with major procedures in all age categories, from neonates up to adult congenital patients, including: arterial switch operations, palliation procedure in univentricular heart patients, aortic arch reconstruction, and transplants (heart, lung and organ-combined transplants). Extensive experience with minimally invasive procedures by children and adult congenital cardiac patients. Extensive experience with mechanical support circulation (ECMO) in all age categories.
• Main subject of scientific work: clinical and physiological analysis of patients with single ventricle physiology, development of AI tools for risk stratification of complex congenital cardiac surgery.
• Multidisciplinary approach to congenital cardiothoracic disease, including ethical issues.
• I consider myself a transformational leader, being supportive of colleagues and using empathy, recognition, and empowerment to energize the team. Aimed to help the team achieve set goals and positive outcomes, and motivate to go above and beyond to achieve a shared vision.
• Results driven, logical and methodical approach to achieve task and objectives. Determined and decisive, use initiative to develop effective solutions to problems.
• Reliable and dependable, high personal standards and attention to detail. Methodical and rigorous approach to achieving tasks and objectives.

Prof. Dr. T. Ebels, Congenital cardiothoracic surgeon

University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands

t.ebels@umcg.nl

Mobile +31655806479

Dr. P. Schoof, Congenital cardiothoracic surgeon 

University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

p.h.schoof@umcutrecht.nl

Telephone +31887554703

Mobile +31653511547

Dr. G. Mecozzi, Cardiothoracic surgeon

University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands

g.mecozzi@umcg.nl

Telephone +31503611719

Mobile +31625647208

I love cooking, baking cakes and painting with oil color.

I have attended both piano and guitar course and I have a passion for classical and rock music.

Honors and awards for best poem in 1990: poetry is part of my cultural background. My great uncle was a poet. 

I have played on the Pro Victoria team of Monza (currently Vero Volley Milano, serie A1 volleyball championship) for thirteen years. I am still extremely sporty: spinning, body step, fitness, yoga fusion training. In the winter I love skiing. 

I have collaborated with “ Fondazione della comunità di Monza e Brianza” (onlus) for the third musical season 2006 / 2007 and coordinated and participated in the collection of recyclable material to support missionaries from the PIME institute of milan (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions). I support the distance adoption program of the National Animal Protection Agency of my city of birth (ENPA Monza e Brianza).

