Muhammad Aftab, MD

Associate Professor, Surgery-Cardiothoracic

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Medical School
  • MD, King Edward Medical University (1999)
Internship
  • NSLIJHS-Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center Program (2006)
Residency
  • NSLIJHS-Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center Program, Chief Resident, Surgery (2011)
Fellowships
  • Texas Heart Institute/Baylor College of Medicine Program, Thoracic and Cardiac (2014)
  • Baylor College of Medicine Program, Surgery (2004)
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program, Thoracic and Cardiac (2015)
Languages
English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi
Department
Surgery-Cardiothoracic

Professional Titles

  • Associate Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Colorado

Recognitions

  • AATS -Adult Cardiac Surgery Resident Poster Competition Winner, American Association of Thoracic Surgery (AATS) (2014)
    AATS Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 27-30, 2014
  • American College of Cardiology Fellow in training (FIT) Award, American College of Cardiology (ACC)- Surgeon Council (2014)
    Travel Award, American College of Cardiology 63rd Annual Scientific Session, March 28 – 31, Washington, DC
  • Chief Resident Teaching Award, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), Bronx, New York (2011)
    Nominated by the medical students from AECOM for excellence in teaching.
  • Best Clinical Research Paper Award - Annual Research Day, Department of Surgery, Hofstra – LIJ School of Medicine Manhasset, New York (2011)
  • Best Research Presentation Award,, Annual Meeting of American College of Surgeons (ACS), Brooklyn and Long Island Chapter and Nassau Surgical Society (2011)
  • Voting Member of Institutional Review Board Committee (IRB) North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, Feinstein Institute of Medical Research, Manhasset, NY (2009)
  • Poster of Distinction Award, American Gastroenterology Association (AGA)/ Digestive Disease Week 2006 (2006)
    Award given to top 10% posters and abstracts
  • Scholar in-training Award, American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) (2005)
    Conference on Colorectal Cancer: Molecular Pathways and Therapies. One of six awards presented to Research Scholars.
  • Delegate to AMA Interim Assembly Meeting, Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) (2014)
    AMA-Resident and Fellow Section’s (AMA-RFS), Hilton Anatole, Dallas, TX November 6-8, 2014
  • Graham Surgical Investigator Award, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) (2017)
    AATS Graham Foundation Award
  • Norman E. Shumway Research Award Recipient, Western Thoracic Surgical Association (WTSA) (2017)
  • Nicholas Kouchoukos Research Award, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)/Aortic Symposium 2018 (2018)
    Nicholas Kouchoukos Research Award Recipient
  • Faculty Mentor for Best Cardiac Surgery Critical Care Poster Award Recipient, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) (2019)
  • Faculty Mentor for Hawley H. Seiler Resident’s Award Recipient, Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (STSA) (2019)
  • Best Multidisciplinary Research Collaborator Award, University of Colorado (2019)
    M-TRAC (Multidisciplinary Translational Research in AKI Collaborative
  • Faculty Mentor for the Best Oral Cardiac Presentation Award, Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (ECTSS) (2022)
  • 5280: Denver’s Magazine Top Doctors, 5280: Denver's Magazine (2024)
    Recognized for Excellence in Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery

Research Interests

I am interested in the clinical outcomes research after cardiac and aortic surgery. Also, I am exploring the ways we can protect the human brain, spinal cord, kidneys and other vital organs during the complex cardiac and aortic surgery to make the cardiac surgical procedures safer and provide the best outcomes to my patients.

