logo
Cleveland Clinic no longer the nation's top hospital for heart care

Cleveland Clinic no longer the nation's top hospital for heart care

Axios4 days ago
After many years as the nation's top hospital for cardiology and heart surgery, Cleveland Clinic has fallen to No. 3 in that category, per the U.S. News and World Report's 2025 rankings.
Why it matters: The annual report, released Tuesday, is considered the gold standard in hospital rankings.
U.S. News evaluated more than 4,000 hospitals across the country in over 30 medical and surgical services.
State of play: Cleveland Clinic once again made the U.S. News "Honor Roll," which recognizes the nation's top 20 hospitals overall in lieu of numbered rankings.
It is deemed Ohio's best hospital and is Northeast Ohio's largest employer.
In ranked categories, the Clinic placed in the top 10 in numerous specialties, including No. 2 in rheumatology and No. 3 in gastroenterology.
For decades, it was the country's premier facility for heart care.
In the current ranking, both NYU Langone Hospitals and Mount Sinai Hospital leapfrogged the Clinic.
What they're saying: " Cleveland Clinic has been honored to be recognized as the nation's No. 1 hospital for heart care by U.S. News & World Report for 30 consecutive years," spokesperson Andrea Pacetti told Axios in a statement.
"While this year our rating shifted, we are still proud to be ranked in the top 3 in the country for heart care and are deeply proud of our excellence in quality, innovation, research, and the dedication of our caregivers."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

As wrestling fans reel from the sudden death of Hulk Hogan, a cardiologist explains how to live long and healthy − and avoid chronic disease
As wrestling fans reel from the sudden death of Hulk Hogan, a cardiologist explains how to live long and healthy − and avoid chronic disease

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

As wrestling fans reel from the sudden death of Hulk Hogan, a cardiologist explains how to live long and healthy − and avoid chronic disease

