In recent years, cardiovascular surgery has developed rapidly in Sichuan province, and hospitals capable of performing cardiovascular surgery have continued to grow and stabilize, driven by West China Hospital of Sichuan University and other widely influential hospitals in China. In addition to the qualitative and quantitative breakthroughs in conventional valve surgery and coronary surgery, it maintains strong momentum in the development and innovation of new technologies.

However, due to uneven development among medical institutions in different areas, cardiovascular surgery departments at the prefecture-level and county-level hospitals are in urgent need of relevant technical exchange and training to shorten the learning curve and improve the treatment standard. In this context, in order to fully promote and popularize the experience and technology of the major centers in the province, the inaugural meeting of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, sponsored by Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association (SCIMEA), was successfully held on October 14, 2022 in a combination of online and offline methods, aiming to strengthen the communication and collaboration between areas and improve the standard of treatment of practitioners. 

Scene of the meeting

The meeting was attended by Prof. Guo Yingqiang from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Ms. Zhang Mengfan, Secretary General of SCIMEA, Prof. An Qi from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Prof. Xiang Daokang from Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Director Wen Zili from Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital, Director Liu Jian from the People’s Hospital of Jinyang City, Prof. Huang Keli from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Prof. Lai Yinglong from  the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Prof. Lin Ke from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Prof. Luo Yong from the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu. Prof. Luo Yong from the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Prof. Wu Zhong from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Prof. Zhang Yongcheng from Suining Central Hospital and other experts and professors attended this inaugural meeting. In addition, due to the epidemic prevention and control, Prof. Xiao Yingbin from Army Medical University, Prof. Li Yaxiong, Kunming Yan’an Hospital, Prof. Liu Jinping from Wuhan Zhongnan Hospital and some members of the branch were unable to attend the meeting in person, but they participated in the inaugurating meeting online. 

‘Prof. Guo Yingqiang from West China Hospital of Sichuan University delivers a report on the preparatory work.

The first item of the inaugural meeting was a preparatory report by Prof. Guo Yingqiang, one of the initiators of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of SCIMEA. The report mainly covered three sectors, namely, “initiation and purpose of the branch”, “preparatory work process”, and “candidate members and units”. According to Prof. Guo, cardiovascular disease has been listed as one of the four chronic diseases, with particularly serious risk factors and disease trends of the population. The discipline suffers from uneven development, especially in the western region, and the medical resources for cardiovascular diseases are rather concentrated, showing greatly varied quality of medical care between different regions. In some regions, the development of the discipline even still relies on personal experience and mentorship. He hoped that through the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of SCIMEA will take the lead in fully promoting and popularizing the technology and experience of the major centers represented by West China Hospital in the province, and maintain close contact with the grassroots hospitals, with the core goal of maximizing patient benefit and promoting the overall development of cardiovascular surgery in Sichuan.

Mr. Tong Yubo, Director of Academic Conference Affairs Department of SCIMEA, organizes the election.

Later, Tong Yubo, Director of Academic Conference Affairs Department of SCIMEA, organized the election of the branch and read out the results. And the leaders at all levels of the branch were elected at the scene according to the election provisions in the Articles of Association of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association. As a result, 9 experts including Prof. Fu Li were elected as advisors of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, Prof. An Qi as honorary president, Prof. Guo Yingqiang as president, 7 experts including Huang Keli as vice president, 32 experts including Cheng Lijian and Cheng Yuanjian as members of the standing committee, 122 experts including Bai Shanglin and Cao Anqiang as members, as well as Liu Shengzhong and Shi Junren as secretaries.

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan reads out and awards the approval for the establishment of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch.

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan read out the “Approval for the Establishment of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association”, and awarded the approval for the establishment to the newly-elected president Prof. Guo Yingqiang. 

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan awards the letter of appointment to the representative of advisors of the branch.

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan awards the letter of appointment to the honorary president Prof. An Qi of the branch.

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan awards the letter of appointment to the president Prof. Guo Yingqiang of the branch.

Honorary President Prof. An Qi and President Prof. Guo Yingqiang award the letters of appointment to the vice presidents of the branch.

President Prof. Guo Yingqiang and the vice presidents award the letters of appointment to the members of the standing committee of the branch.

President Prof. Guo Yingqiang award the letters of appointment to the secretaries of the branch.

Prof. An Qi, honorary president of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of SCIMEA, delivers a speech.

In his speech, Prof. An Qi, honorary president of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of SCIMEA, expressed his sincere thanks to all the experts and staff who supported and helped the establishment of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, and hoped that all the experts would make good use of the collaborative platform of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch to provide academic exchanges, technical discussions and basic training channels for practitioners in the field of cardiac surgery in Sichuan, and actively carry out academic meetings, international exchanges and personnel training activities, which will definitely contribute to improving the diagnosis and treatment in the field of cardiovascular surgery in Sichuan. 

Prof. Guo Yingqiang, president of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of SCIMEA, delivers a speech.

Prof. Guo Yingqiang, the newly elected president of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, spoke on behalf of all the members of the branch, saying that along with the advancement of medical science, the innovation of medical technology and the continuous exploration of clinical medicine, the cardiovascular surgery is undergoing a major change, which is both an opportunity and a challenge. We must ride the wave of technological innovation and even achieve corner overtaking in some fields; we must always make the maximum benefit for patients the most important goal for doctors.

Prof. Guo Yingqiang noted that all members should respond to the call of the times, grasp the opportunities and meet the challenges of the times. In the future, under the leadership of SCIMEA, the branch will develop, cultivate and recommend practitioners with outstanding achievements in their professional work by actively carrying out academic exchanges and training in cardiovascular surgery, formulating medium and long-term academic activity plans, carrying out continuing education and technical training for the grassroots. The branch will further grow, and at the same time establish talent training plans and echelon building programs, so as to ultimately achieve the goal of a win-win situation for both the organization and the talents. 

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan gives an introduction on SCIMEA.

Secretary General Zhang Mengfan of SCIMEA delivered a speech and introduced the relevant information of the SCIMEA. She also expressed her warm congratulations on behalf of the SCIMEA on the official establishment of the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch. She introduced that SCIMEA is committed to encouraging international medical exchange and cooperation, facilitating academic exchange and discipline development, and promoting the service-based, platform-oriented industry organization that focusing on integration of industry resources and value transformation. SCIMEA will give full play to the advantages of the industry platform, and constantly match industry development resources. Moreover, SCIMEA will, based on the needs of the experts, continue to provide more professional and precise services for the experts and the Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, jointly promote the discipline construction and clinical research of cardiovascular surgery, and contribute to the construction of a healthy Sichuan and a healthy China.

Group photo of some online members

Group photo

The Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of SCIMEA will build a platform for communication and collaboration among practitioners in the field of cardiovascular surgery, establish a mechanism for monitoring and improving medical quality, and reduce the differences in treatment levels between regions; take clinical problems as the guide and maximize patient benefits as the goal, discover and train excellent staff in this discipline and specialty; maintain close technical communication with the  grassroots hospitals, and promote the overall development of cardiovascular surgery and the overall improvement of medical quality in the province.

Annex: Member List of Cardiovascular Surgery Branch