Publications

  • Aftab M, Reece TB. Invited Commentary. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Aug;102(2):532-3. PubMed PMID: 27449426
  • Stephens EH, Robich MP, Walters DM, DeNino WF, Aftab M, Tchantchaleishvili V, Eilers AL, Rice RD, Goldstone AB, Shlestad RC, Malas T, Cevasco M, Gillaspie EA, Fiedler AG, LaPar DJ, Shah AA. Gender and Cardiothoracic Surgery Training: Specialty Interests, Satisfaction, and Career Pathways. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Jul;102(1):200-6. PubMed PMID: 27157051
  • Stephens EH, Shah AA, Robich MP, Walters DM, DeNino WF, Aftab M, Tchantchaleishvili V, Eilers AL, Rice RD, Goldstone AB, Shelstad RC, Malas T, Cevasco M, Gillaspie EA, LaPar DJ. The Future of the Academic Cardiothoracic Surgeon: Results of the TSRA/TSDA In-Training Examination Survey. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Aug;102(2):643-50. PubMed PMID: 27131899
  • Shah AA, Aftab M, Tchantchaleishvili V, LaPar DJ, Stephens EH, Walters DM, DeNino WF, Odell DD, Robich M, Cevasco M, Eilers AL, Gillaspie EA, Goldstone A, Malas T, Rice RD, Shelstad RC, Andersen ND. Characterizing the Operative Experience of Cardiac Surgical Trainees: What Are Residents Really Doing in the Operating Room?. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Jun;101(6):2341-9. PubMed PMID: 27021035
  • Levack MM, Aftab M, Roselli EE, Johnston DR, Soltesz EG, Gillinov AM, Pettersson GB, Griffin B, Grimm R, Hammer DF, Al Kindi AH, Albacker TB, Sepulveda E, Thuita L, Blackstone EH, Sabik JF 3rd, Svensson LG. Outcomes of a Less-Invasive Approach for Proximal Aortic Operations. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Feb;103(2):533-540. PubMed PMID: 27788942
  • Aftab M, Cleveland JC Jr, Reece TB. Noteworthy Literature Published in 2016 for Cardiac Surgery. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2017 Mar;21(1):30-35. PubMed PMID: 28134010
  • Javadikasgari H, Roselli EE, Aftab M, Suri RM, Desai MY, Khosravi M, Cikach F, Isabella M, Idrees JJ, Raza S, Tappuni B, Griffin BP, Svensson LG, Gillinov AM. Combined aortic root replacement and mitral valve surgery: The quest to preserve both valves. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2017 May;153(5):1023-1030.e1. PubMed PMID: 28262292
  • Plichta RP, Aftab M, Roselli EE. Current management of aortic arch lesions with hybrid procedures: a tailored approach to a progressive disease. J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino). 2016 Jun;57(3):437-47. PubMed PMID: 26939046
  • Zanotti G, Reece TB, Aftab M. Aortic Arch Pathology: Surgical Options for the Aortic Arch Replacement. Cardiol Clin. 2017 Aug;35(3):367-385. PubMed PMID: 28683908
  • Bergeron EJ, Mosca MS, Aftab M, Justison G, Reece TB. Neuroprotection Strategies in Aortic Surgery. Cardiol Clin. 2017 Aug;35(3):453-465. PubMed PMID: 28683913
  • El-Sayed Ahmed MM, Hussain O, Ott DA, Aftab M. Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis Due to Alkaptonuric Ochronosis. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2017 Dec;21(4):364-366. PubMed PMID: 28709382
  • Ghanta RK, Green SY, Price MD, Arredondo CC, Wainwright D, Preventza O, de la Cruz KI, Aftab M, LeMaire SA, Coselli JS. Midterm Survival and Quality of Life After Extent II Thoracoabdominal Aortic Repair in Marfan Syndrome. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Apr;101(4):1402-9; discussion 1409. PubMed PMID: 26794897
  • Eldeiry M, Yamanaka K, Reece TB, Aftab M. Spinal Cord Neurons Isolation and Culture from Neonatal Mice. J Vis Exp. 2017 Jul 11;(125). PubMed PMID: 28745627
  • Aftab M, Plichta R, Roselli EE. Acute DeBakey Type I Dissection Repair Using Frozen Elephant Trunk: The Cleveland Clinic Technique. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2017 Sep;21(3):200-205. PubMed PMID: 28758558
  • Robich MP, Flagg A, LaPar DJ, Odell DD, Stein W, Aftab M, Berfield KS, Eilers AL, Groth SS, Lazar JF, Shah AA, Smith DA, Stephens EH, Stock CT, DeNino WF, Tchantchaleishvili V, Soltesz EG. Understanding Why Residents May Inaccurately Log Their Role in Operations: A Look at the 2013 In-Training Examination Survey. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Jan;101(1):323-8. PubMed PMID: 26453419
  • Aftab M, Idrees JJ, Cikach F, Navia JL, Hammer D, Roselli EE. Open Distal Fenestration of Chronic Dissection Facilitates Endovascular Elephant Trunk Completion: Late Outcomes. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Dec;104(6):1960-1967. PubMed PMID: 28939200
  • Roselli EE, Hasan SM, Idrees JJ, Aftab M, Eagleton MJ, Menon V, Svensson LG. Inoperable patients with acute type A dissection: are they candidates for endovascular repair?. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2017 Oct 1;25(4):582-588. PubMed PMID: 28962505
