Professor Wu Qingyu has been engaged in clinical practice and basic research in cardiovascular surgery for over 40 years. He has made significant achievements and innovations in the fields of congenital heart disease, coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, great vessel diseases, and left ventricular assist devices. In particular, his surgical outcomes in coronary heart disease, valvular disease, and complex congenital heart defects have reached a world-leading level.
He pioneered multiple novel surgical procedures for complex cardiac malformations internationally. His anatomic repair technique for Ebstein’s anomaly was recognized as a major breakthrough in the treatment of the disease by Professor Roger B. B. Mee, a world-renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon from Cleveland Clinic. In 2004, a surgical team led by Professor Joseph A. Dearani from Mayo Clinic visited Wu’s center specifically to learn this technique. To date, Professor Wu is the most experienced and effective cardiac surgeon globally in treating Ebstein’s anomaly, having been invited abroad six times for surgical demonstrations.
He raised the success rate of total correction surgery for tetralogy of Fallot from approximately 90% to over 99%, maintaining this level to date and reaching international standards. His principles and surgical methods for treating tetralogy of Fallot continue to guide clinical practice. Related research was published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and Professor C. W. Lillehei, one of the founders of cardiac surgery, stated in an invited commentary that the conclusions were accurate and that the surgical outcomes may be the best ever reported in English-language literature.
Through extensive clinical experience, Professor Wu was the first in China to solve key technical issues in coronary artery bypass grafting, trained numerous professionals, and promoted the technique widely through various workshops. In 2000, he became the first in China to livestream an entire CABG procedure online. Since 1993, he has performed more than 3,500 surgeries on complex and critical coronary heart disease patients, with a success rate exceeding 99.5%. As principal investigator, his project “Clinical and Basic Research to Improve Outcomes of Coronary Artery Surgery” won the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2002.
Since 1990, he has been a pioneer in China, successfully performing a wide range of high-risk surgeries, including double-switch operations, Ross procedures, implantation of left ventricular assist devices followed by heart transplantation for end-stage coronary heart disease, among others – a total of 26 types of complex procedures, all of which were successful.
In 2014, he performed an arterial switch operation for a newborn with complete transposition of the great arteries just two hours after birth, who recovered well post-surgery.
In 2008, he successfully performed corrective surgery on another newborn with the same condition, just 11 hours after birth.
In 2006, he performed a corrective operation for a patient with an extremely rare and complex combination of heart defects (dextrocardia, left transposition of the great arteries, single atrium, double outlet left ventricle, complete endocardial cushion defect, pulmonary valve and subvalvular stenosis, and persistent left superior vena cava) accompanied by asplenia syndrome. This surgery was unprecedented worldwide. The child is currently developing well.
In March 2005, he set a national record by using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for 17 consecutive days to save a dying patient with severe hypoxemia after a double outlet left ventricle operation. This remains the longest ECMO use in China, offering valuable experience in treating severe cardiopulmonary conditions.
In March 2001, he was the first in China to implant a permanent left ventricular assist device in a patient with end-stage heart failure. Twenty-five months later, he successfully performed a heart transplant on the same patient. This remains the longest duration of left ventricular assist support prior to successful heart transplant in China, and one of the very few successful cases in Asia.
In 2001, he successfully carried out an exceptionally complex double-switch operation (atrium and ventricle) to provide a new approach for correcting transposition of the great arteries.
In 1999, he was the first to perform a successful bidirectional Glenn procedure without cardiopulmonary bypass.
In 1998, he introduced the Ross procedure. As it involves replacement of the aortic and pulmonary roots and reimplantation of coronary arteries, it is considered one of the most difficult cardiac surgeries. He adapted and improved the method based on international experience, achieving better results than traditional valve replacement.
In 1998, he performed a combined CABG and idiopathic cardiomyopathy surgery.
In 1997, he was the first worldwide to report on the surgical treatment and outcomes of interventricular septal dissection aneurysm, and explored its pathogenesis.
In 1997, he improved the conventional surgical methods for aortic arch interruption or coarctation with intracardiac malformations, enabling one-stage repair instead of staged procedures and significantly improving success rates.
In 1997, he successfully performed pulmonary endarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, pioneering surgical treatment in this field.
In 1994, he successfully performed a heart-lung transplant. The patient, suffering from end-stage cardiopulmonary disease, survived for 15 days post-operation before passing due to infection and complications, setting a national survival record at the time.
