Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Jay K. Bhama, MD, UI cardiac surgeon and surgical director of the UI Mechanical Circulatory Support Program, has successfully implanted several minimally invasive left ventricular assist devices, (LVADs) in advanced heart failure patients. Dr. Bhama was the first in the region to perform the procedure.

The advantages of this approach include those traditionally linked to minimal access; shorter ICU and hospital length of stay, a decrease in post-op bleeding and infection rate, as well as elimination of potential complication of sternal non-union.

“The goal is to provide each patient with the best surgical option for the management of their disease,” says Dr. Bhama. “We offer access to a full range of services: urgent stabilization, temporary bridge to recovery or transplant, durable-wear bridge or long-term therapy, and transplantation.”

The UI Mechanical Circulatory Support Program is one of only a handful of programs in the nation to achieve Joint Commission Advanced Certification for ventricular assist devices, reports Jennifer Goerbig-Campbell, MD, Director of the Mechanical Support Program and Interim Director of the UI Cardiomyopathy Program.

For more information about minimally invasive cardiac surgical options at UI Heart and Vascular Center, or to refer a patient to Dr. Bashir, call: 319-356-4087, or Dr. Bhama at 319-356-8868.