  • Aftab M, Cikach FS, Zhu Y, Idrees JJ, Rigelsky CM, Kalahasti V, Roselli EE, Svensson LG. Loeys-Dietz syndrome: Intermediate-term outcomes of medically and surgically managed patients. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Feb;157(2):439-450.e5. PubMed PMID: 30669217
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Ryan TJ, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Synergetic Induction of NGF With Diazoxide and Erythropoietin Attenuates Spinal Cord Ischemic Injury. J Surg Res. 2019 Jan;233:124-131. PubMed PMID: 30502238
  • Eldeiry M, Ghincea C, Aftab M, Cleveland JC, Fullerton D, Reece TB. Innominate Versus Axillary Artery Cannulation for the Hemiarch Repair. J Surg Res. 2018 Dec;232:234-239. PubMed PMID: 30463723
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Ryan TJ, Roda G, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Pretreatment With Diazoxide Attenuates Spinal Cord Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Through Signaling Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Pathway. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018 Nov 2. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30395862
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Roda G, Aftab M, Reece TB. Potential benefit of pharmacological induction of beta common receptor. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Nov;156(5):1796-1797. PubMed PMID: 30336913
  • Venardos N, Reece TB, Aftab M. Perioperative Statins for Ascending Aortic Repairs: Helpful or Hurtful?. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Winter;30(4):427-428. PubMed PMID: 30278266
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Ryan TJ, Mares J, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Synergistic Reduction of Apoptosis With Diazoxide and Erythropoietin in Spinal Cord Ischemic Injury. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018 Dec;106(6):1751-1758. PubMed PMID: 30193997
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Invited Commentary. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018 Sep;106(3):776-777. PubMed PMID: 29800540
  • Ambardekar AV, Weiser-Evans MCM, Li M, Purohit SN, Aftab M, Reece TB, Moulton KS. Coronary Artery Remodeling and Fibrosis With Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Support. Circ Heart Fail. 2018 May;11(5):e004491. PubMed PMID: 29724722
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Mares J, Ryan TJ, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Optimized induction of beta common receptor enhances the neuroprotective function of erythropoietin in spinal cord ischemic injury. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Jun;155(6):2505-2516. PubMed PMID: 29523405
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. No need to tailor: Paraplegia risk is intrinsic to complex aortic intervention. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Apr;155(4):1357. PubMed PMID: 29370909
  • Griffin BR, Teixeira JP, Ambruso S, Bronsert M, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Reece TB, Fullerton DA, Faubel S, Aftab M. Stage 1 acute kidney injury is independently associated with infection following cardiac surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32007252
  • Griffin BR, Bronsert M, Reece TB, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Fullerton DA, Gist KM, Jovanovich A, Jalal D, Faubel S, Aftab M. Thrombocytopenia After Cardiopulmonary Bypass is Associated with Increased Morbidity and Mortality. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Dec 6. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31816284
  • Griffin BR, Kohtz PD, Bronsert M, Reece TB, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Faubel S, Aftab M. Postoperative Complications Are Not Elevated in Well-compensated ESRD Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: End-Stage Renal Disease Cardiac Surgery Outcomes. J Surg Res. 2019 Nov 27. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31785887
  • Mesher A, Aftab M, Gleason TG, Reece TB. Commentary: Steps toward understanding the root of the issue. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Aug 22. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31530370
  • Venardos N, Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: Aortitis Prognosis: Pathologic Diagnosis Independently Adversely Affects Long-Term Survival. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Winter;31(4):761-762. PubMed PMID: 31271853
  • Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Direct spinal cord perfusion: You need it when you need it. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Oct;158(4):e131-e132. PubMed PMID: 31160118
  • Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: NO matter what you call it, "conditioning" the spinal cord preventing paraplegia is worthwhile. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Apr 24. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31126640
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: More is more: Root stabilization for regurgitant aortic valve repair. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Jul;158(1):24. PubMed PMID: 31109710
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: Preparing for the worst, expecting the worst can make it better. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Nov 19. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33341275
  • Ikeno Y, Ghincea CV, Roda GF, Cheng L, Aftab M, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Optimizing Nicorandil for Spinal Cord Protection in a Murine Model of Complex Aortic Intervention. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33444762
  • Aftab M, Reece TB, Svensson LG. Heart Transplantation in Patients With Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Is It a Novel Cardiomyopathy?. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Jan;109(1):306. PubMed PMID: 31077663
  • Aftab M, Reece TB, Cleveland JC, Pal JD. Noteworthy Cardiac Surgical Literature 2018: Value-Based Bundled Payments, Opioid Crisis and Cardiac Surgery, Percutaneous Suction Thrombectomy for Intracardiac/Caval Thrombus and Vegetations, and Minimally Invasive Left Ventricular Assist Device Placement. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2019 Jun;23(2):164-170. PubMed PMID: 31064318
  • Ghincea CV, Reece TB, Eldeiry M, Roda GF, Bronsert MR, Jarrett MJ, Pal JD, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Aftab M. Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury Following Aortic Arch Surgery. J Surg Res. 2019 Oct;242:40-46. PubMed PMID: 31063910
  • Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Like politics, transfusion practice is local. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 May 14. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33268111
  • Venardos N, Aftab M, Reece TB. Simple Surveillance Is Not So Simple. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Feb;111(2):621-622. PubMed PMID: 33080232
  • Venardos N, Reece TB, Cleveland JC Jr, Aftab M, Pal J, Fullerton DA, Rove JY. Training for Multiple Arterial Grafting: A Thoracic Surgery Resident Survey. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Oct 14. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33068541
  • Krause M, Douin DJ, Tran TT, Fernandez-Bustamante A, Aftab M, Bartels K. Association between procalcitonin levels and duration of mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients. PLoS One. 2020;15(9):e0239174. PubMed PMID: 32946466
  • Chatfield KC, Sparagna GC, Chau S, Phillips EK, Ambardekar AV, Aftab M, Mitchell MB, Sucharov CC, Miyamoto SD, Stauffer BL. Elamipretide Improves Mitochondrial Function in the Failing Human Heart. JACC Basic Transl Sci. 2019 Apr;4(2):147-157. PubMed PMID: 31061916
  • Vigneshwar NG, Kohtz PD, Lucas MT, Bronsert M, J Weyant M, F Masood M, Itoh A, Rove JY, Reece TB, Cleveland JC, Pal JD, Fullerton DA, Aftab M. Clinical predictors of in-hospital mortality in venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. J Card Surg. 2020 Oct;35(10):2512-2521. PubMed PMID: 32789912
  • Griffin BR, Bronsert M, Reece TB, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Fullerton DA, Faubel S, Aftab M. Creatinine elevations from baseline at the time of cardiac surgery are associated with postoperative complications. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Jun 26. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32739165
  • Lin Y, Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Obviously Malperfusion in Dissection Is Bad, But Severe Acidosis May Be Unsurmountable. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Winter;32(4):681-682. PubMed PMID: 32610189
  • Ghincea CV, Ikeno Y, Weyant MJ, Mitchell JD, Aftab M, Reece TB. Right Thoracoscopic Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery Division and Subclavian-Carotid Transposition. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Nov;110(5):e431-e433. PubMed PMID: 32407854
  • Mesher AL, Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Beauty, and durability, is in the eye of the needle holder. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Feb;161(2):479-480. PubMed PMID: 32387161
  • Halpern AL, Kohtz PD, Helmkamp L, Eldeiry M, Hodges MM, Scott CD, Mitchell JD, Aftab M, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Reece TB, Meguid RA, Fullerton DA, Weyant MJ. Improved Mortality Associated With the Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Aug;108(2):350-357. PubMed PMID: 31009629
  • Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Bergeron E, Pal J, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton D, Reece TB. The Buffalo Trunk Technique for Aortic Arch Reconstruction. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Sep;108(3):680-686. PubMed PMID: 30981849
  • Songdechakraiwut T, Aftab M, Chatterjee S, Green SY, Price MD, Preventza O, de la Cruz KI, LeMaire SA, Coselli JS. Tracheostomy After Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair: Risk Factors and Outcomes. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Sep;108(3):778-784. PubMed PMID: 30928555
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: Dissection in the elderly-do the right thing, fix them!. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Apr 11. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32362387
  • Ghincea CV, Ikeno Y, Aftab M, Reece TB. Spinal Cord Protection for Thoracic Aortic Surgery: Bench to Bedside. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Winter;31(4):713-720. PubMed PMID: 30825587
  • Ghincea CV, Reece TB, Aftab M, Cleveland JC Jr, Pal JD. Noteworthy Cardiac Literature 2019: Cerebral Protection, Zone 2 Arch, Intravascular Ultrasonography in Dissection, Heart Allocation, and Mitral Durability. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2020 Jun;24(2):187-191. PubMed PMID: 32342759
  • Ghincea CV, Anderson DA, Ikeno Y, Roda GF, Eldeiry M, Bronsert MR, Aunkst K, Fullerton DA, Reece TB, Aftab M. Utility of neuromonitoring in hypothermic circulatory arrest cases for early detection of stroke: Listening through the noise. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Feb 19. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32204911
  • Abrams B, Hoffman J, Aftab M, Evers J, Seres T. A Rare Case of Stenosis at the Inferior Vena Cava to Right Atrium Anastomosis After Bicaval Orthotopic Heart Transplantation. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2019 Dec;23(4):418-421. PubMed PMID: 30810093
  • Aleong RG, Zipse MM, Tompkins C, Aftab M, Varosy P, Sauer W, Kao D. Analysis of Outcomes in 8304 Patients Undergoing Lead Extraction for Infection. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Apr 7;9(7):e011473. PubMed PMID: 32192410
  • Aftab M, Cikach FS, Zhu Y, Idrees JJ, Rigelsky CM, Kalahasti V, Roselli EE, Svensson LG. Loeys-Dietz syndrome: Intermediate-term outcomes of medically and surgically managed patients. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Feb;157(2):439-450.e5. PubMed PMID: 30669217
  • Griffin BR, Reece TB, Aftab M. Postoperative Thrombocytopenia: A Novel Prognostic Factor: Reply. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Aug;110(2):752-753. PubMed PMID: 32147417
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Ryan TJ, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Synergetic Induction of NGF With Diazoxide and Erythropoietin Attenuates Spinal Cord Ischemic Injury. J Surg Res. 2019 Jan;233:124-131. PubMed PMID: 30502238
  • Griffin BR, Bronsert M, Reece TB, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Fullerton DA, Gist KM, Jovanovich A, Jalal D, Faubel S, Aftab M. Thrombocytopenia After Cardiopulmonary Bypass Is Associated With Increased Morbidity and Mortality. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Jul;110(1):50-57. PubMed PMID: 31816284
  • Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Ryan TJ, Roda G, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Pretreatment With Diazoxide Attenuates Spinal Cord Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Through Signaling Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Pathway. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Mar;107(3):733-739. PubMed PMID: 30395862
  • Griffin BR, Kohtz PD, Bronsert M, Reece TB, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Faubel S, Aftab M. Postoperative Complications Are Not Elevated in Well-Compensated ESRD Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: End-Stage Renal Disease Cardiac Surgery Outcomes. J Surg Res. 2020 Mar;247:136-143. PubMed PMID: 31785887
  • Mesher A, Aftab M, Gleason TG, Reece TB. Commentary: Steps toward understanding the root of the issue. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 May;159(5):1764-1765. PubMed PMID: 31530370
  • Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: NO matter what you call it, "conditioning" the spinal cord preventing paraplegia is worthwhile. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Mar;159(3):825-826. PubMed PMID: 31126640
