According to different characteristics of cardiovascular diseases, our cardiovascular unit integrated related medical resources to establish the cardiovascular center, which involves the basic and clinical researches (animal and stem cell); emergency room; the division of radiology, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery; preventive medical center; rehabilitation medicine; Chinese medicine and telemedicine. We also recruit talents at home to provide appropriate interventions for patients with cardiovascular diseases and to achieve extraordinary results both in clinical practice and research.

To provide timely medical services for acute critically cardiovascular emergency patients, we established the first chest pain center in Taiwan in 2009. We have physicians specializing in cardiovascular provide shifts in 24/7 coverage and start emergent cardiology consultation and cardiac catheterization at the first moment to shorten door-to-balloon (D2B) time. We achieved a rapid D2B time of 58 minutes in 2016, which is far shorter than 90 minutes, the goal recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and shorter than 64 minutes, the average among all medical centers in Taiwan. The thrombolysis team was initiated in 2016 and provided 24/7 shifts in emergency room. The thrombolysis team has implemented 150 catheter assisted thrombolysis therapies (EKOS) in one and a half years and successfully treated acute vascular thrombosis in 95% of patients, which is ranked first in Asia.

Our center makes every effort to develop the latest techniques in cardiovascular surgery. In 2015, we established a hybrid operating room, combining interventional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), to implement transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) and transcatheter mitral valve repair with MitraClip. Up to now, we have completed many surgeries and achieve near 100% success rate.

 

Our center has reached the international level in the treatment for arrhythmia. In 2003, we introduced the 3D mapping-guided radiofrequency ablation to keep up with the times. In 2017, we had implemented more than 100 cases of atrial fibrillation ablation, and the success rate of one-year follow-up is about 80% which reached the Asian level and international level. We were also invited to participate in a global clinical trial of atrial fibrillation ablation, ELIMINATE-AF.

 

In order to improve the emergency care for cardiovascular diseases, our center expands our medical services outside the hospital. In 2015, our center practiced the pilot project of intelligent medical services for cardiovascular diseases by Ministry of Health and Welfare. We implemented pre-hospital 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG), transferred patients to appropriate medical centers, initiated a cardiac catheterization immediately and helped government to establish an intelligent information system integrating cross-sectoral emergency care. There were 166 cases of acute cardiovascular diseases between August 15th, 2015 and December 16th, 2015, and 106 of them were successfully implemented pre-hospital 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) and transferred. The success rate of transfer is 100%.

 

 

Since May 2013, our center, cooperating with 17 other hospitals in Taichung, has been promoting THUNDER, the program of registering out-of-hospital sudden death, which lists the incidence rates of out-of-hospital sudden death and risk factors to help government establish an emergency care system. In 2017, the well-known journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, proclaimed that our results had got attention from Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS). In addition, our center was invited to host the program of registering sudden death amongst five countries in the Asia-Pacific region.