Cardiac Function Department

Electrocardiology and Cardiac Function, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated with Xiamen University I. Basic Overview, Qualifications, and Honors of the Department The Department of Electrocardiology and Cardiac Function of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated with Xiamen University (formerly the Department of Cardiac Function) is a specialized electrocardiology department with outstanding advantages in its scale and staffing structure within the province. It has always upheld the core philosophy of “putting patients first and serving the clinical frontline,” made ethical medical practice and excellent service the core of its work, adhered to the principle that quality comes first, and strictly implemented quality-control standards throughout the entire process. The department has a clear history of development: in 2012, it was designated as the “Xiamen Municipal Electrocardiography Quality Control Center,” while simultaneously establishing a regional electrocardiography network diagnostic center responsible for quality control of electrocardiogram and ambulatory electrocardiogram reports in Xiamen and surrounding areas; in 2023, it became the deputy-director institution of the Electrocardiography Branch of the Fujian Medical Association. In recognition of its outstanding contributions to the promotion and application of electrocardiography, the department received an award from the Electrophysiology and Pacing Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; it was successively honored with the “Bethune Spirit Award” of the Xiamen health system, the Hospital Award for Excellence in Medical Ethics and Professional Conduct, the Hospital Advanced Collective Award for Comprehensive Department Management, and the Hospital Advanced Department Award for Quality Management and Control. The technical level of several noninvasive electrocardiographic examination programs conducted by the department is at the leading level in the province. II. Core Diagnostic and Treatment Scope The Department of Cardiac Function routinely performs various noninvasive electrocardiographic and cardiac-function-related examinations, meeting the needs of all clinical diagnosis and treatment scenarios. Its current core examination programs include: treadmill exercise testing, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory electrocardiography, extremity vascular examinations, transesophageal electrophysiological examination, and others. The department continues to standardize the procedures for performing and reporting routine electrocardiography, ambulatory electrocardiography, and other noninvasive examinations, providing reliable diagnostic support for clinical diagnosis, disease assessment, and efficacy monitoring.III. Featured Subspecialties and Core Technical Advantages (1) Subspecialty in Non-Invasive Electrocardiographic Examinations The Cardiac Function Department routinely conducts established non-invasive electrocardiographic examinations, including exercise treadmill testing, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory electrocardiography, extremity vascular examinations, and transesophageal electrophysiological examinations. The relevant technical level is leading in the province and can meet multidimensional clinical needs such as cardiovascular disease screening, diagnosis, and efficacy evaluation. (2) Subspecialty in Regional Electrocardiographic Quality Control and Network Diagnosis As the supporting department of the Xiamen City Electrocardiographic Quality Control Center, the department has established a regional electrocardiographic network diagnosis center and is responsible for the quality control of electrocardiogram and ambulatory electrocardiogram reports in Xiamen City and surrounding areas, continuously advancing the standardization and normalization of electrocardiographic examination procedures and reporting within the region. IV. Multidisciplinary MDT Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment and Full-Course Management The Cardiac Function Department has always been committed to serving the front line of clinical care, providing standardized and precise electrocardiographic and cardiac function examination support for all clinical departments of the hospital, assisting clinical departments in completing electrocardiographic assessment, risk stratification, efficacy follow-up, and other tasks throughout the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, and working collaboratively to build an electrocardiography-related diagnosis and treatment support system covering the entire disease cycle. It has participated many times in multidisciplinary case discussions, such as discussions related to cases including light-chain amyloidosis in the Department of Hematology. V. Talent Team and Experts’ Strength The Cardiac Function Department currently has a total of 17 professional and technical personnel, including 3 with senior professional titles and 10 with intermediate professional titles, forming a professional and technical team with a rational professional-title structure. The team currently has 8 members with master’s degrees. Team members hold positions such as chairperson, vice chairperson, and standing committee member in several provincial- and municipal-level academic organizations, including the Electrocardiography Branch of the Fujian Medical Association, the Electrocardiology Branch of the Xiamen Medical Association, the Electrocardiology Professional Physicians Branch of the Xiamen Medical Doctor Association, and the Electrocardiology Branch of the Xiamen Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. All personnel have always adhered to the service principle of “patient-centered” and continuously improved their professional service capabilities.VI. Coordinated Development of Medical Care, Education, and Research (1) Medical Services The Cardiac Function Department has always adhered to the principle of putting quality first in medical services, strictly controlling quality standards at every stage of examination, standardizing the examination and reporting procedures for various noninvasive tests, such as routine electrocardiography and ambulatory electrocardiography, and providing accurate and efficient examination services to patients and clinical departments. The department performs examinations such as routine electrocardiography and ambulatory electrocardiography, with an annual examination volume of nearly 300,000 patient-visits, serving inpatients, outpatients, people undergoing health examinations, and community residents. Remote routine electrocardiography and remote ambulatory electrocardiography services are now available. The department extends the high-quality electrocardiographic diagnostic resources of a tertiary Grade A hospital to primary-level institutions, enabling more people seeking medical care to benefit from high-quality diagnostic and treatment services. (2) Teaching and Training The Cardiac Function Department has established a regular internal professional training mechanism, organizes professional skills training on a regular basis, and continuously improves the professional and technical capabilities of all personnel. The department undertakes clinical teaching, supervision of standardized residency training, and other work for Xiamen University School of Medicine and many other medical schools, receiving nearly 100 interns, advanced trainees, and standardized residency trainees each year. (3) Scientific Research and Innovation The Cardiac Function Department has published numerous academic papers in core journals, provincial-level journals, and other venues, and has long conducted in-depth research in areas related to electrocardiology. Recently, it has conducted research based on AI electrocardiographic models jointly with Fujian Provincial Hospital Affiliated with Fuzhou University and several other institutions, actively promoting the translation of scientific research results into clinical applications, among other efforts. VII. Summary of the Core Advantages of the Cardiac Function Department First, its platform qualifications are a prominent strength. As the Xiamen Electrocardiography Quality Control Center and a deputy director institution of the Electrocardiography Branch of the Fujian Medical Association, it undertakes regional electrocardiography quality-control responsibilities and has established a regional electrocardiography network diagnostic center, giving it a clearly defined academic and quality-control leadership position in the regional field of electrocardiology;Second, our routine technical capabilities are leading: the technical level of the multiple noninvasive electrocardiographic examinations we perform—including treadmill exercise testing, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory electrocardiography, vascular examinations of all four limbs, and transesophageal electrophysiological examinations—ranks among the highest in the province, and our examination and reporting procedures are standardized and well established; third, our team structure is stable and well balanced: among the existing 17-person professional team, 3 hold senior professional titles and 10 hold intermediate professional titles, with a well-developed professional-title hierarchy; fourth, our honors provide solid and ample recognition: we have received commendation from the Electrophysiology and Pacing Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Xiamen Health System’s “Bethune Spirit Award,” and multiple honors in hospital management and quality control, while the achievements of our discipline development have received recognition from multiple parties. 8. Department Vision The Department of Cardiac Function will continue to closely follow the direction of development in electrocardiology, continuously improve the discipline development system, steadily enhance professional technical capabilities and service quality, further optimize the regional electrocardiographic quality-control mechanism, and build a modern Department of Cardiac Function suited to the development of electrocardiology, thereby providing patients with higher-quality medical services, offering stronger support and safeguards for frontline clinical care, and contributing to the overall improvement of the regional level of electrocardiographic diagnosis and treatment.