Heart and Vascular Institute in Abu Dhabi
Find the Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi: cardiac surgery, TAVR, and cardiovascular care UAE patients can trust.
Summery:- This article explains how Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute delivers cardiovascular care in Abu Dhabi, from prevention to complex surgery. It is written for patients, families, and medical travelers comparing a heart institute in Abu Dhabi. Readers leave knowing what the institute treats, why the Department of Health designation matters, and how to book care.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute is a multidisciplinary heart institute in Abu Dhabi offering prevention, diagnosis, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, and thoracic care. Designated a Centre of Excellence for Adult Cardiac Surgery by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, it is affiliated with Cleveland Clinic in the United States and based on Al Maryah Island.
Choosing a heart institute in Abu Dhabi is not a branding exercise. It is a decision about who will interpret your scan, who will operate if a valve fails, and who will manage recovery when minutes still matter.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute is the hospital’s dedicated cardiovascular institute Abu Dhabi patients use for that full pathway: prevention programs, diagnostics, catheter-based treatments, surgery, and rehabilitation. The institute is closely affiliated with Cleveland Clinic’s U.S. program and is designated a Centre of Excellence for Adult Cardiac Surgery by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.
If you are comparing heart and vascular care UAE options, the useful question is not “which hospital has a cardiology department.” It is whether one team can handle coronary disease, structural valves, rhythm disorders, aortic emergencies, and chest surgery without handing you across disconnected clinics.
What is the Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi?
The Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute is Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s specialty institute for diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and chest. It is not a single clinic. It is a coordinated group of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, and thoracic surgeons working under one clinical model.
A heart and vascular institute is a hospital unit that combines medical cardiology, interventional procedures, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, and (in this case) thoracic surgery so complex cases stay inside one care pathway.
Institute Chief Gopal Bhatnagar, MD, frames the mandate plainly: individualized care from prevention and education through acute treatment and rehabilitation.
That structure matters in the UAE, where many patients first present with advanced coronary or valve disease rather than early screening findings. A cardiovascular institute Abu Dhabi residents can use locally reduces the need to split diagnostics in one city and surgery in another.
Why choose this heart institute Abu Dhabi program?
The institute’s strongest differentiator is integrated cardiac surgery plus structural heart intervention, recognized by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi Centre of Excellence designation for Adult Cardiac Surgery.
Affiliation with Cleveland Clinic in Ohio is the second pillar. Cleveland Clinic’s U.S. heart program has long been a global reference point for cardiac care; the Abu Dhabi hospital is its extension outside the United States, on Al Maryah Island.
A third reason is procedure mix, not marketing language. Public reports from the hospital and Gulf News describe robotic coronary bypass, robotically assisted mitral valve repair, high-volume TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement), and regional firsts such as Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis repair for aortic dissection.
Quotable summary: This heart institute Abu Dhabi program is built for complex adult cardiac cases that need both surgeons and interventional cardiologists on the same team.
How the Centre of Excellence designation works
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi award recognizes the range of integrated cardiac surgery and structural heart disease interventions, plus the specialist team.[
It is a regulator’s quality signal, not a paid badge. For a patient choosing cardiovascular care Abu Dhabi options, it is one of the few independent markers that the hospital is expected to handle high-acuity adult cardiac surgery, not only outpatient cardiology.
Gulf News also reported American College of Cardiology recognition of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi as an International Center of Excellence, citing process, expertise, and community engagement.
What heart and vascular care UAE patients can access here?
Care spans prevention through rehabilitation. Specialty programs cover coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, heart rhythm abnormalities, vascular surgery, and thoracic surgery.
Coronary artery disease
The Coronary Artery Disease Program brings together general cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons. Treatment may include medication, catheter interventions, or surgery. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi states it is a leading center for robotically assisted and hybrid surgery and leads Cleveland Clinic U.S. facilities for robotically assisted heart surgery.
Heart valve disease and TAVR/TAVI
The Heart Valve Disease Program treats valves that are too narrow or leaking. Options include open surgery, minimally invasive repair or replacement, robotically assisted mitral valve repair, MitraClip, TAVR, and TAVI. The hospital reports it was first in the region to introduce TAVR.
TAVR is a catheter-based way to replace a narrowed aortic valve, typically through the groin, so many patients avoid a full open-chest operation. Hospital communications in 2026 described TAVR as a weekly program led by cardiovascular physicians including Dr. Mahmoud Traina and Dr. Emad Hakemi.
Gulf News reported the hospital had performed TAVR more than 650 times, with recovery measured in days rather than weeks for many patients.
Heart rhythm disorders
The Heart Rhythm Abnormalities Program diagnoses and treats arrhythmia on both an outpatient and inpatient basis.
In May 2026, the Abu Dhabi Media Office reported Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi performed the UAE’s first cardiac neuroablation procedure, aiming at underlying drivers of some rhythm disorders rather than symptoms alone.
Vascular and aortic care
Vascular surgeons at the institute treat arterial and venous disease, including life-threatening aortic conditions. In 2025 the hospital introduced a minimally invasive thoracic branch endoprosthesis approach that preserved brain and arm blood flow and avoided a major open-chest operation in an emergency setting.
Thoracic surgery
Thoracic surgeons treat diseases of the lungs, esophagus, and chest wall within the same institute, so patients with combined heart and lung complexity are not bounced between unrelated departments. Physicians listed on the institute page include Usman Ahmad, MD, Andres Obeso, MD, and Shair Ahmed, MD.
