Peking University Third Hospital

Cardiology

Introduction to the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of Peking University Third Hospital has always upheld the motto “Unity, Dedication, Truth-seeking, Innovation” and built a nationally renowned, high-level team. Founded in 1958, it is a key discipline of the Ministry of Education and has developed into a nationally recognized institution for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, research, and education. As a National Clinical Key Specialty, it is not only a national training base for interventional treatment of coronary heart disease, pacing and electrophysiology, cardiac rehabilitation, and cardiovascular specialist nurses, but has also become an industry benchmark through its profound academic foundation and practical capabilities. In 3/1988, the Institute of Vascular Medicine of the Department of Cardiology was established. As one of the domestic institutions in the 1st group to establish a basic research laboratory within a cardiovascular clinical department, it pioneered a development model combining clinical and basic research in the cardiovascular field. After years of development, 3 major platforms have now been established: the National Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling, a key laboratory of the National Health Commission, and a Beijing key laboratory, continuously promoting frontier exploration and technological breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine. The department currently has 251 employees, including 26 experts with senior professional titles, 12 experts with associate-senior titles, and 12 full-time research personnel. Cardiovascular Medicine is a postdoctoral research station and currently has 11 postdoctoral co-supervisors (including dual appointments), 10 doctoral supervisors, and 13 master’s supervisors. It has renowned cardiovascular experts including CAS Academician Han Qide, CAE Academician Dong Erdan, Tang Yida, a Distinguished Young Scholar and specially appointed Professor of the Ministry of Education’s Changjiang Scholars Program, and Xu Ming, a Distinguished Young Scholar and Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talent. Building on the foundations and pioneering work of the older generation of cardiovascular experts, and under the leadership of Professor Tang Yida, deputy dean and academic leader, and Professor Cui Ming, department director, Cardiovascular Medicine has developed comprehensively in clinical care, education, and research. The department currently has 135 open beds, more than 210000 outpatient visits annually, and more than 11000 discharged patients per year. It performs nearly 10000 interventional procedures for various cardiovascular diseases annually; the average length of stay has reached a historic low of 3.42 days, while its medical volume and efficiency rank among the highest of general hospitals in Beijing. Specialized outpatient clinics have been established for cardiovascular metabolism, valvular heart disease, follow-up after coronary intervention, cardiac rehabilitation, hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and anticoagulation, pacing therapy, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. As one of the domestic institutions in the 1st group to perform coronary intervention, it completed China’s 1st percutaneous laser coronary angioplasty in 1988. Today, image- and FFR-based interventional treatment and minimally invasive staged coronary hybrid surgery are at the domestic leading level. The team has always emphasized medical innovation and routinely performs electrophysiological procedures including 1-stop radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation + left atrial appendage occlusion, pulsed-field ablation of atrial fibrillation, and cardiac autonomic denervation. Since its establishment, the Intelligent ECG Center has completed diagnoses for more than 1000000 ECG cases. With strong support from the Haidian District Health Commission, the Haidian District Remote ECG Diagnosis and Treatment Guidance Center was established under the center, creating a closed-loop hierarchical cardiovascular disease care model of “primary-level examination, higher-level diagnosis, and rapid response” and a replicable, promotable “Haidian pilot” model. After 5 years of development, the Structural Heart Disease Group has continuously improved its diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Its technologies include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER), transcatheter tricuspid edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER), interventional pulmonary valve treatment, atrial septal shunt procedures, atrial septal defect closure, ventricular septal defect closure, patent ductus arteriosus closure, and other major structural heart disease technologies. It is also exploring renal artery denervation for hypertension, continuously expanding its diagnostic and treatment scope. Cardiovascular Medicine was among the earliest departments in China to develop and lead cardiac exercise rehabilitation and has notable advantages in echocardiographic and magnetic resonance assessment of athletes’ hearts. The cardiovascular nursing team is among the 1st Cardiovascular Specialist Nurse Bases of the Chinese Nursing Association and the Beijing Nursing Association, and is also a Beijing ICU Specialist Nurse Base, training large numbers of professional nursing personnel for the field. In integrating clinical practice and research, the department has achieved notable results in cardiovascular metabolism, coronary heart disease, and translational heart-failure research, undertaking multiple national and provincial/ministerial key projects. It currently has 2 National Natural Science Foundation of China Distinguished Young Scholars and 1 Excellent Young Scholar. In addition, the Department of Cardiology undertakes extensive teaching of undergraduates, graduate students, residents, and visiting physicians. Supporting and training cardiovascular medical personnel in the region is also an important responsibility. In the future, the department will continue sharing high-quality medical resources with partner hospitals and departments, providing personnel training, and conducting multifaceted cooperation. It will also continue actively responding to the calls of the Party and the state, dispatching professional staff to participate in foreign aid, rural service, border-area support, and other work, fulfilling the expectations of the people and completing, with high quality, the tasks entrusted by the Party and the state. The people of the Department of Cardiology of Peking University Third Hospital will remain true to their original aspiration and keep their mission in mind, putting patients at the center and achieving all-round development in clinical care, student education, and scientific research and scholarship!