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
- van Susante, L., Ganushchak, Y., Bidar, E., & Sardari Nia, P. (2026). Self-Reported Quality of Life and 30-Day Mortality in Elective Cardiac Surgery. JACC: Advances, 5(5), Article 102768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.102768
- Marin-Cuartas, M., Kawczynski, M. J., de Waha, S., Kiefer, P., Falk, V., Siepe, M., Bowdish, M. E., Akowuah, E., Verbrugghe, P., Oosterlinck, W., Klautz, R. J. M., Lorusso, R., Bidar, E., Rahouma, M. M., Redfors, B., Biondi-Zoccai, G., Bhatt, D. L., Gaudino, M., Borger, M. A., & Heuts, S. (2026). Updated 5-year outcomes of transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis at low- to intermediate-surgical risk. Heart. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2025-327092
- Coveliers, J., Gasparotti, E., Vignali, E., Meani, P., Mazzoli, M., Kowalewski, M., Huizinga, E., Gutta, K., Piccirillo, G., Huberts, W., Moradi, H., Di Mauro, M., Holtackers, R. J., de Jong, M., Gelsomino, S., Paparella, D., Körver, E., Doddema, A., Kawczinski, M., ... Lorusso, R. (2026). Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Related Axillary Artery Cannulation and Aortic Hemodynamics: Insights From Computational Fluid Dynamics. ASAIO journal (American Society for Artificial Internal Organs : 1992). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/MAT.0000000000002617
- Verolino, G., Di Mauro, M., Czerny, M., Kawczynski, M., Heuts, S., Bidar, E., & Lorusso, R. (2026). Surgical Explant of Degenerated Transcatheter Valves: A New Type of Threat?Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery, 41(2), Article ivag018. https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivag018
- Coveliers, J., Meani, P., Kowalewski, M., Huizinga, E., Gutta, K., Piccirillo, G., Gasparotti, E., Vignali, E., Mazzoli, 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. (2026). Subclavian or axillary artery cannulation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A systematic review. JTCVS open, 29, Article 101562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjon.2025.101562
- Heuts, S., de Keijzer, A. R., Adriaans, B. P., Notenboom, M. L., Mihl, C., Wildberger, J. E., Vos, R. J., Post, M. C., Rylski, B., Czerny, M., Reesink, K. D., Takkenberg, J. J. M., Veen, K. M., Arabkhani, B., Schalla, S. S., Schurgers, L. J., Lorusso, R., Hjortnaes, J., & Bidar, E. (2026). Rethinking Aortic Risk: The Potential Impact of Novel, Adjusted, and Combined Aortic Measures in the Prediction of Aortic Dissection. The Canadian journal of cardiology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2026.01.023
- Lotfalla, A., Schreurs, R., Heuts, S., & Bidar, E. (2026). Beating Heart Removal of an Aortic Arch Thrombus Under Total Body Perfusion. Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atssr.2026.04.001
- 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
- Accord, R. E., Gilbers, M. D., & Bidar, E. (2026). Addressing Aortopathy Associated With Congenital Valve Anomalies: Technical Aspects of a Reoperative Bentall-Konno Procedure. World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501351261418293
- Cerqueira, R. J., Mascarenhas, J. Q., Rodrigues, M., Miranda, J. O., Kawczynski, M. J., Vojacek, J., Arabkhani, B., Bidar, E., Leite-Moreira, A., Saraiva, F., & Heuts, S. (2026). Outcomes of Aortic Valve Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Using Reconstructed Individual Patient Data. Innovations: Technology and Techniques in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, (2). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15569845261438464

Overview

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Elham Bidar

Associate professor