Thoracic Surgery

The Department of Thoracic Surgery of Wuhan Tongji Hospital was founded in the 1960s by Professors Qiu Fazu and Chen Xiafeng. It is currently a department specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the lungs, esophagus, mediastinum, and chest wall and in thoracic surgical care, guided by Academician He Jie of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and led by Director Fu Xiangning. It is currently a National Key Clinical Specialty; a National Clinical Research Subcenter for Esophageal Cancer; the Esophageal Disease Multidisciplinary Research Platform (the World Esophageal Research Organization, Stanford University in the United States, the National Cancer Center of China, and the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Wuhan Tongji Hospital); one of the first institutions designated by the Ministry of Health to draft clinical pathways for thoracic surgery; the Hubei Branch of the National Cancer Quality Control Center; the Hubei Provincial Thoracic Surgery Medical Quality Control Center; one of the first institutions in China to establish a thoracic surgery medical follow-up database; one of the first institutions in China to establish a lung cancer biobank; the only thoracic surgery laboratory in Hubei Province qualified to perform genetic testing; the largest thoracic surgery treatment center in Central China; a nationally advanced treatment base for difficult and complex thoracic surgical diseases; and the Hubei Provincial Party Committee Thoracic Surgery Cadre Health-Care Base. Innovative medical services: 1. State-of-the-art single-port thoracoscopic minimally invasive surgical treatment for lung cancer (incision <3 cm) 2. Ultra-minimally invasive treatment of various pulmonary nodules: without surgery, various small pulmonary nodules are treated using microwave, laser, and other ultra-minimally invasive methods through an electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy system only 3. Introduced and operates China’s first dedicated electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy system for the definitive diagnosis and ultra-minimally invasive treatment of small pulmonary nodules 4. Introduced and operates one of China’s first dedicated endobronchial ultrasound systems for the definitive diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. This maximally avoids surgery in patients who should not undergo it and maximally safeguards patients’ interests. 5. The first in Hubei Province to use robot-assisted thoracic surgery 6. Fifteen years ago (2006), independently and successfully performed Hubei Province’s first single-lung transplantation 7. Fourteen years ago (2007), independently and successfully performed Hubei Province’s first bilateral lung transplantation Distinctive services: one-stop service for the diagnosis, surgical treatment, and genetic testing of lung cancer. Preoperative: bronchoscopic confirmation (the Department of Thoracic Surgery owns more than 20 electronic bronchoscopes); an endobronchial ultrasound system (2 systems, for accurate preoperative staging of lung cancer); and 1 electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy system, for the definitive diagnosis, preoperative localization, and ultra-minimally invasive treatment of various small pulmonary nodules. Intraoperative: various small pulmonary nodules → pulmonary nodules → pulmonary masses → locally advanced lung cancer; ultra-minimally invasive surgery → minimally invasive surgery → robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery → conventional open surgery. Postoperative: establishment and storage of a biobank, with commonly used genetic tests provided at prices far below market prices to guide patients’ postoperative treatment (the only thoracic surgery laboratory in Hubei Province qualified to perform genetic testing). The inpatient wards of the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Tongji Hospital are located in Wuhan’s three urban areas: the Hankou main campus (4 wards), the Wuchang Optics Valley campus (2 wards), and the Hanyang Sino-French New City campus. The number of inpatients has remained above 400 for a long time, with patients from outside Hubei Province and outside Wuhan accounting for the vast majority. It has a specialized intensive care unit (ICU) with internationally advanced standards and equipment, which maximally ensures patients’ postoperative safety. It performs more than 5,000 operations annually, of which more than 80% are minimally invasive or ultra-minimally invasive procedures. It is the largest thoracic surgery minimally invasive treatment base in Central China and the national thoracic surgery team based in Hubei. The Department of Thoracic Surgery has a highly qualified medical and nursing workforce, including 4 academicians who are doctoral supervisors, 18 professors, associate professors, and associate chief physicians, a large team of outstanding young and middle-aged physicians with doctoral and postdoctoral training, and a professional ICU nursing team composed of mid- and senior-level nurses, safeguarding patients’ lives and health. The Department of Thoracic Surgery has a specialized laboratory at an advanced national level and undertakes projects under the National Science and Technology Support Program of the 12th Five-Year Plan, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and numerous other scientific research programs. It has an independent genetic testing platform for precise genetic diagnosis and genetic analysis of lung cancer. Combined with the latest molecular targeted therapy technologies, it can provide patients with precise preoperative diagnoses and the most accurate comprehensive treatment plans, avoid overtreatment, and maximize patients’ quality of life. In recent years, the Department has led, undertaken, and completed more than 20 major national and provincial clinical research projects; completed the scientific and technological achievement Innovation and Application of Tracheal Carina Surgery; and published more than 100 high-level clinical research papers in domestic and international academic journals. Every year, the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Tongji Hospital undertakes teaching for undergraduate students, graduate students, and students in the 8-year program. Over several decades, it has trained a large number of outstanding master’s and doctoral graduates and supplied large numbers of excellent thoracic surgery specialists to institutions throughout the country. Many graduate alumni have become the backbone and core personnel of this department or of thoracic surgery departments at medical institutions at all levels. In the unprecedentedly difficult year of 2020, all medical and nursing staff of the Department of Thoracic Surgery overcame difficulties and defeated the epidemic. During the same period, they published 32 SCI papers, the department as a whole published nearly 70 papers, and it achieved the outstanding result of ranking No. 1 in the comprehensive ranking of the entire Tongji Hospital.