Cardiology

1. History

The Department of Cardiology at Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, has a long history and was among the earlier key specialties in southwestern Fujian to develop standardized cardiovascular care. The hospital's Heart Center was inaugurated in 2001, using its medical resources to establish specialized, systematic cardiovascular services. After a decade of development in care, technology and discipline building, the former Heart Center cardiology department was designated a national key clinical specialty in 2011. Continuous technical development, service improvement, education and research have made it a core regional cardiovascular care platform.

2. Overview, qualifications and honors

This key hospital specialty has cardiac catheterization rooms, a coronary care unit (CCU) and general cardiology wards. It has 132 beds, including 16 CCU beds, and three catheterization rooms. It receives more than 30,000 outpatient visits and 5,000 inpatient visits annually and performs more than 4,000 interventions and other procedures. It is recognized as a national chest pain center (standard), national heart failure center and national standardized atrial fibrillation center (center of excellence), and serves as a national cardiovascular intervention training base and national cardiovascular nursing and technology training base. It plays an important role in cardiovascular prevention and treatment in southwestern Fujian.

3. Scope of care

The department treats coronary atherosclerotic heart disease including acute coronary syndromes and chronic myocardial ischemia, ventricular, atrial and supraventricular arrhythmias, structural heart disease including congenital and valvular disease, heart failure, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, pericardial disease, pulmonary embolism, and aortic and peripheral vascular disease. It provides standardized care for acute critical and chronic cardiovascular conditions.

4. Subspecialties and technologies

The catheterization rooms have a large advanced digital subtraction system, advanced three-dimensional electrophysiological diagnosis and treatment systems, intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation, intravascular ultrasound and rotational atherectomy, supported by ventilators, color cardiac ultrasound, defibrillator-cardioverters and other equipment for complex interventions. The CCU has central monitoring, cardiac ultrasound, bedside hemofiltration, ventilators and defibrillators for high-risk care.

(1) Coronary intervention: The team performs complex coronary interventions, particularly for acute coronary syndromes, chronic total occlusion, left main and bifurcation lesions. Intravascular ultrasound and rotational atherectomy support individualized treatment. The team works with the CCU on perioperative management of high-risk coronary patients to safeguard surgery.

(2) Arrhythmia, pacing and electrophysiology: The team studies and treats complex electrophysiological conditions, routinely performing radiofrequency ablation for ventricular, atrial and supraventricular arrhythmias, implanting three-chamber pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and analyzing and managing complex pacing and electrophysiology. Care ranges from medication adjustment to intervention.

(3) Structural heart intervention: Routine procedures include percutaneous valve dilation and replacement; closure of ventricular or atrial septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus and patent foramen ovale; and left atrial appendage closure intended to prevent thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation. These offer minimally invasive options for patients with structural heart disease unable to tolerate surgery.

(4) Acute and critical cardiovascular care: The CCU treats high-risk cardiac patients with a skilled critical-care team, routinely providing invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and advanced life support to improve survival and reduce perioperative complications. It supports resuscitation and the department's treatments.

5. Multidisciplinary care and longitudinal management

The department collaborates with cardiac function, imaging, nuclear medicine and other hospital departments to provide integrated prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up and multidisciplinary plans for complex disease. Its approach emphasizes prevention, skilled diagnosis and treatment, and follow-up. Health records are established from outpatient presentation or admission, with education, standardized chronic-disease management and services extending to communities and families, encouraging patients to understand and participate in long-term management and prevention.

6. Team and expertise

The medical team includes 24 professionals with medical doctorates or master's degrees and more than 60 professional nurses. The CCU has a skilled, attentive critical-care team. Three staff members hold high-level provincial or municipal talent designations; one supervises doctoral students and five supervise master's students. Thirteen hold academic appointments in national, provincial or municipal cardiovascular medical society branches.

7. Integrated care, teaching and research

(1) Care: The team aims to serve patients, investigate disease and effective care, relieve suffering and restore physical and mental health. Staff uphold respect for medicine and disease and a commitment to diligent care.

(2) Training: As a national cardiovascular intervention training base and cardiovascular nursing and technology training base, the department provides standardized training for physicians, nurses and technical personnel and clinical placements for students from Xiamen University, Xiamen Medical College and other institutions. It has trained hundreds of cardiovascular physicians and nurses.

(3) Research: The department pursues clinical and basic research, follows cardiovascular advances and develops scientific, rational and creative studies. It includes each patient in detailed research, studies disease onset, progression and prognosis, tests and improves current clinical approaches, and promotes translation of basic research into practice while recognizing the openness, uncertainty and potential development of cardiovascular medicine.

8. Core strengths

The department identifies four strengths: its three national disease centers and two national training bases; clearly organized coronary intervention, arrhythmia and pacing electrophysiology, structural intervention and cardiovascular critical-care subspecialties, with equipment and capacity for complex intervention and critical care; services spanning prevention through follow-up with health records, chronic-disease management and community and family outreach; and multidisciplinary cooperation offering integrated care for complex disease.

9. Vision

Guided by Xiamen University's motto of striving continuously for excellence, the department will improve medical techniques, services, research, teaching and staff development, strengthen cardiovascular care and seek to become a leading regional prevention and treatment center offering higher-quality, efficient and compassionate care throughout the patient's journey.