Cardiovascular Surgery Department

The Cardiovascular Surgery Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital is one of the earliest medical institutions in China to carry out cardiovascular surgery.

Academician Wu Yingkai, the founder of cardiothoracic surgery in China, served as the first surgical director of Tianjin Central Hospital, the predecessor of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, from 1946 to 1948.

In 1948, he completed China's first constrictive pericarditis stripping operation here, starting the history of cardiovascular surgery at the General Hospital.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Professor Zhang Tianhui was in a leading position in the country in the surgical treatment of congenital heart disease, especially tetralogy of Fallot.

Based on the profound historical foundation, in 2007, the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery was established as an independent department, ushering in new development opportunities and starting a new development history.

Over the past 11 years, the department has completed nearly 4,000 cases of various types of cardiovascular surgeries, including off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, large vessel thoracotomy and interventional surgery, valve replacement and valvuloplasty and interventional surgery (TAVI), as well as surgeries and interventional treatments for congenital heart disease, basically covering all categories of cardiovascular surgery, with an overall surgical success rate of over 98%.

In recent years, the department has positioned itself as adult cardiac and macrovascular surgery, advancing with the times, leading new developments in the discipline and new technologies, focusing on total arterial and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting, minimally invasive and laparoscopic-assisted valve replacement and plasty, and surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. In particular, it has taken the lead in Tianjin to carry out aortic valve interventional surgery, hybrid surgery for type A dissecting large vessels under mild hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass, and branched aortic stent grafting and other innovative technologies to achieve better long-term outcomes with less trauma.

The department as a whole tends to aim at minimally invasive and interventional cardiovascular surgery. Currently, it has fully covered the minimally invasive and interventional fields of the four sub-specialties of coronary surgery, valve surgery, large vessel surgery and congenital heart surgery. It is the leader in cardiovascular surgery in Tianjin General Hospital and is in a leading position in the domestic cardiovascular surgery industry.

The department currently has 48 hospital beds, 8 intensive care beds, and 2 operating rooms, including 1 hybrid operating room.

There are 11 surgeons, all with a master's degree or above, including 7 with doctoral degrees and 9 with more than one year of study experience abroad.

In the past 10 years, the department has published more than 50 academic papers, including more than 30 SCI papers.

He has won 1 first prize of Tianjin Science and Technology Progress Award, 4 international awards and scholarships, 3 National Natural Science Foundations, and 5 provincial and municipal projects.

Scientific research mainly focuses on myocardial protection, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and the causes of arteriosclerosis.

Adhering to the historical footsteps of Academician Wu Yingkai and Professor Zhang Tianhui, and absorbing the current advanced medical concepts and technologies in cardiovascular surgery at home and abroad, the Cardiovascular Surgery Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital will work hard and forge ahead, and will surely better benefit the people and achieve better progress and development.

Currently, the team has 14 doctors, including 7 doctors and 7 masters.

Young experts inherit the fine academic traditions of the older generation of medical scientists, take the innovative path of combining clinical practice and scientific research, and are committed to revitalizing cardiovascular surgery.

In 2014, 2015, and 2016, it won one National Natural Science Foundation General Project, two Youth Projects, and two Tianjin Science and Technology Support Plan Projects, with a project funding of more than 3 million yuan. It has published more than 40 SCI papers. The practicality and advancement of scientific research projects have obvious advantages among its peers.