Brief Introduction of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Founded in 1907 and formerly known as Hospital Sainte-Marie (Guangci Hospital), Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine is a century-old Grade A tertiary comprehensive public hospital and a core teaching hospital of the university. With campuses in Huangpu, Jiading and other districts, it integrates clinical care, medical research, talent training and critical disease treatment. The hospital boasts 24 National Key Clinical Specialties and 4 National Key Disciplines, consistently ranking among China’s top medical institutions. Its Cardiac Center unifies the Department of Cardiology, Department of Cardiac Surgery and Department of Hypertension under integrated management. Supported by the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and National Center for Translational Medicine, the center serves as a top-tier domestic platform for complicated cardiovascular disorders and a designated referral hub for severe heart diseases across the Yangtze River Delta and nationwide.

I. Department of Cardiology

Established in 1952 by distinguished cardiovascular specialists Prof. Tao Qing and Prof. Gong Lansheng, the department is a National Key Discipline and National Key Clinical Specialty, repeatedly ranked among China’s top 10 cardiology departments in China Hospital Specialty Ranking. It hosts the Shanghai Quality Control Center for Cardiac Interventional Therapy and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hypertension, and is one of China’s earliest authorized national training bases for coronary and arrhythmia interventions as well as a national demonstration center for standardized atrial fibrillation management.

The department has 103 clinical and research staff members, 85% holding doctoral degrees, including 12 doctoral supervisors and 14 master’s supervisors. It runs 350 inpatient beds and is equipped with 10 international-standard DSA systems alongside cutting-edge devices for 3D electrophysiological mapping, magnetic navigation and pulsed field ablation, performing over 10,000 various cardiac interventional procedures annually.

Core Clinical Strengths

1. Leading Authority in Hypertension Management: Relying on the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, the department has compiled multiple editions of the Chinese Guidelines for Hypertension Prevention and Treatment and Guidelines for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring. It leads basic research and clinical translation in refractory hypertension and inherited cardiovascular diseases, standing as a core institution drafting domestic hypertension treatment standards.
2. Coronary Intervention & Acute Myocardial Infarction Emergency Care: The department participated in formulating the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and operates a round-the-clock emergency green channel for acute MI. It excels in high-risk PCI for left main lesions, chronic total occlusion (CTO) and severely calcified coronary arteries with internationally comparable outcomes, while exploring frontier research on ischemic myocardial repair.
3. State-of-the-Art Minimally Invasive Arrhythmia Ablation: Led by Professor Wu Liqun, the team pioneered full-spectrum atrial fibrillation ablation techniques including pulsed field ablation (PFA), cryo-balloon ablation, radiofrequency ablation and Marshall vein ethanol ablation in China. It completed Asia’s first hot-balloon ablation and China’s first implantation of mini leadless pacemaker. Three-dimensional mapping-guided ablation for malignant ventricular tachycardia and complex atrial tachycardia is its signature expertise, with high annual implantation volumes of pacemakers, ICD and CRT devices in Shanghai.
4. Interventional Treatment for Structural Heart Disease: Cooperating with cardiac surgery, the department delivers one-stop TAVR, mitral clip repair and transcatheter tricuspid valve repair. Minimally invasive transapical or peripheral access valve replacement is routinely performed, and high-risk valve interventions supported by ECMO are among its domestic highlights. It also provides full-cycle interventional therapy for congenital heart defects and pulmonary vascular diseases.
5. Research & Guideline Development: The department has undertaken dozens of national key chronic disease research projects and nearly 100 National Natural Science Foundation programs. Hundreds of its original clinical findings have been incorporated into domestic cardiovascular guidelines, driving the clinical translation of innovative cardiovascular drugs and interventional devices.

II. Department of Cardiac Surgery

Originating in the 1950s, Ruijin’s Cardiac Surgery is among China’s first formally established cardiac surgery departments, founded by pioneers of Chinese extracorporeal circulation including Prof. Ye Chunxiu and Prof. Zhang Shize. In 1978, the department accomplished Asia’s first orthotopic heart transplantation, a milestone in China’s cardiac surgery history. Currently headed by Professor Zhao Qiang, a leading medical expert in Shanghai with over 25,000 primary cardiac operations, the discipline ranks top 10 nationwide in specialty reputation and top 9 in medical science evaluation. It consists of five subspecialties: coronary surgery, valvular surgery, great vessel surgery, minimally invasive & robotic cardiac surgery, and end-stage heart failure surgery.

The department completes nearly 2,000 surgeries each year, with over 50% categorized as complicated critical operations. As Shanghai’s major coronary bypass center, its annual CABG cases account for roughly 30% of the city’s total, with overall surgical mortality below 2% and minimally invasive procedures making up over 30% of all operations.

Core Clinical Strengths

1. World-Class Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A domestic pioneer in off-pump total arterial CABG (OPCAB), minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) and robotic coronary bypass; more than 95% of bypass surgeries are performed without cardiopulmonary bypass with a success rate of 99.5%. Its original antithrombotic regimen post-CABG has been adopted into international guidelines to improve long-term patency of venous grafts. It specializes in repeat bypass for in-stent restenosis and revascularization for critically ill super-aged patients.
2. One-stop Hybrid Valvular Surgery: One of China’s early centers offering combined open surgical and transcatheter one-stop valve treatment. Its featured procedures include complex re-repair or replacement for heavily calcified valves, thoracoscopic minimally invasive valve surgery, and hybrid TAVR plus concomitant CABG, enabling personalized care for high-risk elderly patients with valvular heart disease.
3. Emergency Great Vessel Surgery System: A 24/7 emergency pathway is available for acute Type A aortic dissection. The department routinely performs high-complexity procedures such as total aortic arch replacement, Bentall, David and thoracoabdominal aortic replacement, achieving outstanding survival rates for ruptured aortic dissection, Marfan syndrome and complex aortic aneurysm.
4. Minimally Invasive & Robotic Cardiac Surgery: An early adopter of totally thoracoscopic cardiac operations and Da Vinci robotic valve repair / CABG in East China. It built advanced hybrid operating rooms and pioneered the hybrid strategy combining mini-incision bypass with staged coronary intervention for complex coronary artery disease.
5. Heart Transplantation & Mechanical Circulatory Support: Inheriting experience from Asia’s inaugural heart transplant, the department routinely carries out adult and pediatric heart transplantation, ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation and ECMO-supported surgery for end-stage heart failure. Working closely with cardiology, it forms a full-spectrum treatment pathway covering medication, interventional therapy, mechanical support and heart transplantation for advanced heart failure.

III. Integrated Advantages of the Cardiac Center via Cardiology-Cardiac Surgery Collaboration

Ruijin has established a benchmark MDT collaborative model within its Cardiac Center supported by multiple international-standard hybrid operating rooms to break disciplinary boundaries:

1. Hybrid revascularization for complex coronary disease: One-stop combined minimally invasive bypass plus percutaneous coronary intervention for high-risk multivessel lesions to reduce surgical trauma and complications in elderly critical patients;
2. Individualized combined therapy for valvular disorders: Flexible combination of transcatheter TAVR/mitral clip or open surgical repair customized for each patient;
3. Full-cycle management for refractory heart failure: Pharmacotherapy and device implantation delivered by cardiologists, while surgical correction, VAD implantation and heart transplantation are provided by cardiac surgeons;
4. Combined cardiocerebral surgery: Synchronous CABG plus carotid endarterectomy to resolve concurrent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular lesions in one session.It is the preferred regional referral center for complicated combined cardiovascular disorders across East China.