Sixty years' innovative development of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

Abstract

The Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Fouth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital (the former 304th hospital of PLA) was established in 1958 as one of the earliest specialized burn departments in China. In the pioneering efforts of professor Sheng Zhiyong, an internationally renowned authority in burn surgery and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, several generations of the department represented by Zhu Zhaoming, GuoZhenrong, Chai Jiake, Yang Hongming, and Shen Chuan'an have worked hard from inheritance to innovation. The Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery has evolved from a simple treatment-oriented department to a military priority built discipline, a military burn research institute, a national key clinical specialty and a national key discipline which integrates treatment, scientific research, achievement transformation, and talent training. At present, our department has 300 beds in total, and we have our own outpatient and emergency service, registration and toll service, 7 operation rooms, medical cosmetics center, hair transplantation center, rehabilitation and physical exercise center, skin care center, and specialized laboratory. In recent years, we have treated more than 70 000 emergency patients and outpatients every year, admitted over 6 500 inpatients annually, and conducted more than 9 000 operations yearly. Our department ranks among the top in the specialized departments with the same size across the country. Our burn cure rate stands at 99.5%, and 50% lethal area is 98% total body surface area, ranking in the international leading level.