The Department of Vascular Surgery and Abdominal Wall Hernia at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was founded in 1972 as the first independent department of vascular surgery in western China. In 1998, the department was designated as the Chongqing Vascular Surgery Center, with the official approval from the Chongqing Health Bureau and the Municipal Compilation Committee. In 2002, the department became a recognized training center for the diagnosis and treatment of hernia and abdominal wall diseases. In 2013, it was designated by the National Health Commission as the first—and remains the only—training center for peripheral vascular interventions in Chongqing. Presently, the department holds numerous prestigious roles, including the vice-chair unit of the Endovascular Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the standing committee unit of the Vascular Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the chair unit of the Vascular Access Group of the Vascular Surgery Physician Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the chair unit of the Venous Reflux Disease Group of the Endovascular Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the member unit of the Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery Group of the Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the vice-chair unit of the Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery Expert Working Group of the Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and the vice-president unit of the Peripheral Vascular Disease Management Branch of the Chinese Geriatrics Society, and the chair unit of the Vascular Surgery Branch of the Chongqing Medical Doctor Association.
The center comprises three major campuses: the Main Hospital, the Jinshan Campus, and the Jingwei Campus, with 120 open beds in total. As one of the largest, most comprehensive, and highest-ranked centers for vascular surgery and hernia surgery in western China, it performs more than 5,000 peripheral vascular and abdominal wall hernia surgeries annually and ranks first in Chongqing. The center provides a wide range of clinical services, covering critical aortic conditions such as thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections; acute and chronic peripheral arterial diseases, including limb and visceral arterial embolism, bleeding from ruptured aneurysms, vascular injuries, and atherosclerotic occlusive disease; peripheral venous disorders such as acute/chronic deep venous thrombosis and varicose veins; various other peripheral vascular conditions such as arteriovenous fistulas, and vascular malformations; and the establishment and maintenance of hemodialysis access. It also treats all types of abdominal wall hernias, including inguinal, umbilical, and incisional hernias, and more. Among these, the Main Hospital serves as a comprehensive ward specializing in vascular diseases and in hernia and abdominal wall diseases. It routinely provides minimally invasive treatments and fast-track recovery care. The Jinshan Campus is the first sub-specialty ward in western China, focusing on the establishment and maintenance of hemodialysis access. Its distinctive “Jinshan Model” has become a benchmark in the hemodialysis access field.
In terms of clinical expertise and procedural techniques, the center has established four distinct subspecialty divisions centered on arterial diseases (including aortic pathologies), venous diseases, abdominal wall disease (including hernias), and hemodialysis access. The center consistently maintains the highest outpatient, inpatient, and surgical volumes in Chongqing, leads the Southwest China region, and ranks among the foremost institutions in the nation. As pioneers, we were the first in China to deploy region-specific fenestrated stent grafts for thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies and to develop an enhanced recovery protocol for acute lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. We also stand among the earliest centers to introduce minimally invasive treatments for lower limb ischemic diseases, and our “Jinshan Model” for hemodialysis vascular access has significantly enhanced outcomes for patients both within and beyond our province. Within the department, three physicians serve as standing committee members or vice-chairpersons of national academic society boards, and two chair provincial society committees or sub-committees. Moreover, we spearheaded the establishment of the Vascular Surgery Physician Branch of the Chongqing Medical Doctor Association, serving as its inaugural founding unit.
In medical education, the department was approved as a master’s degree conferral unit in 1981 and a doctoral degree conferral unit in 1993. The current faculty includes 4 full professors, 5 associate professors, and 10 lecturers, including 1 doctoral supervisor and 7 master’s supervisors. Faculty members have co-authored or led translations of several bilingual textbooks and medical monographs, placing equal emphasis on rigorous theoretical instruction and hands-on clinical training at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Since 2018, the department has graduated over 10 doctoral candidates and more than 60 master’s students. Our educators frequently assume mentorship roles for undergraduates and act as part-time class advisors. Notably, our project titled Exploration and Practice of Medical Students’ Surgical Proficiency and Professional Ethics under the “5+3” Model won the First-Class Achievement Award from Chongqing Medical University. In the field of medical innovation and entrepreneurship, our student teams have won Gold Awards in the Chongqing division of both the 8th and 9th China International “Internet+” College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions. Multiple initiatives have been selected for the Chongqing Medical University 2022 Future Medicine Youth Innovation Group Development Plan. In the field of continuing medical education, as the designated National Training Base for Peripheral Vascular Intervention, the Chongqing Quality Control Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment Hernia and Abdominal Wall Disease, and the permanent organizer of the Cross-Strait Hemodialysis Vascular Access Conference, we host visiting physicians nationwide for regular academic seminars and training sessions on peripheral vascular intervention diagnosis and treatment as well as hemodialysis access establishment. This has cultivated a large number of future vascular surgery professionals from various provinces and municipalities. Since 2018, we have organized over 10 national continuing education programs and nearly 20 peripheral intervention training courses, educating close to 200 visiting physicians from more than ten provinces and municipalities, and have even hosted one foreign physician from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados for further study in peripheral vascular intervention surgery.
In research and scholarly endeavors, since 2018 our center has secured 2 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, 6 provincial and ministerial-level projects, and nearly 10 additional departmental- and university-level projects, resulting in the publication of more than 20 SCI-indexed papers. We have participated in over 10 national multi-center clinical trials involving medical devices and 2 involving pharmaceuticals, and have led three of these trials. Our recent intellectual property achievements includes several national invention patents, notably the Iliac Venous Stent System—now successfully translated into clinical practice—and a Popliteal Artery Covered Stent currently undergoing commercialization. Our faculty regularly present at prestigious international conferences and perform live surgical demonstrations in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Italy, Singapore, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, thereby elevating China’s standing in vascular surgery on the global stage. Simultaneously, we host reciprocal academic exchanges with peers from the United States, Japan, Australia, and other countries, fostering a dynamic and collaborative international network.
Furthermore, our dedication to social medical aid and grassroots healthcare enhancement is unwavering. Department members have contributed to disaster rescue efforts during the Wenchuan and Ya’an Lushan earthquakes. Since 2017, four of our physicians have consecutively undertaken year-long foreign aid assignments at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, offering specialized guidance and support for the clinical management and interventional procedures related to peripheral vascular diseases, and delivering healthcare services to Chinese enterprise employees stationed there. In 2017, our head nurse led a one-and-a-half-year nursing assistance initiative at Changdu People’s Hospital, Tibet, achieving its Grade 3A accreditation and spearheading nursing talent development and rural healthcare support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our nursing staff played pivotal roles in frontline care operations in Wuhan, supported assistance missions in Shanghai and served at Chongqing’s Fangcang hospitals, thereby exemplifying our commitment to public health and emergency medical response.
跳转提示