  • Aftab M, Reece TB, Svensson LG. Heart Transplantation in Patients With Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Is It a Novel Cardiomyopathy?. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Jan;109(1):306. PubMed PMID: 31077663
  • Gergen AK, Meguid RA, Reece TB, Aftab M. Endovascular aortic repair of Kommerell diverticulum associated with aberrant left subclavian artery. Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2021 Nov;10(6):807-809. PubMed PMID: 34926187
  • Ikeno Y, Ghincea CV, Roda GF, Cheng L, Aftab M, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Direct and indirect activation of the adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel to induce spinal cord ischemic metabolic tolerance. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Oct 23. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34763893
  • Lin Y, Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Intraoperative neuromonitoring: FAST to FASTER response to neurologic complication. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Aug 27. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34531041
  • Kemp CM, Feng Z, Aftab M, Reece TB. Preventing spinal cord injury following thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair: The battle to eliminate paraplegia. JTCVS Tech. 2021 Aug;8:11-15. PubMed PMID: 34401794
  • Mesher AL, Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: 180-180 repair of bicuspid aortic valve works every time…Except when it doesn't. JTCVS Tech. 2021 Jun;7:93-94. PubMed PMID: 34318213
  • Ikeno Y, Ghincea CV, Roda GF, Cheng L, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Aftab M, Reece TB. Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate Nicorandil-induced Metabolic Tolerance to Spinal Cord Injury. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Jul;112(1):38-44. PubMed PMID: 33902895
  • Ikeno Y, Ghincea CV, Roda GF, Cheng L, Aftab M, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Optimizing Nicorandil for Spinal Cord Protection in a Murine Model of Complex Aortic Intervention. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33444762
  • Venardos N, Aftab M, Reece TB. Simple Surveillance Is Not So Simple. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Feb;111(2):621-622. PubMed PMID: 33080232
  • Venardos N, Reece TB, Cleveland JC Jr, Aftab M, Pal J, Fullerton DA, Rove JY. Training for Multiple Arterial Grafting: A Thoracic Surgery Resident Survey. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Jun;111(6):1901-1907. PubMed PMID: 33068541
  • Mesher AL, Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Beauty, and durability, is in the eye of the needle holder. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Feb;161(2):479-480. PubMed PMID: 32387161
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: Dissection in the elderly-do the right thing, fix them!. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Jan;163(1):13. PubMed PMID: 32362387
  • Ghincea CV, Anderson DA, Ikeno Y, Roda GF, Eldeiry M, Bronsert MR, Aunkst K, Fullerton DA, Reece TB, Aftab M. Utility of neuromonitoring in hypothermic circulatory arrest cases for early detection of stroke: Listening through the noise. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Oct;162(4):1035-1045.e5. PubMed PMID: 32204911
  • Griffin BR, Teixeira JP, Ambruso S, Bronsert M, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Reece TB, Fullerton DA, Faubel S, Aftab M. Stage 1 acute kidney injury is independently associated with infection following cardiac surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Apr;161(4):1346-1355.e3. PubMed PMID: 32007252
  • Cerebral protection in type A aortic dissection Christian V. Ghincea, Muhammad Aftab, Yuki Ikeno, Andrew L. Mesher, T. Brett Reece Journal of Visualized Surgery Vol 7 (October 2021) / Cerebral protection in type A aortic dissection
  • Gergen AK, Kemp C, Ghincea CV, Feng Z, Cleveland JC Jr, Pal JD, Rove JY, Fullerton DA, Aftab M, Reece TB. Challenging Paradigm Limits of Retrograde Cerebral Perfusion During Lower Body Circulatory Arrest. J Surg Res. 2023 Mar;283:699-704. PubMed PMID: 36462379
  • Vigneshwar NG, Masood MF, Vasic I, Krause M, Bartels K, Lucas MT, Bronsert M, Selzman CH, Thompson S, Rove JY, Reece TB, Cleveland JC, Pal JD, Fullerton DA, Aftab M. Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure: A multicenter study. JTCVS Open. 2022 Dec;12:211-220. PubMed PMID: 36097635
  • Kemp C, Ghincea CV, Feng Z, Gergen AK, Cleveland JC, Rove JY, Aftab M, Fullerton D, Reece TB. Evaluating the risk of spinal cord ischemia in zone 2 frozen elephant trunk replacement. Am J Surg. 2022 Oct;224(4):1057-1061. PubMed PMID: 35934556