Who leads cardiovascular care Abu Dhabi at this institute?
Leadership sits with Institute Chief Gopal Bhatnagar, MD (cardiac surgery). The public doctor directory also lists cardiac surgeons such as Umer M. Darr, MD, Mitesh V. Badiwala, MD, and Jehad Al Ramahi, MBBS; vascular surgeons including Houssam Younes, MD; and cardiovascular medicine physicians including John Rickard, MD, Ahmed Bafadel, MD, Aiman Smer, MBBCh, FACC, and others.
You do not need to memorize the roster. You do need a named institute, a surgical chief, and a way to request a specific specialty. The hospital’s appointment line is 800 8 2223.
Quotable summary: Named institute leadership and a published multidisciplinary roster are practical trust signals when you are booking cardiovascular care Abu Dhabi.
How does a typical patient journey work?
- Referral or self-booking. Call 800 8 2223 or use the hospital website to request cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, or thoracic surgery.
- Assessment. Expect history, exam, and imaging such as ECG, echocardiography, CT, or catheterization as indicated.
- Multidisciplinary plan. Coronary, valve, and high-risk aortic cases are designed for joint medical-surgical review, not a single-specialty default.
- Treatment. Options range from medicines and lifestyle programs to stents, TAVR, ablation, robotic or open surgery, and endovascular aortic repair.
- Recovery and rehab. The institute’s stated model includes rehabilitation after acute care, which is where long-term risk reduction actually happens.
Bring prior reports, medication lists, and insurance pre-authorization details. International patients should confirm visa, interpreter, and transfer logistics before travel.
Heart institute Abu Dhabi vs. a general cardiology clinic
| Factor | Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute (CCAD) | Typical general cardiology clinic |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Heart, vessels, and chest under one institute | Usually medical cardiology only |
| Surgery on site | Adult cardiac, vascular, thoracic surgery | Often refers out |
| Structural heart | TAVR/TAVI, MitraClip, robotic valve work | Limited or none |
| Regulator signal | DoH Centre of Excellence, Adult Cardiac Surgery | Variable |
| Affiliation | Cleveland Clinic U.S. model | Independent or group practice |
| Best fit | Complex, surgical, or multi-organ cardiac disease | Screening, stable follow-up, simple hypertension |
A general clinic is often the right first stop for blood pressure or cholesterol. A cardiovascular institute Abu Dhabi patients should use when imaging already shows severe coronary disease, valve failure, aortic emergency, or when surgery is likely.
What recent procedure milestones actually mean for you
Milestones are only useful if they map to a real clinical option.
- TAVR volume and weekly lists mean the pathway is operational, not experimental.
- Robotic bypass and mitral repair mean some patients may qualify for smaller incisions if anatomy allows.
- Thoracic branch endoprosthesis means selected aortic emergencies can be treated without open chest surgery.
- Cardiac neuroablation (UAE first, 2026) expands rhythm-disorder options beyond standard ablation for carefully chosen patients.
- Coronary sinus reducer for refractory angina (UAE first) is for chest pain that persists after conventional treatment.
Gulf News reported 839 cardiac surgical cases and 265 structural heart interventions in 2024, plus a UAE-first combined heart and double lung transplant that year. Treat those figures as hospital-reported activity, not a personal outcome guarantee.
See the comparison table above. Additional 2024–2026 activity signals from hospital and Gulf News reporting: TAVR performed more than 650 times; 839 cardiac surgical cases and 265 structural heart interventions in 2024; Department of Health Centre of Excellence status remaining the core quality marker in 2025–2026 procedure announcements.
For heart and vascular care UAE patients who need more than a routine cardiology visit, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute is the city’s most clearly defined high-acuity option: U.S.-affiliated protocols, a DoH Centre of Excellence for adult cardiac surgery, and on-site valve, coronary, aortic, rhythm, and thoracic capability.
If symptoms, imaging, or a second opinion already point toward intervention, book against the specialty you need rather than a generic “heart check.” The next step is a named appointment with cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, or thoracic surgery on Al Maryah Island.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute is designated a Centre of Excellence for Adult Cardiac Surgery by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. That designation reflects integrated cardiac surgery and structural heart interventions, not outpatient cardiology alone. Patients should still match the specific procedure to the right specialist.
Yes. The Heart Valve Disease Program offers transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and TAVI, and the hospital reports it introduced TAVR to the region. TAVR replaces a narrowed aortic valve through a catheter, often via the groin, and is used for selected patients who benefit from avoiding open-chest surgery.
Call 800 8 2223 or request an appointment through clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae. Ask for Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute and the relevant specialty: cardiovascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, or thoracic surgery. Have prior tests and insurance details ready.
Yes. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is the Cleveland Clinic extension outside the United States. The Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute states it is closely affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic program and brings that clinical model to the Middle East.
Programs cover coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, arrhythmias, vascular and aortic disease, and thoracic (chest) conditions. Care includes prevention, medicines, catheter procedures, robotic and open surgery, and rehabilitation. Exact treatment depends on imaging and surgical risk, not on a one-size pathway.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi. It is a multispecialty academic medical center that opened in 2015. Confirm entrance, parking, and appointment time with the contact center when you book.
If you need a second opinion or a surgical-level review, request an appointment with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute and specify cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, or thoracic surgery.
