Urology Ward I

The Department of Urology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University was established in 1981 by Professor Gao Zhizhong, a renowned urology expert in Heilongjiang Province. It is one of the earliest urology departments established in Heilongjiang Province, the province’s earliest site authorized to award doctoral and master’s degrees, and a center for the diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases in Northeast China. Urology Ward 1 currently has 78 beds and a total of 34 medical and nursing staff members. There are 15 doctors, including 6 professors and 5 associate professors; all doctors hold master’s or doctoral degrees. The nursing team consists of 19 members, including 2 with master’s degrees in nursing and 1 international ostomy therapist (ET). More than 2,000 operations are performed annually, and the annual number of patient visits for diagnosis and treatment is in the tens of thousands.

Urology Ward 1 specializes clinically in kidney transplantation, focuses its work on minimally invasive endoscopic urological surgery, and uses conventional open surgery as its foundation. Organ transplantation was first carried out successfully in Northeast China in February 1978, followed by testicular transplantation, adrenal transplantation, combined pancreas-kidney transplantation, and other organ transplants. The timing of transplantation kept pace with national developments, and the transplant success rate is at an advanced level nationwide. Our department was among the first batch of renal transplant units authorized by the Ministry of Health. It successively performed Heilongjiang Province’s first living-related donor kidney transplant, first kidney transplant using a kidney donated after a citizen’s death, and first kidney transplant using a kidney from a pediatric organ donor. Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, especially robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, is the department’s primary focus. The department emphasizes minimally invasive treatment, and minimally invasive procedures account for more than 90% of all operations. The surgical scope covers all categories of urological diseases, including robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, radical cystectomy, and various other minimally invasive endoscopic urological procedures. Urinary tract stones are treated through a comprehensive, integrated approach. In 1988, the department was the first in the province to introduce extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy, and it subsequently developed minimally invasive endoscopic treatment for stones. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy combined with flexible ureteroscopy is used to treat complex urinary stones, with effective stone clearance, less trauma, rapid postoperative recovery, shorter hospital stays, and good clinical and social outcomes. Our department actively diagnoses and treats difficult and complex urological diseases and has extensive experience in managing renal vein/inferior vena cava tumor thrombi, total cystectomy plus ileal conduit diversion, female stress urinary incontinence, and various complex urinary fistulas.

The department has always made scientific research a priority and emphasizes the integration of research with clinical practice. It has conducted in-depth research into the mechanisms of renal transplant rejection, the molecular biological mechanisms of urinary system tumors, and the prevention and treatment of urinary system stones. It is currently undertaking more than 20 provincial- and ministerial-level research projects and has successively received more than 10 Science and Technology Progress Awards from the Heilongjiang Provincial Government and the Heilongjiang Provincial Health Department. More than 20 medical technologies have received Medical New Technology Awards from the Provincial Health Department, Harbin Medical University, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. More than 100 research papers have been published, of which more than 20 have been indexed in the SCI database.

Under the correct guidance and strong support of leaders at all levels of the hospital and university, all medical, nursing, and technical staff of Urology Ward 1 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University have worked diligently, remained united and enterprising, and made tremendous progress in medical care, teaching, and research. The department has developed distinctive features in terms of its scale, technical strength, scope of services, and academic standing, has established strong disciplinary advantages among its professional peers, and maintains good development momentum.