  • Gergen AK, Kemp C, Ghincea CV, Feng Z, Ikeno Y, Aftab M, Reece TB. Direct Innominate Artery Cannulation versus Side Graft for Selective Antegrade Cerebral Perfusion during Aortic Hemiarch Replacement. Aorta (Stamford). 2022 Feb;10(1):26-31. PubMed PMID: 35640584
  • Hoffman JRH, Higa KC, Lin Y, Reece TB, Cleveland JC Jr, Aftab M, Rove JY. Noteworthy Cardiac Literature From 2021: Coronary Guideline Change Without New Data, Heart Transplant Donation After Cardiac Death, Covid Effects on Global Cardiac Surgery, and Attempt to Improve Dissection Remodeling. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2022 Jun;26(2):154-161. PubMed PMID: 35591803
  • Kemp C, Ikeno Y, Aftab M, Reece TB. Cerebrospinal fluid drainage in thoracic endovascular aortic repair: mandatory access but tailored placement. Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2022 Jan;11(1):53-55. PubMed PMID: 35211388
  • Ikeno Y, Ghincea CV, Roda GF, Cheng L, Aftab M, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Optimizing Nicorandil for Spinal Cord Protection in a Murine Model of Complex Aortic Intervention. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Spring;34(1):28-38. PubMed PMID: 33444762
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: Preparing for the worst, expecting the worst can make it better. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Apr;163(4):1265-1266. PubMed PMID: 33341275
  • Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Like politics, transfusion practice is local. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Mar;163(3):1026-1027. PubMed PMID: 33268111
  • Lin Y, Aftab M, Reece TB. Commentary: Intraoperative neuromonitoring: FAST to FASTER response to neurologic complication. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Jun;165(6):1984. PubMed PMID: 34531041
  • Griffin BR, Bronsert M, Reece TB, Pal JD, Cleveland JC, Fullerton DA, Faubel S, Aftab M. Creatinine elevations from baseline at the time of cardiac surgery are associated with postoperative complications. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Apr;163(4):1378-1387. PubMed PMID: 32739165
  • Ikeno Y, Ghincea CV, Roda GF, Cheng L, Aftab M, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC Jr, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Direct and indirect activation of the adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel to induce spinal cord ischemic metabolic tolerance. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Mar;165(3):e90-e99. PubMed PMID: 34763893
  • Reece TB, Aftab M. Commentary: Dissection in the elderly-do the right thing, fix them!. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Jan;163(1):13. PubMed PMID: 32362387
  • Gergen AK, Kemp C, Ghincea CV, Feng Z, Cleveland JC Jr, Pal JD, Rove JY, Fullerton DA, Aftab M, Reece TB. Challenging Paradigm Limits of Retrograde Cerebral Perfusion During Lower Body Circulatory Arrest. J Surg Res. 2023 Mar;283:699-704. PubMed PMID: 36462379
  • Netsanet A, Cotton J, Suarez-Pierre A, Hoffman J, Aftab M, Reece B, Rove JY. Cardiac Surgeons Highlight the Need for Innovation Stewardship: Noteworthy in 2022. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2023 Jun;27(2):136-144. PubMed PMID: 37098029
  • Schäfer M, Carroll A, Carmody KK, Hunter KS, Barker AJ, Aftab M, Reece TB. Aortic shape variation after frozen elephant trunk procedure predicts aortic events: Principal component analysis study. JTCVS Open. 2023 Jun;14:26-35. PubMed PMID: 37425456
  • Wilson King R, Carroll AM, Higa KC, Cleveland JC Jr, Rove JY, Aftab M, Brett Reece T. Frozen Elephant Trunk for Acute Type A Dissection: Is Risk from Procedure or Patient Characteristics?. Aorta (Stamford). 2023 Jun;11(3):112-115. PubMed PMID: 37619568
  • Carroll AM, King RW, Ghincea CV, Aftab M, Reece TB. Spinal cord protection for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair: from bench to bedside. Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2023 Sep 28;12(5):438-449. PubMed PMID: 37817853
  • Suarez-Pierre A, Iguidbashian J, Kirsch MJ, Cain MT, Aftab M, Reece TB, Fullerton DA, Rove JY, Cleveland JC Jr, Hoffman JRH. Association of cardiac preservation solution with short-term outcomes after heart transplantation. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2024 Feb 1;25(2):158-164. PubMed PMID: 38149702
  • Rudman L, Chambi-Torres JB, Chohan F, Aftab M, Cao X, Michel G. A Complex Presentation of Acute Postoperative Negative-Pressure Pulmonary Edema: A Case Report and Review of Literature. Cureus. 2023 Jul;15(7):e42152. PubMed PMID: 37602134
  • Cotton JL, Makinen J, Park SY, Halpern Mungo A, Aftab M, Hoffman JRH, Cain MT. Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, and Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Pregnancy. Innovations (Phila). 2024 Jul-Aug;19(4):446-448. PubMed PMID: 38828949

