Introduction

The Hand and Reconstructive Surgery Department is a traditional and prominent specialty within the National Orthopedics Clinical Medical Center of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital. Renowned for its microsurgical techniques, the department specializes in replantation and reconstruction of severed fingers and limbs, repair of various soft tissue defects, and functional reconstruction of bones and joints. Founded under the guidance of Academician Chen Zhongwei, Professor Qian Yunqing, and Professor Yu Zhongjia, and further developed under the leadership of former directors Professor Chai Yimin and Professor Fan Cunyi, the department has achieved remarkable progress. It is hailed as "the cradle of limb replantation in China" and has become "the largest replantation center in the world." Currently, the department is headed by Professor Liu Shen, a recipient of the National Outstanding Youth Fund. The department boasts 48 specialized doctors and 72 approved hospital beds, with an additional 29 beds dedicated to limb replantation wards. The annual surgical volume reaches nearly 10,000 cases, with over 43% being major surgeries. Each year, the department performs more than 2,700 limb (and finger) replantation surgeries, with a success rate exceeding 97%.

Department Construction

The Hand and Reconstructive Surgery Department consists of 6 chief surgeons, 11 associate chief surgeons, 19 attending surgeons and 12 residents, including 5 doctoral supervisors and 6 master's supervisors.

In 1963, Professor Chen Zhongwei and Professor Qian Yunqing successfully performed the first international medical case of limb replanting at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, and since then, the hospital has been known as the "cradle of limb replanting in China." After several generations of unremitting efforts, the department has constantly innovated in the field of microsurgery and has built itself into a comprehensive discipline integrating clinical medical care, scientific research, and teaching. The discipline takes "repairing defects, restoring function, and improving appearance" as its mission and focuses on the directions of replanting amputated limbs and fingers and restoring hand function, reconstructing tissue and function after limb trauma and correcting limb deformities. In particular, it has distinctive features in the application of microsurgical techniques for the complex tissue defect repair and functional reconstruction of limbs, which has a high degree of recognition both at home and abroad. The discipline also provides treatment for upper limb fractures and artificial joint replacement to restore shoulder, elbow, and finger joint functions; arthroscopy of the elbow and wrist to treat joint injuries and diseases; repair and treatment of nerve and tendon injuries after limb trauma; correction and functional reconstruction of limb deformities caused by trauma or congenital defects; and treatment of diabetic foot. The relevant technologies have reached the international advanced level and filled many gaps in related fields both domestically and internationally.

International Exchange

Members of the department serve as committee members and vice secretary-general of the Asian-Pacific Reconstructive Microsurgery Society China Branch, and serve as editorial board members of several authoritative academic journals, including Nano-Micro Letters, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Microsurgery, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Biomedical Research International, Advanced Fiber Materials, Materials Horizons, Journal of Orthopaedic Translation, Materials Today Bio, Chinese Journal of Microsurgery, Chinese Journal of Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery, Chinese Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Chinese Journal of Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, and Trauma Surgery.

Academic research

The Hand and Reconstructive Surgery Department takes clinical research as its mainstay while integrating it with basic research. It has hosted 80 provincial and ministerial-level projects, including key projects of the National Science and Technology Major Project, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission. It has published over 800 SCI papers, over 260 core Chinese journal papers, compiled over 50 books, published 8 expert consensus statements, and obtained over 20 patents for invention and over 100 patents for utility models.

In 1978, Professor Yu Zhongjia successfully developed the "technique for reconstructing a hand or a complete finger," which was hailed as "China's hand" and won the first prize for national invention. In 1983, the innovative application of "bridge-crossing vascular anastomosis free tissue grafting" won the Third Prize for National Science and Technology Progress. The "free tissue combination grafting" technology was used to repair complex tissue defects in limbs, winning the First Prize for Science and Technology Progress of the Ministry of Health (1986), the Second Prize for Science and Technology Progress of Shanghai (1987), and the Third Prize for National Science and Technology Progress (1988). The "emergency microsurgical repair of complex tissue defects in limbs" won the Third Prize for Science and Technology Progress of the Ministry of Health (1998) and the Second Prize for Science and Technology Progress of Shanghai (1998). The "research and application of arterial perforator tissue flaps" won the Third Prize for Shanghai Medical Science and Technology (2009). The "basic and clinical research on the new strategy of repairing complex limb defects with microsurgical techniques" won the First Prize for Science and Technology Progress of Shanghai (2015). The "establishment of key treatment technologies for post-traumatic elbow joint dysfunction and their clinical application" won the First Prize for Science and Technology Progress of Shanghai (2014) and the Second Prize for National Science and Technology Progress (2020). The "core manufacturing technology for functional adaptive bone and cartilage repair implants" won the First Prize for Shanghai Technological Invention (2022). "The Key Technology and Clinical Application of Biomaterial-Based Anti-Adhesion Materials" was awarded the First Prize of Shanghai Technology Invention Award (2023).

Teaching and continuing education

The department undertakes the teaching work of undergraduates, long-term students, postgraduate students, postdoctoral students, residents, specialists and other levels of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. So far, more than 100 masters and more than 50 doctors have been trained. Meanwhile, we actively engage in continuing education, hosting two annual national courses on limb microsurgery, which have been held for 66 sessions and have attracted peers from all over the country to come and study at our hospital, thus cultivating a large number of professional talents for hand surgery and reconstructive surgery in China.