Acupuncture Department Ward 6/Emergency and Critical Care Ward（南岗总院）

Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Ward 6 / Acute and Critical Care Ward

2022.11

This department is guided by the coreprinciple of “serving critically ill rehabilitation patients and improving their quality of life.” By drawing on Director Zhao Hui’s transmission of the diagnostic and treatment experience of a National Master of Chinese Medicine, and combining advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment and technologies, it conducts continuous, dynamic qualitative and quantitative assessments of patients’ conditions. Through effective interventions, it provides critically ill rehabilitation patients with comprehensive functional rehabilitation and standardized, high-quality life support, thereby improving their quality of life.

Ward 6 of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department has 27 beds, while the Critical Care Medicine Department has 3 beds. There are currently 5 physicians: 1 chief physician, 1 deputy chief physician, 2 attending physicians, and 1 resident physician, as well as 15 nurses. Zhao Hui is a chief physician, holds a PhD in acupuncture and tuina, completed postdoctoral training in integrative Chinese and Western medicine, and is a supervisor of master’s students. She is currently Director of Ward 6 of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department and the Critical Care Medicine Department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. She is a member of the first group of Heilongjiang Famous Doctors. She also serves as Deputy Chair of the Professional Committee for Special Acupuncture Techniques of the Heilongjiang Acupuncture Society; a member of the Critical Care Medicine Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine; Deputy Chair of the Critical Care Medicine Branch of the Heilongjiang Association of Chinese Medicine; and a member of the Critical Care Medicine Branch of the Heilongjiang Medical Association. Under Director Zhao Hui’s leadership, all medical staff in the department have worked together with dedication and continued to advance. The department has received a National Key Specialty Cultivation Project and has been awarded the title of “Advanced Collective” by the Second Hospital of Chinese Medicine for several consecutive years. Since its establishment, it has made substantial progress and achieved notable accomplishments in medical care, education, and research. Members of the team have participated as provincial-level traditional Chinese medicine experts in the rescue efforts during major national emergencies, earning high praise and commendation from the Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In both clinical diagnostic and treatment techniques and academic research capacity, this team is at the national first-class level in the field of critical-care rehabilitation.

The department currently has 7 ventilators in total, including ventilators from the Chinese manufacturer Mindray, the United States manufacturer Dräger, and the Swiss manufacturer Hamilton; 6 transport ventilators; 2 blood gas analyzers; 2 multifunctional defibrillators; 1 mild hypothermia therapy device; 12 monitors; and other instruments and equipment. Each monitored bed is equipped with a complete functional equipment rail or tower, providing electricity, oxygen, compressed air, negative-pressure suction, and other forms of functional support. Each bed has a bedside monitoring system for basic vital-sign monitoring, including electrocardiography, pulse oxygen saturation, and noninvasive blood pressure. Each bed is equipped with 1 ventilator, as well as infusion pumps and syringe pumps. The department also has fiberoptic bronchoscopes, cardiopulmonary resuscitation emergency equipment carts, and other equipment.

Conditions treated in Ward 6 of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department and the Critical Care Medicine Department:

1. Sequelae of cerebrovascular disease, including hemiplegia, dysphagia, impaired speech, and urinary and fecal dysfunction, treated with acupuncture combined with modern rehabilitation methods.

2. For patients with severe cerebrovascular disease complicated by pulmonary infection and tracheostomy, heat-clearing and phlegm-resolving traditional Chinese medicines that support healthy qi and strengthen the body’s foundation are combined with cross-electroacupuncture at the neck to reconstruct the cough reflex and enable successful closure of the tracheostomy tube.

3. For patients with severe cerebrovascular disease complicated by respiratory failure, advanced life support such as ventilator-assisted breathing is provided. Acupuncture and medication are used together to enable successful weaning from the ventilator.

4. For patients with neurological diseases complicated by respiratory failure, such as Guillain–Barré syndrome with respiratory failure, ventilator-assisted breathing and acupuncture rehabilitation therapy are used to enable successful weaning from the ventilator.

5. For acute and chronic heart failure, syndrome-differentiated traditional Chinese medicine is combined with Western medical treatment, with significant therapeutic effects.

6. Patients with various high-risk factors and a potential life-threatening condition for whom close monitoring in the ICU and effective treatment at any time may reduce the risk of death.

The department currently has a command of the theories and skills required for the rehabilitation of critically ill rehabilitation patients and for monitoring and supporting the functions of important organs and systems, including: (1) treatment of post-stroke urinary and fecal dysfunction using the “foot motor-sensory area” together with the Baliao points; treatment of post-stroke limb motor dysfunction using scalp acupuncture combined with syndrome-differentiated point selection; and treatment of post-stroke swallowing dysfunction using “cross-electroacupuncture at the neck”; (2) management of multiple-organ failure; (3) diagnosis and treatment of all types of shock, with particular expertise in the management of septic shock; (4) treatment of respiratory failure caused by various conditions and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome; (5) management of central nervous system dysfunction; (6) gastrointestinal dysfunction and gastrointestinal bleeding; (7) severe endocrine and metabolic disorders; (8) disorders of water and electrolytes and acid–base balance; (9) enteral and parenteral nutritional support; (10) sedation and analgesia; (11) severe infection; and (12) immune dysfunction.

The department is capable of independently performing the following monitoring and support technologies: (1) establishment and management of an artificial airway; (2) lung-protective mechanical ventilation for ARDS and the prone-positioning technique; (3) fiberoptic bronchoscopy; (4) deep venous and arterial puncture and catheterization; (5) hemodynamic monitoring; and (6) electrical cardioversion and cardiac defibrillation.

Since its establishment, the department has successfully treated critically ill rehabilitation patients and improved their quality of life, while also saving the lives of numerous critically ill patients, earning recognition from patients and peers. With favorable winds and surging tides, one should set sail and break through the waves; with great responsibilities and a long road ahead, one must spur the horses onward. Team 1 of Ward 6 of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department and the Critical Care Medicine Department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine is willing to serve the general public with first-class technology.