On July 24, 2025, the American pro wrestling celebrity Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died at the age of 71. Hogan had chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a history of atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart, or atria, beat irregularly and often rapidly. His cause of death has been confirmed as acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. Hogan became a household name in the 1980s and has long been known for maintaining fitness and a highly active lifestyle, despite having had 25 surgeries in 10 years, including a neck surgery in May. Hogan's death has brought renewed attention to the importance of maintaining heart health through exercise. Many people think that bodybuilders are the 'picture' of health. However, the truth is that too much muscle can increase strain on the heart and may actually be harmful. It may seem ironic, then, that people who exercise to extreme levels and appear healthy on the outside can, in fact, be quite unhealthy on the inside. As the director of sports cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, I see patients of all age groups and at varying levels of fitness who are interested in promoting health by incorporating exercise into their lifestyle, or by optimizing their current exercise program. Exercise is the foundation for good health When people think of vital signs, they usually think about things such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, breathing rate and blood oxygen levels. However, the American Heart Association also includes 'fitness' as an additional vital sign that should be considered when determining a patient's overall health and risk of heart disease, cancer and death. While fitness may be determined in various ways, the best way is by checking what is known as peak oxygen uptake, or VO2 max, through a specialized evaluation called a cardiopulmonary exercise test. These can be performed at many doctors' offices and clinics, and they provide a wealth of information related to overall health, as well as heart, lung and skeletal muscle function. Exercise is one of the most effective interventions to prolong life and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases throughout life – in effect, prolonging lifespan and improving health span, meaning the number of years that people spend in good health. In fact, a large study done by the Cleveland Clinic found that a low level of fitness poses a greater risk of death over time than other traditional risk factors that people commonly think of, such as smoking, diabetes, coronary artery disease and severe kidney disease. When it comes to brain health, the American Stroke Association emphasizes the importance of routine exercise and avoiding sedentary behavior in their 2024 guidelines on primary prevention of stroke. The risk of stroke increases with the amount of sedentary time spent throughout the day and also with the amount of time spent watching television, particularly four hours or more per day. Regarding cognitive decline, the Alzheimer's Society states that regular exercise reduces the risk of dementia by almost 20%. Furthermore, the risk of Alzheimer's disease is twice as high among individuals who exercise the least, when compared to individuals who exercise the most. There is also strong evidence that regular exercise reduces the risk of certain types of cancer, especially, colon, breast and endometrial cancer. This reduction in cancer risk is achieved through several mechanisms. For one, obesity is a risk factor for up to 13 forms of cancer, and excess body weight is responsible for about 7% of all cancer deaths. Regular exercise helps to maintain a healthy weight. Second, exercise helps to keep certain hormones – such as insulin and sex hormones – within a normal range. When these hormone levels get too high, they may increase cancer cell growth. Exercise also helps to boost the immune system by improving the body's ability to fight off pathogens and cancer cells. This in turn helps prevent cancer cell growth and also reduces chronic inflammation, which left unchecked damages tissue and increases cancer risk. Finally, exercise improves the quality of life for all people, regardless of their health or their age. In 2023, Hulk Hogan famously quipped, 'I'm 69 years old, but I feel like I'm 39.' The optimal dose of exercise Major health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Department of Health and Human Services, all share similar recommendations when it comes to the amount of exercise people should aim for. These organizations all recommend doing at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, or at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity exercise. Moderate exercises include activities such as walking briskly (2.5 to 4 miles per hour), playing doubles tennis or raking the yard. Vigorous exercise includes activities such as jogging, running or shoveling snow. A good rule of thumb for figuring out how hard a specific exercise is is to apply the 'talk test': During moderate-intensity exercise, you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. During vigorous intensity exercise, you can say only a few words before having to stop and take a breath. There is a lot of solid data to support these recommendations. For example, in a very large analysis of about 48,000 people followed for 30 years, the risk of death from any cause was about 20% lower among those who followed the physical activity guidelines for Americans. Life can be busy, and some people may find it challenging to squeeze in at least 150 minutes of exercise throughout the course of the week. However, 'weekend warriors' – people who cram all their exercise into one to two days over the weekend – still receive the benefits of exercise. So, a busy lifestyle during the week should not prevent people from doing their best to meet the guidelines. What about the number of steps per day? In a new analysis in The Lancet, when compared with walking only 2,000 steps per day, people who walked 7,000 steps per day had a 47% lower risk of death from any cause, a 25% lower risk of developing heart disease, about a 50% lower risk of death from heart disease, a 38% lower risk of developing dementia, a 37% lower risk of dying from cancer, a 22% lower risk of depression and a 28% lower risk of falls. Historically, people have aimed for 10,000 steps per day, but this new data indicates that there are tremendous benefits gained simply from walking 7,000 steps daily. It's never too late to start One question that many patients ask me – and other doctors – is: 'Is it ever too late to start exercising?' There is great data to suggest that people can reap the benefits even if they don't begin an exercise program into their 50s. Being sedentary while aging will cause the heart and blood vessels to stiffen. When that happens, blood pressure can go up and people may be at risk of other things such as heart attacks, strokes or heart failure. However, in a study of previously sedentary adults with an average age of 53, two years of regular exercise reversed the age-related stiffening of the heart that otherwise occurs in the absence of routine exercise. And it is important to remember that you do not have to look like a body builder or fitness guru in order to reap the benefits of exercise. Almost three-quarters of the total benefit to heart, brain and metabolic health that can be gained from exercise will be achieved just by following the guidelines. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: William Cornwell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Read more: Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows Heart rate zones aren't a perfect measure of exercise intensity, but regularly getting your heart pumping is still important for fitness Tracking daily step counts can be a useful tool for weight management – an exercise scientist parses the science William Cornwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Medscape Readers Offer Their Opinion on UTI Management
Medscape Readers Offer Their Opinion on UTI Management

