Cardiology

| Basic Overview |--------------

The clinical work of Huashan Hospital’s Department of Cardiology began in 1962, when it was the “Internal Medicine Cardiovascular Group.” At first it had only four doctors and one Siemens electrocardiograph; today, the Department of Cardiology has developed into a large, comprehensive clinical department with a full range of subspecialties that integrates medical care, teaching and research. It was formally established as a department in 1986 and approved by the former State Education Commission in 1988, becoming one of the first national key disciplines and being listed as a key discipline in the development plan of the “211 Project.” It was subsequently designated by the State Science and Technology Commission and the Ministry of Health as a national new-drug evaluation center, and established the Cardiovascular Pharmacology Laboratory of the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology of Fudan University and the Clinical and Biochemical Joint Laboratory of the National Engineering Research Center for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology. In 2006, it became one of the first training bases of the Ministry of Health for resident and specialist physicians in cardiovascular medicine.

In the 1970s, the Department of Cardiology explored an approach to treating coronary heart disease through integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, successfully developing the Musk Heart-Protection Pill, which is now almost a household name, and carrying out a series of comprehensive and in-depth studies on its efficacy and mechanism of action.

The department is one of the earliest centers in China to perform interventional treatment for coronary heart disease. It values not only the number of procedures but also their quality, strictly controls indications, and minimizes complications through thorough preoperative preparation. Professor 施海明 began interventional treatment of left-main coronary lesions in the 1990s. The team now has extensive experience in interventional treatment of challenging lesions such as bifurcation lesions and chronic total occlusions. In recent years, the department has also developed rapidly in cardiac electrophysiology and radiofrequency ablation for arrhythmias. It specializes in radiofrequency ablation for supraventricular tachycardia, frequent premature ventricular contractions and atrial fibrillation; it is one of the few centers in China performing fully three-dimensional procedures and a domestic advocate of “green electrophysiology” and “zero-radiation” intervention. In addition to conventional pacemaker implantation, it performs implantation of automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and biventricular resynchronization pacing for heart failure (CRT), as well as implantation of the leadless “Micra” pacemaker.

Relying on the neurology and neurosurgery departments of Huashan Hospital and other resources, the department has unique strengths in the prevention and treatment of cardioembolic stroke. In addition to routinely performing left atrial appendage closure, it is also skilled in transcatheter closure of atrial and ventricular septal defects, treatment of patent ductus arteriosus, balloon mitral valvuloplasty and other procedures. Compared with traditional open-chest surgery, these procedures cause less trauma and allow faster recovery.

| Department Features |--------------

Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease

Our department is one of the earliest centers in China to perform interventional treatment for coronary heart disease. It values not only the number of procedures but also their quality, strictly controls indications, makes thorough preoperative preparations, and reduces complications to a minimum. In terms of technical difficulty, our department was among the earliest in China to perform transradial coronary angiography and coronary stent implantation, greatly reducing patient suffering. The department has extensive experience in interventional treatment of challenging lesions such as main-vessel lesions, bifurcation lesions and chronic total occlusions.

Interventional Treatment and Full-Course Management of Atrial Fibrillation

Building on the hospital’s atrial-fibrillation center and the Jing’an District Atrial Fibrillation Center Alliance, the department performs more than 400 interventional arrhythmia procedures and more than 200 atrial-fibrillation procedures each year. It has achieved catheter ablation guided by fully three-dimensional mapping and performs atrial-fibrillation radiofrequency ablation under ICE intracardiac ultrasound guidance, ablation of ventricular arrhythmias, and left atrial appendage closure. In 2024, the team reached new highs in procedural difficulty and quality, introducing a series of new technologies including Marshall-vein alcohol ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation, atrial arrhythmia treatment under Octaray mapping-catheter guidance, pulsed-field ablation, and hybrid surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation. The hospital’s interventional diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias is currently at a first-tier level in China.

Interventional Treatment and Full-Course Management of Cardioembolic Stroke

The department has extensive experience and technical advantages in interventional treatment of congenital heart disease. Using minimally invasive interventional techniques, the department delivers an occluder through a catheter to the cardiac lesion to close the defect. This method causes little trauma, enables rapid recovery and involves a short hospital stay; it is suitable for various congenital heart diseases, including patent foramen ovale, atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus. With superb technical expertise and advanced equipment, the team is committed to providing patients with congenital heart disease with safe, efficient and individualized treatment plans to improve their quality of life.