Professional Memberships

  • Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS), Active Member
  • Southern Thoracic Surgery Society (STSA), Active Member
  • American College of Surgeons (ACS), Associate Fellow
  • Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (ECTSS), Active Member
  • Association of Academic Surgery (AAS), Active Member
  • American Medical Association (AMA), Active Member
  • American College of Cardiology (ACC), Fellow
  • Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society, Active Member
  • Cooley Hands Society, Active Member

Practice Locations

UCHealth Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion - Anschutz Medical Campus
1635 Aurora Ct
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-0000

UCHealth Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion - Anschutz Medical Campus
12605 E. 16th Ave
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-0000

Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Administration Medical Center
1700 Wheeling St
Aurora, CO 80045
303-399-8020

Hospital Affiliation
  • University of Colorado Hospital
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Center Affiliations

Specialty Information

Specialties
  • Thoracic and Cardiac, Board Certification (2015)
  • Surgery, Board Certification (2012)
Conditions & Treatments
  • Heart and Circulation - Aneurysms
  • Heart and Circulation
  • Heart and Circulation - Arrhythmia
  • Heart and Circulation - Heart Failure
  • Heart and Circulation - Vascular Malformations
  • Heart and Circulation - Peripheral Artery Disease
  • Heart and Circulation - Heart Valve Diseases
  • Heart and Circulation - Coronary Disease
  • Surgery - Adult Cardiac Surgery
  • Surgery
  • Surgery - Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Surgery - Heart Transplant Surgery
  • Surgery - Vascular Surgery
  • Surgery - Open Heart Surgery
Clinical Interests
My clinical interests in adult cardiac surgery include surgery for thoracic aortic aneurysm, open and endovascular thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair, heart valve surgery, high-risk reoperation surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery and percutaneous valve treatment. I believe in a patient centered approach by combining the traditional open cardiac and vascular surgery with the cutting edge catheter-based interventions and endovascular surgery to provide the best outcomes for my patients. Some of the areas of my clinical interest are coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic and mitral valve repair, arrhythmias surgery, hybrid aortic repair and heart transplantation. I treat the patients with bicuspid aortic valve and other connective-tissue disorders such as Marfan, Loeys-Dietz syndrome and Ehlers-Dalos syndromes.

Personal Interests
I operate on the entire spectrum of adult cardiac and aortic surgery. Some of the areas of my particular clinical interest in cardiac surgery include surgery for the thoracic aortic aneurysms including aortic root surgery, ascending aortic and aortic arch replacement, thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair, endovascular aortic surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, heart valve surgery including mitral and aortic valve repair, percutaneous valve interventions, arrhythmia surgery and heart transplantation.

Public Speaking
Yes



School of Medicine

CU Anschutz
Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

Aurora, CO 80045

303.724.5375

School
General
Students