Medscape

time2 days ago

  • Medscape

Medscape Readers Offer Their Opinion on UTI Management

I recently presented a clinical scenario of a 34-year-old woman who called the clinic after hours, reporting symptoms consistent with a urinary tract infection (UTI). The only in-person clinical care available at the time was the emergency department, and urgent care wouldn't open until the following morning. Given this history, I asked Medscape readers what they would do next. Thank you for the excellent participation and comments that you provided. It was wonderful to hear different perspectives. According to our reader poll, the most popular management option for this patient was a recommendation to visit the urgent care center on Saturday morning. This would be the most reasonable approach if there was some doubt as to the diagnosis of UTI. As I described in the previous article (and as one reader commented), there is a possibility that this patient might have a sexually transmitted infection, not a UTI. However, a brief screen for symptoms and sexual history could be performed over the phone and, if negative, would make the diagnosis of UTI much more likely. If clinical questioning indicates that the patient might be experiencing menopause, genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) becomes a consideration. Among women, postmenopausal dysuria can have multiple etiologies, but clinicians should strongly consider GSM as a potential diagnosis. GSM is a term that describes the genital, sexual, and urinary symptoms that affect over 80% of postmenopausal women. These symptoms can include vaginal dryness and burning, dyspareunia, and dysuria. So, how can physicians differentiate GSM from UTI? I focus on the anatomical location of discomfort. Is it around the urethra and vagina or deeper in the suprapubic area? UTI is more likely to be associated with urinary urgency and frequency, but if GSM is accompanied by detrusor instability — another very common condition — the lines between diagnoses can continue to blur. Finally, a pelvic examination with evidence of vaginal atrophy would suggest GSM. In my professional opinion, GSM is not a consideration in our 34-year-old patient. Instead, I agree with the 27% of respondents who wanted to treat her empirically with nitrofurantoin. Nitrofurantoin is well-tolerated and one of the three preferred antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs among women, according to the 2010 guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The other first-line antibiotics for uncomplicated UTI were trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and fosfomycin. Of these three recommended antibiotics, nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin are associated with the lowest rates of antimicrobial resistance, and nitrofurantoin is generally more readily available in pharmacies than is fosfomycin. Fluoroquinolones are less preferred for the treatment of UTI because of higher rates of antimicrobial resistance. In a study of 3779 adults with UTI presenting to US emergency departments between 2018 and 2020, 22.1% of Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to fluoroquinolones. As one reader astutely noted, fluoroquinolones can also promote myalgia, tendonitis, and tendon rupture. As for beta-lactams, inferiority to fluoroquinolones for clinical cure rates of UTI and concerns regarding the promotion of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase resistance of gram-negative bacteria limit their use in the treatment of UTI. A new antibiotic, gepotidacin, was approved in March 2025 for the management of uncomplicated UTI among female patients aged 12 years or older. Investigators compared gepotidacin vs nitrofurantoin among 3136 women with UTI in two randomized controlled trials. The treatment course of both gepotidacin and nitrofurantoin was 5 days. The investigators found that gepotidacin was noninferior to nitrofurantoin in the outcome of treatment success (defined by symptomatic plus microbiologic success) in one of the trials, and superior to nitrofurantoin in the other trial. Of note, treatment success for resistant phenotypes of E coli generally favored gepotidacin. Diarrhea occurred in 14% and 18% of women treated with gepotidacin in the two studies, respectively, whereas 4% of women treated with nitrofurantoin developed nausea. Although UTI is one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide, it does not receive the attention from researchers and clinicians that it should. So, it is exciting to have a new class of antibiotic to offer women with UTI, and treatment guidelines are currently being updated to incorporate data regarding emerging treatments for UTI. The future is bright! As always, thank you for your contributions to this series.

Hulk Hogan's Cause Of Death Revealed
Hulk Hogan's Cause Of Death Revealed

Buzz Feed

time2 days ago

  • Buzz Feed

Hulk Hogan's Cause Of Death Revealed

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan died in Florida last week from acute myocardial infarction, or what's commonly known as a heart attack, officials confirmed Thursday. The 71-year-old's death was listed in a cremation approval form as the consequence of him having a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular heartbeat, according to the record shared with HuffPost by the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center. He also had a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is a cancer that affects white blood cells, according to the document, citing his primary care physician as the source. CLL is the most common form of leukemia in adults. It typically develops slowly and can take months to years before symptoms develop, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The famed entertainer, born Terry Bollea, was taken to a Pinellas County hospital July 24 after a 911 call was placed at his Clearwater home for 'cardiac arrest,' TMZ previously reported. He was pronounced dead shortly after. His widow, Sky Hogan, said in an online post a day after his death that he had been dealing with some health issues but that she 'truly believed we would overcome them.' @ / Via Instagram: @ 'I had so much faith in his strength. I thought we still had more time,' she wrote.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store