Department of General Surgery of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Second Medical University is a key discipline of Shanghai Municipality, a key discipline of “211 Engineering” during the periods of the Ninth and Tenth Five-Year-Plans, a key discipline for construction of the second phase of Shanghai Education Commission, a key discipline of medical leading specialties of Shanghai Municipality of the first and second periods, a medical key discipline of Shanghai Municipality and a training place for masters and Ph. D of surgery and a postdoctoral mobile station. This Discipline consists of O.P.D. of Surgery, Emergency Department of General Surgery, Surgical Wards (10 hospital areas with nearly 300 sickbeds), Shanghai Microtraumatic Surgical Clinical Medical Center, Organ Transplantation Center of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Digestive Surgery Institute, Teaching and Research Section of Surgery, Monitoring Ward of Surgery and Editorial Board of Journal of “Theory and Practice of Surgery”. It is supplied with such specialty project groups as groups of gastrointestinal carcinoma, biliary and pancreatic diseases, hepatoportal disease, organ transplantation, microtraumatic surgery, vascular surgery, surgical intensive care and breast and endocrine surgery etc.. Now the Department has a batch of domestically and internationally famous experts and professors of surgery. More than 10 persons have successively held the posts of director member, deputy director member or member of national surgical association (or academic groups) of gastric carcinoma, carcinoma of colon and rectum, laparoscopy, biliary tract or pancreatic gland, member of Chinese Surgical Association or Shanghai Surgical Association, director member of member of Shanghai General Surgery Association etc., among whom are 8 directors of Ph. D students and 10 directors of master students. The Department has successively undertaken quite a number of major and key projects for tackling key problems at the Municipal and Ministerial levels, solving medical knotty problems one after another, winning multiple scientific and technologic prizes at the State, Municipal and Ministerial levels, forming a key discipline with gastrointestinal carcinoma, severe pancretitis, organ transplantation and microtraumatic surgery as its distinctive features and with comprehensive superiority in all aspects.

Gastrointestinal carcinoma
Since the middle of the 50’s the Department of General Surgery of Ruijin Hospital has admitted in total nearly 6000 cases of gastric carcinoma and over 5000 cases of carcinoma of colon and rectum, both ranking as the largest groups of cases in the country, the total therapeutic effect reaching the international advanced level and taking the lead in the country. The total 5 years’ survival rate for gastric carcinoma is 44% while 5 years’ survival rate after radical operation is 63.8%. The total 5 years’ survival rate for carcinoma of colon and rectum is 60% while 5 years’ survival rate after radical operation is 72%. Anus-protecting operations are performed on the premise of ensuring radical treatment for the enhancement of quality of life. The resection rate for low position carcinoma of rectum is 90%, anus-protecting rate is 42.8% and 5 years’ survival rate is 72.4%, all at the leading levels both at home and abroad.

Severe pancreatitis
The focus of research is to study the pathogenesis of acute necrotic pancreatitis and how to further raise the effect of comprehensive treatment of surgery. From 1985 when it put forward the view of early surgical operation to the middle of the 90’s when short-term blood filter treatment of acute severe pancreatitis was carried out Ruijin Hospital reached the leading level at home in respect of its overall effect in surgical treatment of acute necrotic pancreatitis. It was the first at home to carry out ANP severity grading by means of CT image and put forward ANP “individualized therapeutic program” and popularize it at home. It was the first at home to carry out short-time blood filter treatment of ANP so as to enable the curative rate of acute severe pancreatitis to reach 80%, the leading level at home.

Organ transplantation
Our Department was the earliest unit that successfully carried out clinical liver transplantation and early in 1978 accomplished the first case of liver transplantation and the first case of heart transplantation at home. In 2002 the Organ Transplantation Center was established and a whole set of operative routine for liver transplantation has been formed. Up to now over 120 cases of liver transplantation have been performed, among which are 4 cases of liver transplantation of cleaving type, 70 cases of liver transplantation of a type of carrying on the back, 2 cases of in situ auxiliary liver transplantation, 4 cases of liver and kidney combined transplantation and 6 cases of repeated liver transplantation, and successful liver and intestine combined transplantation and the first case in Asia of transplantation of 7 abdominal organs combined. In addition clinics and clinical basic research of multiple items related to liver transplantation have been carried out. The first domestic liver transplantation of a cleaving type and the first case in Asia of transplantation of 7 abdominal organs combined were respectively rated as among the ten major pieces of news of China Medical Tribune 2002 and of China 2004. The multiple items that the Transplantation Center has carried out are all at the leading level in the country.

Department of Microtraumatic Surgery
Department of Microtraumatic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital is Shanghai Clinic Medical Center and in 1991 successfully carried out the first case of cholecystomy by laparoscopy in East China region and subsequently successfully carried out the domestically first radical resection of rectal carcinoma and the first case of nephrectomy by laparoscopy and carried out quite early at home resection of uterus, appendix, carcinoma of colon and rectum, the major part of stomach all by laparoscopy and resection of carcinoma of mediastinum by thoracoscopy, to date over 10,000 cases and over 40 kinds of operations by laparoscopy in total and carried out a series of scientific research work in the field of microtraumatic surgery. At present the Department of Microtraumatic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital is in the lead in clinical practice, scientific research and teaching, a discipline with considerable influences both at home and abroad. An echelon of trained personnel and a base of research have been basically established. The clinical and basic research of operations by laparoscopy has been unfolded and has borne initial fruits. In 1998 the annual meeting of ELSA was successfully held and the first domestic website of laparoscopy surgery (www.Laparoscopy.com.cn) established. ELSA and Training Center for Microtraumatic Surgery Operations approved by Laparoscopy Academic Group of Chinese Medical Association were established. Since 1993 in total the study classes for operations by laparoscopy have been held 14 times, training 500 surgeons specialized in laparoscopy for 20 provinces, cities and autonomous regions. At present Department of Microtraumatic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital is at the leading level at home in clinical practice, scientific research and teaching, a discipline with considerable influences both at home and abroad and has become one of the first batches of clinical medical centers in Shanghai.