• In-hospital failure of total cavopulmonary connection: a European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association multicenter study. Submitted.
• Halbersma WB, Arrigoni SC, Mecozzi G, Grandjean JG, Kappetein AP, van der Palen J, Zijlstra F, Mariani MA. Four-year outcome of opcab no-touch with total arterial y-graft: making the best treatment a daily practice. Ann Thorac Surg 2009;88(3):796-801. Presented in the poster competition of the “ISMICS annual meeting”- San Francisco, USA - June 2009.
• Arrigoni SC, Oosterhof R, Mariani MA. Off pump Y graft coronary bypass in a patient with situs inversus totalis. ICVTS 2010;11:822-24.
• Arrigoni SC, Mecozzi G, Zijlstra F, Mariani MA. Reply letter to the editor. Ann Thorac Surg 2010; 90:1393-94.
• Arrigoni SC, Kuijpers M, Mecozzi G, Mariani MA. PulseCath as a Right Ventricular Assist Device. ICVTS 2011;12:891-894.
• Mariani MA, Arrigoni SC, Grandjean GJ. Editorial. Endoscopic vein harvesting: just a Promised Land. Innovations 2011;6(4):207-208.
• Arrigoni SC, Halbersma WB, Grandjean JG, Mariani MA. Patients’ satisfaction and wound-site complications after radial artery harvesting for coronary artery bypass. ICVTS (2012) 14(3): 324-326.
• Arrigoni SC, Willems TP, Mungroop HE, van den Heuvel F, Ebels T. Lusoria flap for the management of aortic coarctation in an eight-year-old child. World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital heart Surgery 2013;4(3):302-304.
• Arrigoni SC, Mecozzi G, Grandjean JG, Hillege JL, Kappetein AP, Mariani MA. Off-pump no-touch technique: 3-year results compared with the SYNTAX trial. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2015;2:1-4.
• Arrigoni SC, van den Heuvel F, Willems TP, Hillege H, Lindberg HL, Berger RM, Ebels T. Off-pump hepatic to azygos connection via thoracotomy for relief of fistulas after a Kawashima procedure: Ten-year results. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015;149(6):1524-30.
• Roemers R, Kluin J, de Heer F, Arrigoni S, Bökenkamp R, van Melle J, Ebels T, Hazekamp M. Surgical Correction of Supravalvar Aortic Stenosis: 52 Years' Experience. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2018;9(2):131-138. Presented at the 5th Scientific Meeting of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery in Abu Dhabi, UAE; October 29, 2016.
• Vida VL, Guariento A, Milanesi O, Gregori D, Stellin G; Scimitar Syndrome Study Group. Contributing author: Sara Arrigoni. The natural history and surgical outcome of patients with scimitar syndrome: a multi-centre European study. Eur Heart J. 2018;39(12):1002-1011.
• Peeters G, Arrigoni SC, Schoof P, Accord RE, Mariani MA. Acute Type A Dissection 18 Years After a Ross Operation: The Old Prejudice. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019;107(4):e255-e257.
• Bidar E, Arrigoni SC, Accord RE. Resection of Kommerell Diverticulum and Reimplantation of Aberrant Left Subclavian Artery in Right Aortic Arch Vascular Ring. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018;31(3):561-563.
• Arrigoni SC, van den Heuvel F, Willems TP, Veeger NJGM, Schoof P, Ebels T. Autologous Right Auricular Versus PTFE Cavopulmonary Lateral Tunnel: Influence of Surgical Technique on Arrhythmias. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2019;10(6):686-693.
• Pragt H, Schoots MH, Accord RE, Arrigoni SC, Berger RM, Mariani MA, Willems TP, Ebels T, Van Melle JP. A stented bovine pericardial prosthesis in the pulmonary position. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020;159(3):1063-1071.
• Verhaegh AJFP, Accord RE, Kooi EMW, Arrigoni SC, Bos AF, Berger RMF, Ebels T. Thoracotomy versus sternotomy for patent ductus arteriosus closure in preterm neonates. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020;109(1):171-177.
• Arrigoni SC, IJsselhof R, Postmus D, Vonk JM, François K, Bové T, Hazekamp MG, Rijnberg FM, Meyns B, van Puyvelde J, Poncelet AJ, de Beco G, van de Woestijne PC, Bogers AJJC, Schoof PH, Ebels T. Long-term outcomes of atrioventricular septal defect and single ventricle: A multicenter study. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021;163(3):1166-1175. Presented in the 11th Curriculum Webinar of the World University for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery on "Atrioventricular Septal Defect: Complex Types & Issues" August 21, 2021)
• Arrigoni SC, van der Maaten JMAA, Roofthooft MTR, Hoffmann RF, Berger RMF, Ebels T. Intraoperative transit-time flow measurement of caval veins before and after bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis. Cardiol Young. 2024;34(5):1032-1038.
• Arrigoni SC, Ebels T. Bilateral bidirectional cavopulmonary connection: a review of surgical techniques and clinical implications. Transl Pediatr. 2024;13(5):814-823.
• Arrigoni SC, Berger RMF, Ebels T, Postmus D, Hoendermis ES, Schoof PH, Willems TP, van Melle JP. Cardiac output drop reflects circulatory attrition after Fontan completion: serial cardiac magnetic resonance study. Eur Heart J Imaging Methods Pract. 2023;1(2):qyad039.
• Dodge-Khatami A, Gil-Jaurena JM, Hörer J, Heinisch PP, Cleuziou J, Arrigoni SC, Cesnjevar RA, Dave HH, Giamberti A, Rito ML, Kadner A, Siepe M, Sekelyk R, Kozhokar D, Yemets I, Poncelet A, de Beco G, Rubay J, Rüffer A, Kundt V, Said SM, Tobota Z, Jacobs JP, Padalino M, Vida V. Over 3,000 Minimally Invasive Thoracotomies From the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association for Quality Repairs of the Most Common Congenital Heart Defects: Safe and Routine for Selected Repairs. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2025;16(5):578-584.