Elham Bidar

Associate professor

Elham Bidar studied medicine at Maastricht University, within the problem-based learning (PBL) system, a philosophy he now strategically integrates into education, research, and clinical care. The PBL approach allowed him to begin early scientific research in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTC), resulting in a PhD in 2018, on the topic 'Assessment of the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of atrial fibrillation during and after cardiac surgery' supervised by Prof. Uli Schotten and Prof. Jos G. Maessen.

Since 2019, he has served as a staff member in CTC at Maastricht UMC+, where he specializes in open and minimal invasive cardiovascular surgery including throacoscopic AF ablation and open aortic procedures.

As of April 2025, he is appointed Head of the Department of CTC at the Heart+Vascular Center and Chairman and Principal Investigator of the department at CARIM.

Within the CARIM+HVC network, he fosters close collaborations between clinicians and basic scientists to address clinical challenges through transdisciplinary research, using open-heart surgery and the heart-lung machine as in vivo models. Key focus areas include electrophysiology, organ perfusion and mechanical circulatory support, and aortic pathology.

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
P. Debeyelaan 25, 6229 HX Maastricht
P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht

2026
- Aerts, L., Kawczynski, M. J., Luermans, J., Bidar, E., Linz, D., Kowalewski, M., Lorusso, R., Pison, L., La Meir, M., Maesen, B., & Heuts, S. (2026). Effectiveness of Catheter and Standalone Surgical Ablation Procedures for Atrial Fibrillation: A Bayesian-Network Meta-analysis. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 42(1), 136-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2025.10.018
2025
- Heuts, S., Kawczynski, M. J., Lemmens, M. J., Vernooy, K., Bidar, E., Flohr, T., Wildberger, J. E., Smulders, M. W., & Mihl, C. (2025). Accuracy of Photon-counting Detector CT Angiography for the Diagnosis of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: A Bayesian Diagnostic Test Accuracy Meta-Analysis. Radiology. Cardiothoracic imaging, 7(6), Article e250313. https://doi.org/10.1148/ryct.250313
- Husen, T. F., Vidya, A. P., Heuts, S., Prasetyo, A., Nugroho, A. K. Z., Lorusso, R., Bidar, E., Maesen, B., & Sardari Nia, P. (2025). Comparative Study of Different Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement Techniques: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery, 40(11), Article ivaf244. https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivaf244
- Swinnen, B., Olsthoorn, J. R., Mihl, C., Smulders, M. W., Singh, S. K., van Brakel, T., van der Horst, I. C. C., Mingels, A. M. A., Myers, P. O., van 't Hof, A. W. J., Gorgels, A. P. M., Thielmann, M., De Caterina, R., Cerqueira, R. J., Bonaros, N., Oosterlinck, W., Jacobs, S., Lorusso, R., Bidar, E., ... Heuts, S. (2025). Periprocedural Myocardial Infarction After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Current Clinical Practices and Future Perspectives. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, 67(10), Article ezaf344. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejcts/ezaf344
- Kawczynski, M. J., Gilbers, M. D., Winters, J., Maesen, B., Isaacs, A., Linz, D., Rienstra, M., van Gelder, I., Maessen, J. G., Bidar, E., & Schotten, U. (2025). Right atrial endomysial fibrosis is associated with increased postoperative atrial fibrillation burden during 2.5 years of continuous rhythm monitoring after cardiac surgery including atrial arrhythmia surgery: RACE V Tissue Bank Study. EP Europace, 27(9), Article euaf207. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euaf207
- Coveliers, J., Meani, P., Huizinga, E., Gutta, K., Piccirillo, G., Gasparotti, E., Vignali, E., Mazzoli, M., Kowalewski, M., Huberts, W., Moradi, H., Di Mauro, M., Holtackers, R. J., de Jong, M., Gelsomino, S., Paparella, D., Celi, S., Haxhiademi, D., Körver, E., ... Lorusso, R. (2025). Large-scale computed tomography study of aortic arch and supra-aortic artery morphology: Variations and potential implications for arterial extracorporeal life support access. Perfusion. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/02676591251370074
- Makhoul, M., Natour, N., Salmasi, M. Y., Jainandunsing, J. S., Slomka, A., Lorusso, R., Bidar, E., & Natour, E. (2025). Delayed Two-Stage Bentall Procedure: A Safe Technique of Redo Supra-Prosthetic Aortic Root Replacement. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(16), Article 5638. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14165638
- Ganizada, B. H., Reesink, K. D., Parikh, S., Saraber, P. J. M. H., Cleutjens, J. P., Isabella, A., Krebbekx, M. Q. E., Jaminon, A. M., Maassen, C. F. M., Ramaekers, M. J. F. G., Spronck, B., van der Laan, K., Koenen, R. R., Lorusso, R., Maessen, J. G., Bidar, E., & Schurgers, L. J. (2025). Loss of wall stress homeostasis in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm: histomorphometric insights into patient variants. The Journal of Physiology, 603(14), 3899-3922. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP288734
- Kawczynski, M. J., van der Heijden, C. A. J., Maessen, J. G., Schotten, U., Kowalewski, M., Suwalski, P., Bidar, E., & Maesen, B. (2025). Early postoperative atrial fibrillation is associated with late mortality after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and reconstructed individual patient data meta-analysis. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 20(1), Article 265. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-025-03504-9
- Saraber, P., Bica, L., Reesink, K., Mees, B., Bidar, E., Schurger, L., & Heuts, S. (2025). The clinical relevance of the decelerating effect of angiotensin receptor blockers on aortic growth in Marfan patients; a Bayesian perspective. International Journal of Cardiology, 433, Article 133318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2025.133318

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Elham Bidar

Associate professor