The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University is a national clinical key specialty construction project, a clinical key specialty of the Jilin Provincial Health Department, a designated interventional therapy center for heart diseases by the Jilin Provincial Health Department, the Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Cardiovascular Diseases of Jilin University, one of the first batch of training bases for coronary interventional therapy designated by the Ministry of Health, one of the first batch of training bases for arrhythmia interventional therapy designated by the Ministry of Health, the Quality Control Center for Coronary Interventional Therapy in Jilin Province under the Ministry of Health, and a national clinical drug trial base. It is a comprehensive department integrating medical treatment, teaching, scientific research, and prevention. It holds a leading position in the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases in the province, is the leading department in the field of interventional cardiology in Jilin Province, and enjoys a high reputation in Northeast China and even nationwide.

The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine boasts a group of nationally renowned experts and professors with superb medical skills, as well as world-class advanced diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. The department currently has 8 professors and chief physicians, 9 associate professors and associate chief physicians, 2 doctoral supervisors, and 13 master's supervisors.

Professor Liu Bin, the academic leader, also serves as a member of the Electrophysiology and Pacing Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, a youth member of the Cardiovascular Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, a youth member of the Rhythm Branch of the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering, a standing committee member of the Cardiovascular Physician Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, a member of the Heart Failure Professional Group of the Cardiovascular Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, a member of the Expert Guidance Committee for the Management Standards of Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment Techniques for Arrhythmias of the Chinese Medical Association, a review expert for the National Natural Science Foundation of China, director of the Quality Control Center for Coronary Interventional Therapy in Jilin Province under the Ministry of Health, tutor of the Training Base for Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases under the Ministry of Health, vice chairman of the Atherosclerosis Professional Committee of the Jilin Provincial Association of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, chairman of the Electrophysiology and Pacing Branch of the Jilin Provincial Medical Association, chairman of the Excellent Specialty Branch of the Jilin Provincial Medical Association, council member of the Jilin Provincial Medical Association, vice chairman of the Evidence-Based Medicine Professional Committee of the Jilin Provincial Medical Doctor Association, technical appraisal expert for medical accidents of the Changchun Medical Association, and visiting professor of the Medtronic University Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management College. He also serves as executive editor of the Chinese Journal of Modern Internal Medicine and Chinese Journal of Laboratory Diagnosis. Due to his outstanding personal achievements, he has been awarded the second-level "Top Innovative Talent" in the Jilin Provincial health system, one of the Top Ten Physicians of Jilin University, one of the Top Ten Outstanding Youths of Jilin University, and the Eighth Jilin Provincial Youth Science and Technology Award, among other honors.

The department currently has 4 wards and 1 monitoring room, with 216 beds. It boasts first-class ward facilities and medical equipment, including a cardiovascular outpatient clinic, cardiac ultrasound, cardiovascular function room, cardiovascular wards (including CCU monitoring ward), and cardiac catheterization room. It has two domestically leading cardiovascular interventional catheterization rooms equipped with the world's most advanced large-scale cardiovascular interventional diagnosis and treatment systems and various other medical equipment, including: Siemens digital subtraction flat-panel vascular angiography machines, sixty-four-lead electrophysiology recorders, three-dimensional mapping navigation systems (CARTO), intravascular ultrasound, FFR, cardiac program stimulators and hemodynamic monitoring systems, external temporary pacemakers, radiofrequency instruments, IABP, large ultra-low temperature centrifuges, gel imaging systems, treadmill systems, defibrillators, color ultrasound diagnostic systems, central monitoring systems, and multi-lead electrophysiology recorders.

The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine has extensive clinical experience in the treatment of critically ill and complex cardiovascular diseases. It was the first in Jilin Province to carry out a comprehensive range of cardiac interventional therapies, making it the leading department in the field of interventional cardiology in the province with the most procedures, the most cases, and the highest success rate. Currently, the department performs coronary interventional diagnosis and therapy via radial and femoral arteries, radiofrequency ablation for tachyarrhythmias, catheter radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation (under the guidance of the CARTO mapping system), implantation of complex and various types of permanent pacemakers (including ICDs and biventricular pacemakers), interventional closure for congenital heart diseases (atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus), interventional therapy for major vascular diseases (aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection), and percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation (PTSMA) for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The department receives a large number of patients with complex and critical conditions from within the province and surrounding areas each year. Over the past three years, complex cases accounted for 31.6% of all admitted patients, while critical cases such as acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, acute heart failure, and hypertensive crisis accounted for 11.8%. The cure and improvement rate of patients is as high as 96%. Meanwhile, the department actively assists lower-level hospitals in developing and improving interventional diagnosis and treatment for heart diseases.

Over the past three years, the department has undertaken 3 sub-projects of the National Eleventh Five-Year Plan, 1 sub-project of the 863 Program, and nearly 40 projects from the National Natural Science Foundation, the Wu Jieping Medical Foundation, and provincial-level scientific research projects. The total available research funding is approximately 5 million yuan. In 2011, it received 5 million yuan in funding from the Ministry of Health for the National Clinical Key Specialty. It has obtained 2 national invention patents and edited or contributed to over 10 high-level academic works. The department has won 1 first prize for scientific and technological achievements from the Health Department, 2 second prizes for scientific and technological progress from Jilin Province, 2 third prizes for scientific and technological progress from Jilin Province, 3 prizes for scientific and technological achievements from Jilin Province, 1 first prize for scientific and technological progress from the city, 1 second prize in the Jilin Provincial Invention Creation Competition, 1 seventh Jilin Provincial Natural Science Academic Achievement Award, 7 second prizes for medical achievements from Jilin University, and 5 third prizes for medical achievements from Jilin University. It has published over 70 papers, presented over 30 at academic conferences, and had over 10 papers included in SCI, EI, and ISTP.

The department regularly invites internationally renowned interventional experts for academic exchanges. It currently has friendly cooperation relationships with the Cardiovascular Center of Hyogo University in Japan, the Cardiovascular Disease Research Center of the University of Ottawa in Canada, the Cardiac Research Center of the University of Munich in Germany, the Columbia University Heart Center in the USA, the Texas Heart Institute in the USA, the Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute of the University of Kentucky in the USA, and the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of the National Taiwan University Hospital. These collaborations ensure that cardiovascular interventional techniques remain at the domestic leading level. The department systematically arranges for young and middle-aged physicians to pursue advanced studies in advanced diagnosis and treatment techniques. Each physician attends about 6-8 domestic conferences per year, and about 15 physicians are sent to international cardiovascular conferences each year. Gradually, teams for coronary interventional therapy, arrhythmia interventional therapy, and structural heart disease interventional therapy have been formed.

Leveraging the advantages of being a key specialty of the Jilin Provincial Health Department and a national clinical key specialty project, the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine will continue to strictly comply with relevant regulations, further strengthen disciplinary construction, play a demonstrative and leading role as a key specialty of the Jilin Provincial Health Department and a national clinical key specialty, and improve the level of cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment across the province.