News & Updates

Cleveland Clinic retains top position for heart care

For the second year in a row, Cleveland Clinic is ranked the No. 2 hospital in the United States by US News & World Report, retaining its position as the No. 1 hospital for cardiology and heart surgery for the 23rd successive year, a statement released by its branch in Abu Dhabi said recently.

“I am incredibly proud of this organization and everyone who works here,” said Toby Cosgrove, MD, Cleveland Clinic president and CEO. “These rankings are a reflection of our caregivers’ unwavering commitment to providing the very best care to the patients we are privileged to serve.”

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2015, is a unique and unparalleled extension of US-based Cleveland Clinic’s model of care, designed to address a range of complex and critical care requirements in support of the region’s specific healthcare needs. The hospital provides patients direct access to the world’s best healthcare providers with more than 30 medical and surgical specialties represented through 13 institutes.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart and Vascular Institute was the first in the Middle East to introduce transcatheter aortic valve replacement as an alternative to traditional open-heart valve replacement surgery .It offers a wide spectrum of services, from diagnostic to cutting-edge treatments, such as hybrid coronary revascularization, and minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery.

Tomislav Mihaljevic, CEO of Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi said: “We are proud to play a significant role in the expanding international story of Cleveland Clinic. Every day, our dedicated physicians and nurses deliver Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to excellence in complex and critical heart care to the people of the Middle East.”

In compiling its rankings, US News studied objective data, such as risk-adjusted survival, readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety, quality of nursing care and other care-related indicators.

Rare disease diagnosed

Meanwhile, physicians at Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi have successfully diagnosed and begun treatment on a patient with a rare immunodeficiency disorder, Wam reported.

The patient, a 27-year-old UAE national, had been suffering from Hereditary Angioedema (HAE), a potentially life-threatening, inherited blood disorder.

Suffering from chronic severe abdominal pain and swelling in his hands and feet over a five-year period, the patient, Ibrahim Yaqoub Ibrahim Alali, sought help from a number of hospitals before being referred to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Medical Subspecialties Institute.

Dr. Mohamed Abuzakouk said: “This patient is the first UAE national to be diagnosed with this rare immunodeficiency at this hospital. The patient had previously visited several hospitals and undergone a multitude of complicated and sometimes invasive medical tests that had not helped determine his condition. He was brought to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s emergency department during one of his episodes of abdominal pain and subsequently underwent extensive immunological assessment and was successfully diagnosed before commencing the appropriate treatment.”

There are two types of HAE, with type one is more common affecting between 80 per cent and 85 per cent of patients. Type two only occurs in the remaining 20 per cent.

”Our patient had type two HAE, the rare form of this condition. Symptoms of the rare disorder include swelling in the face, larynx and elsewhere alongside severe, colicky abdominal pain. However, when properly treated patients can generally live long, symptom-free lives, the doctor treating the patient said.

The case highlights the value of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s multidisciplinary approach, which brings together experts from across a range of fields to tackle complex cases. The hospital’s Medical Subspecialties Institute covers nine specialties and deploys advanced laboratory testing facilities to cover a broad spectrum of medical needs including rare immunological disorders.