Cardiovascular Center

The Department of Cardiology has a long history and a profound foundation. From the hospital's establishment in 1952, it began clinical diagnosis and treatment in cardiovascular medicine; the Department of Cardiology was established in 1989, and the Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Research Center was established in 2000. It took the lead in exploring an integrated cardiovascular medical–surgical diagnosis and treatment model and subsequently joined with Vascular Surgery to establish the Cardiovascular Center. It is one of China's cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment centers with strong overall capabilities and distinctive specialty characteristics. At present, homogeneous management has been achieved across the Xicheng, Tongzhou, and Shunyi hospital campuses; nearly 200 beds are open, annual outpatient visits approach 300,000, and 13,000 interventional diagnostic and treatment procedures are completed each year for various cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, valvular disease, hypertension and heart failure, and cardiomyopathy. Its overall scale and technical service capabilities rank among the leading in the country. I. Specialties and Core Technologies Faced with the increasingly complex challenges of cardiovascular disease, the department keeps pace with the international academic frontier, has established five core diagnostic and treatment directions, and is building a domestically leading technical system with distinctive features. II. 1 Complex Cardiovascular Disease Intervention and Panvascular Disease Management: The department has significant advantages in the interventional treatment of complex high-risk coronary heart disease. It routinely performs precise, individualized interventional treatment of complex coronary lesions under the guidance of intravascular imaging and functional assessment, with its annual procedural volume ranking among the leading in China. It actively expands interventional treatment for structural heart disease and has maturely implemented transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve clipping (MitraClip), and various interventional occlusion procedures for congenital heart disease. It was among the first in China to perform one-stop combined interventional diagnosis and treatment for multiple cardiovascular diseases, as well as one-stop hybrid cardiology–cardiac surgery treatment for coronary heart disease. Based on the overall management concept of “panvascular diseases,” it integrates multidisciplinary resources and operates the outpatient clinic of the International Medical Center for Multidisciplinary Joint Experts in Panvascular Diseases, achieving a transition from “single-disease treatment” to “whole-body vascular system management.” 2 Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Comorbidities: For cardiovascular disease coexisting with gastrointestinal bleeding, cerebrovascular disease, severe obesity, malignant tumors at different sites, liver or kidney transplant status, hematologic diseases, severe renal insufficiency, and other conditions involving multiple coexisting diseases or diagnostic and treatment conflicts, the department has established specialized outpatient clinics for various cardiovascular diseases. It breaks the inertia of single-disease treatment, explores the intrinsic relationships among diseases in depth, and develops individualized, comprehensive, full-cycle treatment plans for patients. Through cooperation with more than ten specialties, it now routinely performs multidisciplinary joint interventional diagnosis and treatment for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and joint interventional procedures by cardiac and hepatic intervention teams. It also assists patients with malignant tumors, severe hepatic or renal insufficiency, severe obesity requiring surgical intervention, rare hereditary blood diseases, and other conditions by providing multidisciplinary collaborative surgery, effectively improving the diagnostic and treatment service capacity for patients with comorbidities and improving long-term prognosis. 3 Innovative Applications of Cardiovascular Imaging: The department has well-developed echocardiography and CT angiography–interventional imaging fusion technologies and actively explores the application of artificial intelligence in cardiovascular imaging, providing a solid basis for precise clinical decision-making. 4 Cardiovascular Critical Care: It was among the first in China to establish a “green channel for acute myocardial infarction,” ensuring that patients receive timely and effective reperfusion therapy. More than 3,000 patients with acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, and other critical conditions are admitted each year. Relying on the hospital's strong comprehensive capabilities and supported by advanced life-support equipment, multidisciplinary collaboration has successfully treated large numbers of patients with complex and critical, rare, and difficult-to-diagnose cardiovascular diseases. 5. Cardiac Rehabilitation: As a key component of closed-loop cardiovascular disease management, cardiac rehabilitation provides scientific rehabilitation assessment and exercise guidance for patients with coronary heart disease, heart failure, and after cardiac surgery. Through comprehensive interventions involving medication, exercise, nutrition, psychological care, and risk-factor control, it achieves a shift from “treatment-centered” to “health-centered” care. II. Talent Structure and Discipline Development The department is currently a doctoral and master's student training site of Capital Medical University. It has 3 co-supervisors for postdoctoral fellows, 10 doctoral supervisors, and 15 master's supervisors, as well as 12 scientific and technological talents and young talents at the provincial and ministerial levels. It has formed a vigorous medical, teaching, and research team led by renowned experts, with a rational talent structure. As a training base of the National Health Commission for interventional diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease and arrhythmias, it undertakes the important task of cultivating cardiovascular specialists. In recent years, it has undertaken projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, and multiple provincial- and ministerial-level scientific research programs. In cooperation with the Tongzhou District Medical Alliance, it established the high-quality prospective population cohort with more than 10 years of long-term follow-up, the “Tongzhou Cohort,” and has achieved a series of innovative research results. III. Service Philosophy and Future Outlook The department has always adhered to the service philosophy of “patient-centeredness,” placing patients' interests first. Relying on a new pattern of coordinated development among multiple hospital campuses, it continuously optimizes the allocation of medical resources, deepens specialty development, and constantly improves its ability to diagnose and treat difficult and critical illnesses. With excellent medical skills, advanced equipment, and humane services, it safeguards the health of patients at home and abroad and strives tirelessly to build a world-class cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment center.