Chonnam National University Hospital Achieves 400 Annual Cases of High-Difficulty Heart Surgery

Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery Team Much Smaller Than Other Hospitals but Achieves Great Results

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Short-Term Mortality Within 1%... Surgical Safety Secured

Chonnam National University Hospital announced on the 26th that its Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery achieved 400 cases of high-difficulty heart surgeries, including heart transplants and coronary artery bypass grafting, last year.

This record ranks second in regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area, following Yangsan Busan National University Hospital.

The Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Chonnam National University Hospital performed 403 heart surgeries last year, including 158 cases of coronary artery bypass grafting, 123 valve surgeries, 59 aortic surgeries, and 14 heart transplants.

Since recording 394 cases in 2021, cardiovascular and thoracic heart surgeries have shown steady growth. This figure includes only high-difficulty heart surgeries excluding simple vascular surgeries, reflecting not only an increase in the number of surgeries but also a qualitative improvement in surgical outcomes.

In particular, coronary artery bypass grafting achieved a short-term mortality rate of under 1% last year, securing top-level safety. Despite challenges such as declining birth rates, the hospital has maintained over 30 congenital heart surgeries annually, fulfilling its role as a regional hub hospital for pediatric heart disease patients.

This achievement by the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Chonnam National University Hospital demonstrates its capability as a regional base hospital to independently manage emergency and severe patients amid the outflow of patients to the metropolitan area and the crisis of regional essential medical service collapse. Moreover, this accomplishment is even more noteworthy considering it was achieved despite a critically insufficient number of medical staff, with only five cardiovascular and thoracic surgery professors and three residents (with zero applicants for 2024).

The Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery provides consistent treatment to local residents for adult and pediatric heart conditions, heart transplants, and even lung transplants through efficient collaboration among medical staff, application of the latest medical technologies, and patient-centered care policies. In addition to heart surgeries, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and severe trauma surgeries also show treatment outcomes at the highest domestic level.

Lee Gyo-seon, head of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, stated, “Currently, essential medical departments treating vital organs face various difficulties, but with a sense of mission and hospital support, the number of heart surgeries and treatment success rates have steadily increased over the past decade.” He added, “We will continue to introduce the latest technologies and pursue therapeutic innovations to overcome the challenges ahead.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.