Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City receives accreditation as Comprehensive Stroke Center by American Heart Association

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), part of the PureHealth network, has received accreditation from the American Heart Association (AHA) as a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC). The achievement reflects SSMC’s efficiency in stroke treatment in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

The CSC accreditation by AHA follows the centre’s recognition by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for stroke, further highlighting SSMC’s capabilities and world-class standards in providing exceptional stroke care.

Since establishing the hospital’s Stroke Unit in March 2022, SSMC has continued to expand its capabilities and services, introducing a state-of-the-art Biplane Angio Suite for the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic strokes in June the same year. 

Receiving the CSC certification from AHA is considered one of the highest levels of recognition for hospitals providing care for complex stroke cases and, reflects SSMC’s efforts to continue to grow and deliver exceptional care, advanced infrastructure, clinical services, and healthcare professional expertise.

Dr Isam Salih, Chair of the Neurology Department at SSMC, said: "We are truly leading the way when it comes to stroke care, particularly interventional neuroradiology, where our team has consistently been able to deliver timely and comprehensive multidisciplinary care for our patients across a whole spectrum of common and complex neurological conditions. Receiving the full accreditation from the AHA underscores the incredible efforts that we have made to enhance and innovate our capabilities in order to address this crucial health care challenge.”

Dr Marwan Al Kaabi, Chief Executive Officer of SSMC, said: “As the largest tertiary care hospital in the UAE, it is crucial that we are always pushing ourselves to improve and set new standards in the country and region, allowing SSMC to continue providing quality and trusted care.

“Being recognised as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by AHA is a significant achievement and it is testament to the rapid progress that we have made in just two years since opening our dedicated stroke care facility. This international recognition is yet another key milestone on SSMC’s journey to becoming a destination medical centre of choice for patients in the region, while also ensuring that patients, here in the UAE, have access to the types of quality services in complex care that you would expect to receive in any of the best hospitals, worldwide.”

SSMC’s Stroke Unit is a 24/7 state-of-the-art facility, providing multispeciality care from experts with speciality training in conditions that affect the blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord, interventional neuroradiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and emergency medicine.

SSMC is also home to a world-class Biplane Angio Suite for the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic strokes – when a blood clot, or thrombus, blocks an artery leading to the brain. This service falls under the Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, part of the Clinical Imaging Department, with a team of interventional neuroradiologists working closely with the Stroke Unit. Serving a large geographical area of the UAE’s largest emirate, Abu Dhabi, SSMC’s multidiscipline facilities provides essential life-saving procedures that can significantly reduce the long-term or permanent adverse effects of stroke.