Cardiology

The Department of Cardiology of Peking University People’s Hospital has a long history. Professor Ma Wansen, a renowned Chinese cardiovascular disease specialist, laid the foundation for and established the cardiovascular disease specialty at Peking University People’s Hospital in the 1950s, conducting in-depth research on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and related technologies. Through joint efforts, the Department of Cardiology was formally established in the 1980s.

After the efforts of several generations, the Department of Cardiology of Peking University People’s Hospital is currently a “National Key Discipline of the Ministry of Education,” a “National Clinical Key Specialty of the National Health and Family Planning Commission,” the “Beijing Key Laboratory for Early Warning and Intervention of Acute Myocardial Infarction,” and a “Professional Demonstration Center of the American Heart Association”; it is the first chest pain center among general hospitals in China to pass U.S. SCPC accreditation, a training base for cardiovascular coronary intervention therapy of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, a training base for interventional treatment of arrhythmias of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and a subspecialty base for standardized residency training in Beijing. It has also received the titles of “National Women’s Civilized Post” and “Beijing Model Workers’ Home.” Since its establishment, the Department of Cardiology has undergone rapid growth and continuous expansion, and has achieved a series of first-class accomplishments. It undertakes the diagnosis and treatment of difficult and critical cardiovascular diseases nationwide and occupies a leading position in China in many areas related to cardiovascular diseases.

The department has a high level of diagnostic and treatment capability for all types of common, difficult, and critical cardiac diseases. In particular, its diagnostic and treatment standards for coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, arrhythmias, and hypertension are among the leading in the country. It has strong scientific research capabilities and is the “Beijing Key Laboratory for Early Warning and Intervention of Acute Myocardial Infarction.” It has established a standardized biobank of cardiovascular disease specimens and a clinical follow-up system, providing abundant raw materials for clinical research and strong data support for investigating the pathogenesis of major cardiovascular diseases and prognostic assessment indicators.

In recent years, the department has successively developed a series of innovative technologies leading nationally and internationally, mainly including the establishment of a syncope database and follow-up system; the establishment of a coronary heart disease specimen bank and follow-up system; the establishment of a genetic database and follow-up system for premature coronary heart disease; testing of key genes involved in cholesterol metabolism; testing of blood sitosterol concentrations; myocardial biopsy; multiple cardiac critical-care monitoring and treatment technologies, including pulse-contour thermodilution continuous cardiac output monitoring (PICCO), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and pericardiocentesis; cardiopulmonary exercise testing; contrast echocardiography and three-dimensional strain imaging; a new technique for extraction of infected leads from cardiac implantable devices; a new technique for catheter-based radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation; long-term electrocardiographic monitoring; optical coherence tomography (OCT); fractional flow reserve (FFR); intracoronary rotational atherectomy; intracoronary laser therapy; radiofrequency ablation for hypertension; and cardiac rehabilitation. These have significantly improved the clinical diagnostic and treatment capabilities and the quality of medical services for difficult and critical cardiovascular diseases in this specialty.