Brief Introduction of Chinese PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital)

Located at No.28 Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, Chinese PLA General Hospital (widely known as 301 Hospital) was founded in 1953. As a top-tier Grade A tertiary military comprehensive hospital, it integrates medical service, healthcare, medical education, scientific research, emergency treatment, rehabilitation and military medical support. Affiliated to PLA Medical School, it serves as a core national base for senior cadre healthcare and a pivotal center for diagnosing and treating complicated and severe illnesses nationwide. Its Department of Cardiovascular Medicine was restructured into the Cardiovascular Medical Division of the Sixth Medical Center in 2020. Ranked among China’s top cardiovascular disciplines and the world’s top 21 institutions in cardiovascular research, it is a National Key Clinical Specialty and the benchmark for cardiovascular diseases across the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

I. Department of Cardiology

Founded in 1954, the department co-established the PLA General Cardiovascular Disease Center together with Cardiac Surgery in 1980. It hosts the PLA Key Laboratory for Geriatric Cardiovascular Diseases and functions as a standardized training base for cardiac interventional therapies accredited by the National Health Commission, as well as an official training institute for cardiovascular specialists. Authorized to grant master’s and doctoral degrees and host postdoctoral research programs, it has six sub-specialties: coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, structural heart disease, hypertension, heart failure and pulmonary vascular thromboembolism, alongside a specialized CCU ward staffed with dozens of senior specialists. It is equipped with world-class diagnostic devices including IVUS, OCT, magnetic navigation electrophysiology systems and digital angiography equipment.

Core Clinical Advantages

1. Geriatric High-risk Cardiovascular Disorders: The department’s signature strength lies in personalized treatment for elderly patients complicated with multiple comorbidities such as concurrent cardiac diseases plus diabetes, nephropathy or respiratory disorders. It enjoys national authority in managing advanced geriatric heart failure and cardiac injuries combined with multi-organ dysfunction, undertaking critical cardiovascular treatments for senior patients from across the country and the military.
2. Precision Interventional Therapy for Complex Coronary Artery Disease: Guided by intravascular imaging technologies, specialists perform stent implantation for chronic total occlusion and severely calcified coronary lesions. A 24-hour emergency PCI pathway ensures timely reperfusion for acute myocardial infarction with outstanding survival outcomes. Minimally invasive stent repair for aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm has replaced conventional open-chest surgery for numerous eligible patients.
3. Minimally Invasive Management of Arrhythmia: It delivers one-stop procedures combining atrial fibrillation radiofrequency ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion, ablation for complex ventricular tachycardia, plus implantation of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). It is one of China’s earliest pioneers in cardiac pacing and clinical electrophysiology.
4. Interventional Treatment for Structural Heart Disease: Pioneering transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), congenital heart defect closure and balloon dilatation for mitral stenosis, the department specializes in minimally invasive valve interventions for elderly patients unfit for open surgery. It also provides standardized diagnosis and management for pulmonary hypertension and thromboembolic pulmonary vasculopathy.

II. Department of Cardiac Surgery

Initiated in 1979 by Professor Su Huaxi, a founding pioneer of Chinese cardiac surgery, the department is designated as the PLA Institute of Cardiac Surgery, an international training center for Da Vinci robotic cardiac surgery and a Beijing Key Discipline. Divided into adult cardiac surgery, great vessel surgery and pediatric cardiac surgery, it is a birthplace of minimally invasive cardiac surgery in China, performing over one thousand cardiac operations annually with more than 70% classified as high-level complicated Grade IV surgeries.

Core Clinical Advantages

1. Full-spectrum Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: A domestic leader in Da Vinci robotic cardiac procedures and totally thoracoscopic coronary bypass & valve replacement via small incisions. It masters sophisticated high-end surgeries including Commando combined annular reconstruction and valve replacement, a complex procedure available only at a handful of top centers nationwide.
2. High-risk Great Vessel Surgery: Focused on surgical correction of aortic dissection, Marfan syndrome-associated aortic aneurysm, total thoracoabdominal aortic replacement and root reconstruction such as Bentall and David procedures. It delivers one-stop repair for compound great vessel malformations with remarkable track records in emergent high-risk aortic operations for elderly patients.
3. Geriatric Complex Cardiac Surgery: Expert in coronary artery bypass grafting and valve replacement for seniors aged over 80 with multiple underlying systemic illnesses, supported by a mature perioperative intensive care system to safeguard high-risk elderly patients.
4. Congenital Heart Disease Surgery: Covers radical repair of complex congenital heart defects in infants and children, as well as corrective surgery for adult congenital heart diseases combined with valvular or great vessel deformities.

III. Integrated Clinical, Research & Educational Platform

Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery adopt an integrated collaborative diagnosis-and-treatment model supported by a hybrid operating room to complete combined interventional and surgical procedures in a single session. Backed by the PLA Key Laboratory for Cardiovascular Stress Research and Beijing Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery, the department has won multiple National Science and Technology Progress Awards and presides over numerous national and military research projects. It serves as a top national base for cardiovascular clinical innovation and talent cultivation, cultivating outstanding cardiologists and cardiac surgeons for healthcare institutions nationwide.