Nephrology

The Department of Nephrology of Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was established in 1985. It is one of the earliest nephrology specialties established in Zhejiang Province and even in China, and is also a heritage base for the Ye School of Internal Medicine (Nephrology), one of Zhejiang Province’s renowned schools of traditional Chinese medicine. The Department of Nephrology is a major founding institution of the Nephrology Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Association; it has been selected as an advantageous traditional Chinese medicine specialty by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a national research-oriented discipline (Nephrology), a key traditional Chinese medicine discipline in Zhejiang Province (Traditional Chinese Nephrology), and a key nephrology immunology specialty of the Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Department of Nephrology currently has the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Research and Translational Application of Kidney-Deficiency, Blood-Stasis and Turbidity Syndromes, the Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Key Technologies and Equipment for Traditional Chinese Medicine Artificial Intelligence, the Zhejiang-Macao Joint Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Nephrology Immunology, and the Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Nephrology Immunology jointly established by the bureau and the province.

The department currently has more than 80 professional staff members at all levels. It is a high-level, multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary team consisting of clinical physicians, nursing staff and basic researchers, including 1 National Advanced Worker, 2 instructors for the inheritance of the academic experience of national famous and veteran traditional Chinese medicine experts, 1 person included in the global list of the top 2% of scientists, 1 National Young Qihuang Scholar, 1 Zhejiang Province young and mid-career expert with outstanding contributions, 2 Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors of Zhejiang Province, 1 Zhejiang Province health leading talent, 1 Zhejiang Province leading scientific and technological innovation talent under the “Ten-Thousand Talents Program”, 2 Zhejiang Province high-level health innovation talents, and 3 Zhejiang Province emerging medical talents. At present, those holding positions in professional societies at various levels include 1 deputy chairperson of the Youth Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 1 deputy chairperson of the Immunology Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine, 2 standing committee members of the Nephrology Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine, 1 president of the Internal Medicine Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Doctors Association, 1 deputy chairperson of the Nephrology Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Association, 1 deputy chairperson of the Nephrology Branch of the Zhejiang Association of Chinese Medicine, 1 deputy chairperson of the Nephrology Branch of the Zhejiang Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, and others.

Technical Advantages

The nephrology ward currently has 90 beds and an independent specialty laboratory. It specializes in using traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine to treat various kidney diseases, such as chronic nephritis, IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, diabetic nephropathy, chronic renal failure, lupus nephritis, ANCA-associated vasculitic kidney injury, and others. The traditional Chinese medicine diseases in which it has particular advantages include kidney failure disease, turbid urine and edema. The department has developed a series of distinctive traditional Chinese medicine formulas with clear therapeutic effects, including the Blood-Stasis-Resolving and Turbidity-Draining Decoction, Qihuang Shenxiao Granules, Modified Sijunzi Decoction, and Modified Shenqi Dihuang Decoction. Since introducing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis technologies in the 1980s, it has been Zhejiang Province’s first blood purification center and one of the earliest established in the province, and has built Zhejiang Province’s first and only standard demonstration training center for blood purification (BPSC Demonstration Base). It now performs more than 30,000 dialysis sessions each year. Since 1993, it has performed renal tissue needle biopsies, with nearly 400 procedures currently performed each year. The department is proficient in various dialysis-access procedures, including the creation of central venous access for hemodialysis, the creation and maintenance of arteriovenous fistulas, ultrasound- and DSA-guided interventional balloon dilatation of various arteriovenous fistula stenoses, catheter thrombectomy, laparoscopic placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters, and other dialysis-access procedures, as well as specialty techniques such as B-ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermal ablation of the parathyroid glands.

Academic Status

The Department of Nephrology is a major founding institution of the Nephrology Branch of the Zhejiang Medical Association; it has been selected as an advantageous traditional Chinese medicine specialty by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a national research-oriented discipline (Nephrology), a key traditional Chinese medicine discipline in Zhejiang Province (Traditional Chinese Nephrology), and a key nephrology immunology specialty of the Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Research Achievements

At present, department members lead 15 national-level projects, 26 provincial- and ministerial-level projects, and 35 department- and bureau-level projects. The department holds 5 patents, has served as chief editor or co-editor of 4 textbooks, and participated in formulating 2 guidelines. The team has received 1 first prize of the Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine and 9 provincial- and ministerial-level awards, including 2 first prizes.