Develop healthcare beyond borders together. Prof. LU Shichun, Director of Surgery and of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, and Dr. HUANG Jijun, Associate Chief Physician of the Department of Orthopedics from the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital respectively headed to the Gro?hadern Campus of University Hospital of Munich (LMU Klinikum) and Sch?n Klinik München Harlaching, Germany, for visiting fellowship.

International Exchange for Development with Concerted Efforts

In the latter half of August, 2024, Prof. LU Shichun, Director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, headed to the Gro?hadern Campus of LMU Klinikum, Germany, to conduct a visiting fellowship. The LMU Klinikum is one of the worldly-known hospitals in medical field and ranks among the top in terms of healthcare and scientific research in Germany and even Europe. As of 2023, the University of Munich is associated with 44 Nobel laureates.

During the visiting fellowship, Director LU Shichun will learn thoracic surgical techniques following Prof. Rudolf A. Hatz, an internationally-known thoracic surgeon from the LMU Klinikum, Germany. Prof. Hatz is the Director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery of LMU Klinikum, Chief Physician of the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Asklepios Lung Clinic Gauting, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), and the Congress President for the German Society for Thoracic Surgery Congress 2017. He focuses on lung transplantation (his team performs more than 100 lung transplantation per year), conventional, minimally invasive (MIS), and interventional treatment for lung, mediastinum and chest wall. Now, he is also a member of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and the Head of the Munich Lung Transplant Group.

Director LU Shichun's first impression of Germany is German people's friendliness to Chinese people and its advanced manufacturing industry and healthcare system. Especially at the LMU Klinikum, Director Lu was impressed by the up-to-date equipment, standardized management, high digitalization, and the clear responsibilities and smooth workflow of different occupational groups. In addition, the hospital emphasizes patients’ privacy and human care, which enable them to build a harmonious relationship between doctors and patients. These all worth learning.

Upon reaching the Gro?hadern Campus of LMU Klinikum, Director Lu participated in ward rounds of the Department of Thoracic Surgery together with local surgeons and fully got to know the diagnosis and treatment process of the hospital. On the day, Director Lu also observed a thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy by Prof. Hatz. The next day, Prof. Hatz performed a surgery for a patient with a massive sarcoma in the left chest which invaded three branches of the aortic arch. As the lesion was not controlled after conservative treatment, Prof. Hatz decided to perform an open resection. During the operation, an extracorporeal circulation machine was stand-by in the OR for a possible instant transfer to the ICU. With Prof. Hatz’s delicate dissection, the tumor was completely resected after eight hours with about 600ml blood loss. Director Lu was impressed by the fine technique of Prof. Hatz.

The “Training Course for Minimally Invasive Cardio-Thoracic Surgical Techniques & Sino-German Symposium on Cardio-Thoracic Surgery” will be held in November in Yangzhou, with Prof. Hatz specially invited to give lectures and surgical demonstration. This is to further improve the clinical and nursing skills of cardio-thoracic surgery of relevant professionals in Yangzhou City and central Jiangsu region, progress the application of minimally invasive techniques in cardio-thoracic surgical field, and enhance academic exchanges on theory and practice. 

Academic Exchange and Mutual Promotion

Dr. HUANG Jijun, Associate Chief Surgeon of the Department of Orthopedics of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital also had a fellowship in the same city as Director Lu is in now. Dr. Huang headed to Sch?n Klinik München Harlaching for exchanges in June this year and just returned from the fellowship recently.

As one of the best-known orthopedics hospitals in Munich, Sch?n Klinik München Harlaching has great influence in orthopedics. The hospital specializes in orthopedics, neuroorthopedics, rehabilitation, etc., and brings health and hope to patients with outstanding medical skills and advanced concepts. It is the most authoritative orthopedics hospital in Sch?n Klinik Group, and has a long history, excellent medical staff and state-of-the-art medical equipment.

Dr. HUANG Jijun conducted the fellowship invited by Prof. Christoph J. Siepe, Cheif Physician of the Spine Center of Sch?n Klinik München Harlaching. Specialized in minimally invasive spine surgery, Prof. Siepe is proficient in endoscopic and microscopic spine surgery, and is expert in performing complex minimally invasive cervical and lumbar spine surgery. 

During the fellowship, Dr. Huang observed cervical and lumbar spine endoscopic and microscopic surgeries. In the surgeries, he saw that the fine structure of cervical and lumbar spine was clearly exposed under spinal endoscope and microscope, enabling the surgeons to locate the lesion more accurately and perform more delicate surgical techniques. Endoscopic techniques, with their minimally invasive nature, bring less trauma and faster recovery to patients, and lay the foundation for future application of similar techniques.

Dr. Huang and the local colleagues shared with each other their experience and insights on microscopy and endoscopy, uniportal and biportal endoscopy, and treatment for simple and complex cases. From the exchanges with the team, Dr. Huang gained a deeper understanding of advanced technology and future development in spine surgery.

Apart from observing surgeries at the hospital, Dr. Huang also participated in several of them. During the surgeries, he witnessed the exquisite skills and rigorous attitude of the German colleagues, which also gave him a brand new understanding of minimally invasive spine surgery. The advanced concepts and innovative methods of Sch?n Klinik München Harlaching, as well as its rich experience in patient management, teamwork, and scientific research and innovation, made Dr. Huang feel that he has benefited a lot from this trip to Germany. 

For all the time, the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital has attached great importance to hospital management, specialty construction and talent cultivation, adheres to the talent cultivation strategy of "Bringing In and Going Global", and constantly enhances international communication and collaboration. This time, the two experts' visit to Germany are not only about exchange of techniques, but also the fusion of cultures. This two-way exchange and interaction has strengthened both parties' belief in serving patients. They will further develop to better serve patients, and strive to create a better healthcare system hand in hand in the future.