With almost 50% of patients in the age-group of 31-50 years, the milestone underscores the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and the need for intervention among younger, working-age population.

Dubai: Aster Hospital Mankhool, part of Aster DM Healthcare and ranked #4 in the UAE in Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026 list, has crossed a significant clinical milestone of 10,000 procedures performed at its Cardiac Catheterization Lab since 2018, a testament to the hospital's top-notch Cardiac and Vascular care delivered by UAE’s leading doctors and surgeons. The hospital has also been recognised among Newsweek’s World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2027, ranking No. 2 in the UAE and No. 253 globally for Cardiology.

Patient data from the Cath Lab highlights a notable cardiac health profile among those undergoing interventions. An analysis of more than 3,500 patients found that over 90% were from the South Asian region, with Indian nationals accounting for more than 65%, followed by Pakistani and Filipino patients.

Analysis of more than 6,000 patients also showed that cardiac interventions were not limited to older age groups. More than 35% were aged 41–50 and a further 15–20% were aged 31–40, meaning around half were between 31 and 50 years of age. Around 30% were aged 51–60, while 10–15% were 60 and above. The age profile highlights the importance of awareness, prevention and early intervention among younger populations.

Procedures included coronary angiography and angioplasty, PTCA (opening blocked heart arteries), STEMI interventions, thrombectomy (removing blood clots), atherectomy (removing hardened plaque), OCT (detailed imaging of heart arteries), FFR (measuring blood flow through narrowed arteries), ICA stenting, TAVI/TAVR (minimally invasive heart valve replacement), MitraClip, ICD and pacemaker implantation, cardiac catheterisation and other complex structural and endovascular interventions.

The Cath Lab has recorded steady activity since its launch in 2018, with an average of more than 1,200 procedures annually from 2019 onwards and overall procedure volumes increasing by approximately 2% between 2020 and 2025. Around 1,470 procedures were performed last year, while the hospital expects to reach approximately 1,600 procedures this year.

Dr. Sherbaz Bichu, CEO – Aster Hospitals & Clinics, UAE, Oman & Bahrain, said, “Ten thousand procedures is more than a milestone - it represents ten thousand moments when timely expertise, technology and teamwork made a meaningful difference to patients and their families. Our Cath Lab has operated 24/7 from day one because cardiac emergencies do not wait for office hours, and neither can we. This achievement reflects the clinical depth we have built at Aster Hospital Mankhool, from emergency angioplasty to complex interventions such as orbital atherectomy, supported by multidisciplinary expertise across cardiology, vascular surgery, radiology, neurology, and nephrology. But our purpose goes beyond treating disease once it becomes critical. We want to move cardiac care further upstream, strengthening prevention and early intervention while advancing structural heart therapies and technology-enabled diagnostics that can help our teams make faster, better-informed decisions. The 10,000-procedure milestone is therefore not an endpoint; it is a foundation for the next phase of cardiac care, reaching patients earlier, treating them more precisely and continually raising the standard of care we provide.”

The Cath Lab manages conditions including angina pectoris, chest pain, cardiomyopathy, NSTEMI, STEMI and unstable angina, with teams undertaking both emergency and elective procedures through minimally invasive, catheter-based techniques.

More than 60% of the 10,000 procedures have been performed by Dr. Naveed Ahmed, Head of Cardiac Services, Aster Hospitals & Clinics, UAE, who has undertaken advanced training in Interventional Cardiology and Structural Heart Interventions, including a fellowship at St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada. In 2019, Aster Hospital Mankhool became the second hospital in the UAE to perform an orbital atherectomy procedure, supporting treatment of heavily calcified coronary arteries that can be challenging to treat using conventional techniques. While the majority of procedures have been performed by the Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology teams, the Cath Lab also supports vascular surgery, endovascular surgery, radiology, neurology and nephrology, making it a multidisciplinary centre for advanced minimally invasive care.

Dr. Naveed Ahmed, Head of Cardiac Services, Aster Hospitals & Clinics, UAE, said, “These 10,000 procedures represent much more than a number; they reflect the trust patients have placed in Aster and our Cardiology Department over the years. We follow rigorous clinical protocols aligned with international standards and use advanced technology responsibly, only when clinically necessary and in the patient’s best interests. At the same time, we remain focused on making quality care accessible and affordable, supported by the expertise of our multidisciplinary team.”

The milestone comes as minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures play an increasingly important role in modern cardiac care. According to the latest European Society of Cardiology and European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions Atlas of Interventional Cardiology, procedures to open blocked heart arteries accounted for more than 90% of catheter-based cardiovascular procedures across 50 European countries. The report recorded a median of 2,220 such procedures per million people, including 509 emergency procedures per million people for patients experiencing a major heart attack known as STEMI.[1][2]