HERITAGE & OVERVIEW
Critical care medicine is an emerging discipline in modern medicine and an important marker of medical advancement. It has undergone a journey from non-existence to establishment worldwide. In China, adhering to the consistent spirit of 'rigorous pursuit of excellence and diligent dedication' of Peking Union Medical College, Professor Chen Dechang established the first enhanced medical ward in 1982, systematically introducing critical care medicine to China, becoming the most important founder and pioneer of critical care medicine in the country. Peking Union Medical College Hospital's Department of Critical Care Medicine has also become one of the most important critical care centers in China.
Over decades of challenges, relying on the strong medical, educational, and research capabilities of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, under the consistent leadership of the department head and the unremitting efforts of all staff, the Department of Critical Care Medicine has experienced a difficult journey from inception to growth, from infancy to maturity. Today, it has become an important critical care center and a continuing education center for medical and nursing professionals in the country; it has developed a complete talent pipeline, outstanding academic standards, excellent medical technology, and strong research capabilities, forming an excellent team that truly integrates medical care, education, and research, with a high reputation both domestically and internationally.
Overview and Scale of the ICU Department:
The ICU has 81 staff members, including 19 doctors and 62 nurses. There is 1 full professor; 1 expert receiving special government allowances; 1 visiting professor; 2 associate professors; 8 attending physicians; and 8 resident physicians. There are 27 undergraduate nursing students, with the rest being graduates of higher nursing programs.
The ICU is systematically laid out across the East and West campuses, equipped with modern positive and negative pressure laminar flow monitoring units and internationally advanced life support equipment. The East campus also features an internationally advanced digital ward, providing patients with more accurate, convenient, and rapid services.
90% of the patients admitted to the ICU come from various clinical departments of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, while some patients are referred from external hospitals (within the city or from other provinces). Through the collaborative efforts of the busy medical staff, countless critically ill patients have been rescued, and a series of diagnostic and treatment protocols have been developed, continuously improving the level of medical care.
Century-Old Heritage · Premier Specialties
Ranked second in the national reputation list for critical care medicine specialties. The discipline's founder, Professor Chen Dechang, established China's first Intensive Care Unit (ICU) here. In 2025, a Critical Care Center will be established by integrating high-quality critical care resources from the entire hospital, playing a pivotal role in national major public health emergencies and critical illness rescue.
CLINICAL SCOPE
EXCELLENCE IN CARE
Focused on precise hemodynamic monitoring, integrating mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal life support (ECMO), and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) to implement multi-organ protection and goal-directed resuscitation.
Goal-directed shock resuscitation and a precise hemodynamic monitoring system represented by pulse contour cardiac output (PiCCO)
Bedside emergency rescue and safe long-distance transport for severe respiratory and circulatory failure supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
Bedside continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and hybrid blood purification techniques to remove inflammatory factors
Precision Critical Care Ultrasound for real-time dynamic pathophysiological assessment of multiple organs
Integrated management of early neurocognitive and motor function rehabilitation in critical care
MEDICAL MASTERS
Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
National leader in critical care medicine and Vice President of PUMCH. World-renowned authority on septic shock hemodynamics, ARDS lung-protective ventilation, and public health emergency rescue.
Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
Discipline founder of modern Chinese critical care hemodynamics, establishing fundamental monitoring algorithms and guiding national critical care protocols.
Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
Expert in ECMO extracorporeal life support, lung-protective ventilation, prone positioning for severe ARDS, and CRRT blood purification.
Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
National leader in critical care ultrasound (CCUS), microcirculatory monitoring, and critical obstetric resuscitation.
Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
Specializes in sepsis immunophenotyping, precision CRRT dosing, acute respiratory failure, and ICU clinical informatics.
PUMCH International Medical Services provides outpatient appointments, multidisciplinary MDT consultations, and inpatient care enquiries.
PEKING UNION MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL