Cardiac Department

The Cardiology Center of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, is one of the national centers for the diagnosis and treatment of complex and critical cardiovascular diseases, a national base for cardiovascular specialist training and continuing education, and an incubator for new technologies in cardiovascular research and disease diagnosis and treatment. It is one of the largest cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment centers in China. In 2007, it was approved as a National Key Discipline by the Ministry of Education, and in 2011, it was designated as a National Key Clinical Specialty by the Ministry of Health. It is also a training base for cardiovascular interventions (coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, and arrhythmia interventions) under the Ministry of Health. The center currently has 405 beds, 13 cardiac catheterization laboratories (including magnetic navigation), and 1 hybrid operating room. The number of interventional procedures performed in 2011 and 2012 ranked first among comprehensive hospitals nationwide.
The Cardiology Center of Beijing Anzhen Hospital is the supporting unit of the National Key Discipline under the Ministry of Education. It comprises subspecialty groups including the Coronary Heart Disease Group, Arrhythmia Group, Structural Heart Disease Group, Hypertension Group, and Heart Failure Group, excelling in the diagnosis and treatment of various cardiovascular diseases.
As one of the earliest units to perform coronary intervention in China, the Cardiology Center has always led the nation in coronary heart disease treatment. In 2013, over 20,000 coronary angiographies and more than 10,000 PCI procedures were performed. Complex and difficult cases such as unprotected left main disease, chronic total occlusion, and calcified tortuous lesions accounted for over 30%. After years of accumulated experience, new technologies such as intravascular ultrasound, FFR, OCT, and rotational atherectomy are selectively applied to treat left main disease, chronic total occlusion, diffuse lesions, and severe calcification.
The Cardiology Center has achieved national leadership in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias, especially catheter radiofrequency ablation for complex arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. It was the first in China to introduce the world's most advanced catheter ablation equipment—the magnetic navigation system—and pioneered the use of magnetic navigation and 3D mapping system (CartoRMT) for radiofrequency ablation of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation. A series of technical innovations have been made, and the optimal catheter ablation strategy for chronic atrial fibrillation has been explored. These techniques have been promoted nationwide through training courses, exchanges at domestic and international conferences, and publications, and have extended to neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, and India. Currently, catheter radiofrequency ablation is widely performed for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, atrial tachycardia, complex arrhythmias associated with congenital heart disease, idiopathic ventricular tachycardia, post-infarction ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia with other structural heart diseases. The center is particularly specialized in radiofrequency ablation for paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent atrial fibrillation, as well as recurrent atrial fibrillation. In terms of implantable device therapy for arrhythmias, it also reaches an advanced domestic level, routinely performing single-chamber, dual-chamber, and triple-chamber pacemaker implantations, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation, and CRT-D implantation.
As one of the earliest units to carry out interventional diagnosis and treatment of structural heart disease, the Cardiology Center is one of the first training bases for congenital heart disease interventions designated by the Ministry of Health. Over the past two decades, a variety of interventional techniques for structural heart disease have been developed, including patent ductus arteriosus occlusion, atrial septal defect occlusion, ventricular septal defect occlusion, pulmonary arteriovenous fistula embolization, coronary artery fistula embolization, systemic-pulmonary collateral embolization, coarctation of the aorta angioplasty, atrial septostomy, balloon dilation for aortic stenosis, balloon dilation for pulmonary stenosis, balloon dilation for mitral stenosis, and septal ablation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Each year, the Cardiology Center admits many heart failure patients transferred from primary hospitals, with various primary diseases and multiple organ dysfunctions, presenting complex clinical situations. On the basis of drug therapy, they fully leverage existing disciplinary advantages and use mechanical support such as intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to improve cardiopulmonary function, helping critically ill patients survive the critical period. In the treatment of heart failure with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), Anzhen Hospital has a dedicated electrophysiology intervention team to treat eligible patients, achieving good results and taking a leading position in CRT treatment for heart failure in China.
The development of hypertension as a discipline and the standardization of related diagnostic and treatment procedures are among the work priorities of the center. The hypertension team has seen an 11% increase in annual outpatient visits and a 9.27% increase in ward turnover rate. Medical quality continues to improve, with a secondary hypertension detection rate of 19.4%. At the same time, regular technical guidance is provided to lower-level hospitals to continuously improve their diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Long-term health education is also carried out in collaboration with mass media to increase the awareness, consultation rate, and control rate of hypertension, yielding good social benefits.
The Cardiology Center has a strong capability in diagnosing and treating various difficult and complex heart diseases. Each year, over 200,000 patients from 32 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, special administrative regions of China, and some other countries, especially those with difficult, complex, and high-risk conditions, are treated. The center has expert teams with solid theoretical knowledge, excellent technical skills, and rich experience in coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, structural heart disease, and heart failure. The technical level for complex coronary intervention, primary PCI for acute myocardial infarction, catheter radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation, and implantation of triple-chamber and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators is among the top in China. The cardiology department has a large, well-equipped resuscitation center and intensive care unit, excelling in managing various cardiovascular emergencies.
Currently, the Cardiology Center of Beijing Anzhen Hospital has 230 physicians and 238 nurses, including 32 chief physicians, 73 associate chief physicians, and 90 with doctoral degrees; among them, 9 are doctoral supervisors and 12 are master's supervisors. The medical staff allocation meets the needs of the center's clinical work and development, forming a team with a reasonable age and educational background structure and comprehensive technical skills.
Contact numbers: 64456467, 84005335