Cardiothoracic surgeon says UI Health Care team has heart
When you need a procedure as complex as open-heart surgery, you should choose the best, most experienced care team.
That is exactly what University of Iowa Health Care offers to heart patients, says Mohammad Bashir, MBBS — and it’s one of the reasons the cardiothoracic surgeon joined the UI clinical faculty a year after completing his surgical training at Iowa in 2012.
Cardiothoracic surgeons at UI Heart and Vascular Center perform more planned and emergency heart surgeries than any other providers in the state, offering a wide range of advanced procedures from aortic dissection surgery and heart transplants to robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting.
The ability to provide better care to more patients has increased significantly since his days as a trainee, Bashir says.
“The demand for heart and vascular services is very high, and we’ve been able to answer that demand by growing our team — and we’re continuing to do so to help even more patients,” says Bashir.
Bashir grew up in Jordan in a family of doctors, where dinner conversation frequently centered on health care, and pursued a medical education at the University of Jordan. But after training at UI Health Care, where his sister works as a pathologist, he saw a chance to build a fulfilling career at the state’s only comprehensive, tertiary-level care center.
Bashir took time to share what he enjoys about his work and what UI Health Care offers to heart and vascular patients.
Why did you decide to practice at University of Iowa Health Care?
I knew I wanted to end up in an academic setting, and I liked the opportunity I saw here, the biggest health care provider in the state. Plus, I’m a father to three kids, and Iowa City offers a great, family-oriented community. I enjoy spending time here with my wife and family and watching my kids play basketball and volleyball.
What pulled you into heart surgery?
Seeing the heart for the first time is an event that you never forget. It really sticks with people. Throughout my general surgery training, I just happened to be the person chosen most often when there was an opening in cardiothoracic surgery. I ended up doing more cardiothoracic surgeries than any other resident in my class. I like the acuity of heart surgery. That’s what keeps me going every day.
What is a typical week like for you as a heart surgeon?
I operate four days a week, performing open-heart surgeries. The surgeries take anywhere from four to eight hours, so I can only do one or two a day. Then I have one clinic day where I see patients to discuss treatment plans.
My specialty is valvular surgery, a minimally invasive surgery where we perform the same operation as open-heart surgery using smaller incisions to treat the valves. That helps patients recover much faster. We utilize a robot, too, that can make even smaller incisions.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
The feeling I get after a challenging case ends successfully. Talking to the patient’s family after the operation and seeing how happy they are that their loved one has gone through an operation and that everything is fine. And seeing the difference in quality of life for a patient before and after the surgery. That’s a good feeling, too.
What trends have you seen in cardiothoracic surgery since you've been practicing?
Advances in technology have allowed us to treat sicker patients and get very good results. For example, transcatheter technology, where we can replace or treat valves the same way we put stents in the heart in the coronary artery for coronary artery disease, is a newer technology that has revolutionized our field.
What sets UI Health Care apart?
Since I began practicing at Iowa, we’ve built a highly skilled team. Alongside our four cardiac surgeons, we work with advanced practice nurses, a perfusionist who operates the heart-lung machine, a cardiac anesthesiologist, residents and fellows, and the intensive care unit physicians who care for our patients after surgery. We also offer the most robust minimally invasive heart surgery program in Iowa, including robotic heart surgery. We come together to treat difficult cases, and we do so in an efficient way.
Everyone has the same mindset in what they want to achieve and most share the same devotion to the field of cardiac surgery. They’re willing to sacrifice a little more to treat patients in need, and they inspire me every day.
