Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi: A year of providing complex and critical care for the community

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi: A year of providing complex and critical care for the community

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of Mubadala’s network of world-class healthcare providers, marks its first year of operations, bringing comprehensive complex and critical care including new treatments and procedures for the region. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi opened on March 17, 2015, as a result of a partnership between Mubadala and US-based Cleveland Clinic to support the Government of Abu Dhabi’s vision to build a world class, sustainable healthcare sector in the Emirate and meet the immediate healthcare needs of the Abu Dhabi population and communities across the UAE.

Since opening its first services in March 2015, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has completed over 89,000 appointments and treated patients from over 40 countries. More than 3,400 complex surgeries and procedures have been performed at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, many of them unique to the region, helping to reduce the need for UAE patients to travel abroad for complex care. Advanced procedures in the past year include robotically-assisted mitral valve repair, endoscopic colon tumor removal, and endovascular neurological intervention, among others.

Recently, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi cared for a patient with an extremely rare heart tumor. The patient, a 17-year-old Emirati student, had undergone a routine health screening at her school, including an echocardiogram (a test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart). She did not have any symptoms or any reason to be concerned about a possible heart condition, and it was not her first routine echocardiogram. However, on this occasion, the test clearly showed a mass in her heart, which doctors later diagnosed as a heart tumor. It was a matter of good fortune that the tumor was found in a routine screening, as a heart tumor is a serious but often asymptomatic condition which, if left untreated, can cause stroke or even death.

A team of surgeons, led by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Dr. Rakesh Suri, Chief of Staff & Chief, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and Dr. Johannes Bonatti, Chief, Heart & Vascular Institute, used a minimally-invasive approach to remove the tumor successfully.

Dr. Suri commented, “What this patient had was a very rare tumor. We consulted with an international team of experts across Cleveland Clinic’s global network to determine the best way to remove the large mass without blocking blood flow to the body. Working with a skilled group of imaging experts, anesthesiologists and nurses, Dr. Bonatti and I were able to completely remove the tumor through a very small incision in the heart in about 20 minutes. These types of innovative, complex procedures have numerous benefits for patients when compared with traditional open-chest procedures, including reduced risk of infection, smaller incisions and minimal scarring, less pain during recovery, and shorter hospital stays. The patient was discharged from hospital only four days after her surgery, and diagnostics showed the tumor to be benign.”

The patient’s mother said, “This experience has shown us how important it is to have regular checkups with a physician. I am very thankful that we discovered the tumor early, but even more thankful that we were able to stay right here in Abu Dhabi for the advanced care my daughter needed for this rare condition. It makes all the difference that we’re able to be near family and loved ones throughout this journey and into her recovery. I’m so happy she can return to her normal life so soon after the surgery.” 

Mubadala’s partnership with Cleveland Clinic, a US-based medical institution with a proven track record in addressing the healthcare needs that affect Abu Dhabi most, established Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to help bring highly-specialized complex and critical care to the Emirate. 

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Chairman, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Deputy Group CEO and CEO, Emerging Sectors, Mubadala Development Company, commented: “Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi began as a true vision between two forward-thinking partners, to bring world-class healthcare to the people of Abu Dhabi. Over the last year, we have watched this vision become reality, for the first time allowing patients to seek the comprehensive complex and critical care that would previously been sought abroad. Each and every day, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi provides the advanced medical expertise required to address the community’s healthcare needs today, and ensure the health of citizens for years to come.”

Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic, CEO, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, added “Our Caregivers have a unique set of capabilities that draw from Cleveland Clinic’s patient-centered values and collaborative approach to patient care, which have now been instilled in Abu Dhabi. The successful treatment that the heart tumor patient received here just last week is a wonderful example of how, over the past year, our specialized physicians have worked together, using the most innovative technology, to provide Cleveland Clinic quality care to our patients, in many cases bringing new techniques and procedures to this region for the first time. I look back with pride on what we have achieved and look with confidence toward touching more patients’ lives in the years to come.”

In the coming years, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi plans to stimulate the development of locally-grown expertise and the Emirate’s healthcare sector by focusing on research, innovation, and education opportunities.

Please refer to www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae for further information on services or call the Contact Center at 800 8 CCAD (800 8 2223) to book an appointment.