Under Professor Su Hongxi, the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Xijing Hospital performed the first open-heart operation under cardiopulmonary bypass in China in June 1958 — a landmark in the history of Chinese cardiac surgery. In the decades since, the department has grown into one of the country's leading cardiac surgery centers, combining high surgical volume with a full spectrum of techniques from minimally invasive and totally thoracoscopic surgery to heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.
Academic Standing
National Key Discipline
Rated a National Key Discipline in cardiothoracic surgery by the Ministry of Education in 2002, and designated a key discipline of the national 211 Project in 1997.
PLA Cardiovascular Disease Institute
Designated the PLA Cardiovascular Disease Institute in 2001 and recognized as one of the PLA's first top-priority disciplines, building on specialty-centre status dating to 1978.
National Clinical Platforms
National Key Clinical Specialty (Ministry of Health, 2013); accredited national heart-lung transplantation unit (2008); national training center for congenital heart disease interventional therapy (2009).
Specialty Reputation
Long ranked among the national leaders in the Fudan China Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking; public platforms list it No. 6 nationwide and No. 1 in northwest China, with positions varying slightly by year.
Scale & Milestones
- 1. A team of 250 scientific and technical staff, including 5 professors and 13 associate professors, with 223 beds in operation across three inpatient wards, a dedicated ICU and independent operating theatres.
- 2. About 4,700 cardiac operations per year, ranking among China's top three; severe and complex cases account for more than 60% of the caseload, with a surgical success rate of 98.3%.
- 3. Patients range from a 5-hour-old newborn weighing 1.8 kg to an 87-year-old, reflecting coverage of the full age spectrum in congenital and acquired heart disease.
- 4. 126 heart transplants performed, with the first recipient surviving more than 19 years with a quality of life comparable to normal, plus 2 combined heart-lung transplants and 1 simultaneous heart-liver-kidney transplant — the first in Asia.
Core Techniques & Specialties
Minimally Invasive & Thoracoscopic Surgery
Totally thoracoscopic and small-incision heart surgery; thoracoscopic mitral valve repair rate above 95%; China's first training base for minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery (2002).
Coronary Artery Surgery
Coronary artery bypass grafting including off-pump and small-incision techniques for coronary artery disease.
Valve Surgery & TAVR
Repair and replacement of the aortic, mitral and tricuspid valves, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with other interventional treatments.
Great-Vessel & Aneurysm Surgery
More than 1,000 aortic interventional and surgical procedures per year, including over 400 open operations — valve-sparing aortic root replacement, aortic arch replacement and hybrid procedures for aortic dissection.
Congenital Heart Disease
Surgery and interventional therapy for congenital heart disease, including complex congenital surgery in neonates and infants.
Transplantation & Support
Heart and heart-lung transplantation, cardiac surgical intensive care, ECMO and mechanical circulatory support, and organ protection during cardiopulmonary bypass.
Conditions Suited
Specialist Team
Yi Dinghua — Academic Leader
Professor, chief physician and former Director of the department; recipient of a State Council special allowance, awarded 1 first and 2 second prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award; specializes in complex aneurysm and coronary artery disease.
Liu Weiyong — Pioneer
Professor and chief physician who was a member of the research team for China's first open-heart operation under cardiopulmonary bypass in 1958; first in China to develop a valved conduit and apply it in complex congenital heart surgery.
Yi Wei — Complex Cardiac Surgery
Chief physician and Changjiang Scholar specializing in complex coronary disease, aneurysm, valvular disease, atrial fibrillation and cardiac tumors, especially aortic, mitral and tricuspid valve repair and replacement.
Yang Jian — TAVR & Intervention
Associate chief physician and Director of cardiovascular surgery ward I; specializes in surgical and interventional treatment of valvular heart disease, especially TAVR and interventional treatment of paravalvular leak and rare malformations.
Address & Contact
Address
No. 127 Changle West Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Switchboard
+86-29-88886666 / +86-29-84775507 / +86-29-84774114 (subject to the hospital's official daily announcement).
Website
xjwww.fmmu.edu.cn — First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Force Medical University (Xijing Hospital).