This hospital ranked 14th among the top 100 hospitals in China in 2015.34 It averages 5,900 outpatients per day and had been the top hospital in Beijing for 8 consecutive years (1998-2005).35 It claims that its organ transplant capabilities have led the country continuously.36

The hospital began conducting liver transplant research in the 1970s. Several of its liver transplant team members have studied abroad. It officially launched clinical liver transplantation in May 2000 and subsequently began performing kidney and combined kidney-pancreas transplants. Organ transplantation has become a routine operation at this hospital. Under the support of academician Han Qide, director of the Peking University Health Science Center and vice chairman of the National People’s Congress, its organ transplant center was formally established in October 2001.37

Liver Transplantation

In December 2005, its liver transplant center moved to the new surgical building with 470 beds, enabling greater development opportunities. 38 39 Liver transplantation has become routine surgery for treating end-stage liver diseases at the hospital. The liver transplant center has become an important part of the hospital; its effectiveness and number of liver transplants lead the country.40

Team members:

  • 12 liver surgeons, including 2 professors, 2 associate professors
  • 6 attending physicians, including 5 with doctorate degrees and 4 with master’s degrees
  • 6 transplantation anesthesiologists, including 2 with advanced titles and 4 with intermediate titles
  • 4 transplant ICU doctors, including 2 with advanced titles and 2 with intermediate titles
  • 2 ultrasonography doctors
  • 2 radiological intervention doctors

The team also includes pathologists, internists, clinical laboratory physicians, and a coordinator responsible for communications between the doctors and patients.41 42

Professor Zhang Tonglin, director of the general surgery department and a PhD advisor,43 44 performed more than 200 liver transplants between 1999 and 2006. He studied organ transplantation at Ochsner Foundation Hospital. After returning to China, he conducted clinical transplantation research. By 2006, he had finished multiple projects under the National Natural Science Foundation and the Ministry of Education “211” Engineering Program. He had published more than 60 articles and mentored 8 masters’ and 9 doctoral graduates.45 His profile on the hospital’s website has not been updated since 2006.

Kidney Transplantation

The hospital performed its first successful kidney transplant in 1998.46 In 2001, its number of kidney transplants ranked third in Beijing, making it one of the largest kidney transplant centers in China. Its transplant volume has increased year over year. In 2004, its kidney transplant volume ranked first in Beijing.47 Its kidney transplantation has a “high success rate and standardized postoperative management” and has attracted patients from all over China.48

Transplant Volume

Its transplant center’s website stated that, in 2001, it exceeded 100 kidney transplants per year and ranked third in Beijing.49 In 2004, it performed 185 kidney transplants, ranking first in Beijing and citing “widespread organ donor sources.”50 As of December 2009, it had reached a total of more than 1,200 kidney transplants.51 Based on the Third Hospital’s scale and qualifications, it should be fairly close to Peking University People’s Hospital (the two ranked 14th and 9th, respectively, in the top 100 hospitals in China in 2015).

According to Zhu Jiye, director of the Peking University People’s Hospital’s organ transplant center, the People’s Hospital had performed 4,000 kidney

transplants that year. The Third Hospital, with its “widespread organ donor sources,” most likely performed well over its claimed 100 kidney transplants per year (a figure for which one surgeon would more than suffice).

Ma Lulin, director of its urologic surgery department, standing member of the Chinese Medical Association Urologic Surgery Subcommittee, and leader of its Kidney Transplantation Study Group, has worked in kidney transplantation for a long time. Ma has completed over 1,200 kidney transplants and dozens of combined pancreas-duodenum-kidney transplants.52

Professor Ma Lulin and associate chief physician Hou Xiaofei studied at the world’s earliest and most prolific hospital for pancreas transplants—University of Minnesota in the United States. They began performing combined pancreas-kidney transplants in 2001. The hospital is among those with the highest quantity and best results of such transplants domestically.53 54

The department has 8 chief physicians/professors (including one PhD advisor), 8 associate chief physicians/associate professors, and 5 attending physicians.55

Between 2002 and 2004, the department conducted three national-level organ transplant training classes (including kidney, pancreatic, liver, and other types of transplants) and trained a large number of clinical transplant professionals.56