Implantation of Various Pacemakers

As a national leader in the cardiovascular field, the department has always stood at the forefront of medical technology. It has achieved outstanding results in pacemaker implantation, successfully performing hundreds of various pacemaker procedures each year, including implantation of the most advanced leadless pacemakers. With their small size, excellent battery life and innovative compatibility with 1.5T/3.0T whole-body magnetic resonance imaging, leadless pacemakers provide cardiac patients with a new treatment option. In addition, the department is highly proficient in physiological pacing, restoring or maintaining ventricular contraction synchrony through His–Purkinje system pacing, cardiac resynchronization therapy and other approaches, thereby effectively preventing and treating pacing-induced cardiomyopathy. With superb technology and a rigorous attitude, the team brings patients hope and light.

| Research |--------------

In 1978, Professor 戴瑞鸿 elucidated the essence of “blood stasis,” summarized “20 years of clinical research on acute myocardial infarction in the Shanghai area,” and received the Ministry of Health Science and Technology Progress Award. In 1981, the department successfully developed the coronary-heart-disease treatment drug Musk Heart-Protection Pill, which is widely used today. In 1988, it elucidated the mechanism by which Danshen treats coronary heart disease and received the second prize of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Progress Award. In 1989, “Research on the Clinical Pharmacological Mechanism of Musk Heart-Protection Pill” received the second prize of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Progress Award. In 2005, “Research on the Cardiovascular Protective Effect of Musk Heart-Protection Pill” received the second prize for science and technology of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine. In 2009, “Mechanism of Action and Clinical Application of Musk Heart-Protection Pill in Treating Myocardial Ischemia in Coronary Heart Disease” received the second prize of the Shanghai Science and Technology Award for Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine. In 2011, “A Series of Studies on Therapeutic Angiogenesis with Chinese Medicines for Coronary Heart Disease” received the second prize for science and technology of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine. On January 8, 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council held the 2018 National Science and Technology Awards Ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The project “Establishment and Application of Key Technologies for Modern Research on Chinese Medicine Formulas Based on a Holistic View,” implemented, completed and promoted by Fudan University-affiliated Huashan Hospital and other institutions, won the second prize of the 2018 National Science and Technology Progress Award.

From 2011 to the present, the department has obtained more than 10 National Natural Science Foundation projects and published hundreds of academic papers in integrated Chinese and Western medicine and platelet research, including more than 100 indexed by SCI.

| Teaching |--------------

In 2006, the department became one of the first Ministry of Health training bases for residents in cardiovascular medicine. To date, it has trained more than 30 doctoral students, more than 50 master’s students and more than 200 visiting physicians. Every year it holds the national continuing-education course “Advanced Course in Modern Cardiovascular Disease,” organizes lectures and academic exchanges by well-known experts from China and abroad, and trains a group of young cardiovascular specialists with both a theoretical foundation and practical experience. At present, the department is also a national base and a Shanghai base for cardiovascular specialist training; over the years, it has trained more than 10 cardiovascular specialists.

| Expert Team |--------------

The current deputy director of Cardiology is Professor 李剑 (presiding over the work); the deputy directors are Professors 沈伟 and 黄国倩, and the academic leader is Professor 施海明.

The Department of Cardiology has wards and monitoring units at the Main Hospital, Baoshan Campus and Hongqiao Campus, and provides interventional treatment for acute myocardial infarction 24 hours a day (green channel). Interventional diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are provided at all 3 campuses.

Physicians with senior professional titles: 李剑, 施海明, 罗心平, 黄国倩, 沈伟, 孙韬, 严萍萍, 金波, 高秀芳, 山缨, 戚玮琳 and 朱军; deputy directors 李勇 and 罗心平. Physicians with associate-senior professional titles: 张瑾, 朱志栋, 温志超, 张津津, 包丽雯, 谢坤, 潘俊杰, 倪唤春, 奚悦文 and 熊楠青.