From Wuhan! China’s top technology begins clinical validation in the United States.
On March 27, the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic in the United States jointly announced the launch of a clinical validation study in the U.S. for the beating-heart myocardial rotary resection surgery. This marks the first time a Chinese-original minimally invasive cardiac surgery technique has entered the core landscape of global heart disease treatment, offering a safer, minimally invasive new treatment option for over 20 million patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
“After coming here and seeing it with my own eyes, I believe it will become a new recommended option and a preferred method,” remarked a Mayo Clinic cardiomyopathy expert and former president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Thirteen days prior, he had just concluded an on-site observation and learning session in Wuhan.
A medical team explains the myocardial rotary resection procedure to visiting experts.
The Mayo Clinic is globally recognized as a top benchmark in the medical field. In the view of the director of a cardiac surgery department, this visit represented a “reverse learning” initiative by a top international medical institution regarding Chinese-original technology.
Diagram of Myocardial Rotary Resection
In 2023, research findings on myocardial rotary resection were published in the *Journal of the American College of Cardiology*, attracting significant attention.
A leading global authority in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy surgery and former president of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery once flew to Wuhan for a site visit, expressing that he was “deeply impressed.”
In May 2024, the director was invited to speak at the Mayo Clinic. His presentation was eye-opening yet hard to imagine for the visiting expert, a student of the aforementioned authority who had performed traditional open-heart surgery on over 2,000 patients. This expert grew increasingly curious about the rotary resection technique. On March 10 of this year, he made a special trip to Wuhan, accompanied by other prominent professors including the chair of an American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline committee.
Experts observe a myocardial rotary resection surgery performed by the medical team.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of sudden death in adolescents and athletes. The traditional surgery requires a 20-centimeter chest incision, involves significant trauma and high risk, and very few surgeons worldwide are proficient in it. The medical community had long been unable to find a safer, minimally invasive, and easily adoptable treatment technology.
The independently developed “myocardial rotary resection device” and surgical treatment system enable precise removal of hypertrophic myocardial tissue through just 2 to 3 finger-width minimally invasive incisions, performed on a beating heart, thereby avoiding the need for open-heart surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass.
Experts observe a myocardial rotary resection surgery performed by the medical team.
During their five-day visit in Wuhan, the experts observed surgeries and participated in animal experiments. They witnessed an 84-year-old patient being transferred out of the ICU the day after surgery and gave a thumbs-up. One expert commented: “This significant improvement in the surgical approach makes global training of surgeons much more feasible and holds the potential to be included in international authoritative guidelines.”
Apart from the Mayo Clinic, a delegation of experts from the Cleveland Clinic also visited Wuhan in early March. “Upon their return, they immediately began applying to promote the clinical validation of myocardial rotary resection in the U.S. We didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” said the director. Clinical validation is a necessary procedure for a new surgical technique before it can move toward clinical application in the United States. Once the study confirms safety and effectiveness, an application can be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for formal approval.
An academician remarked that addressing common challenges to human health requires replacing division with unity and eliminating prejudice with rationality. By helping each other, strengthening cooperation, and sharing knowledge, we can凝聚起强大力量 to safeguard our shared home.
Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic is a world-renowned nonprofit academic medical center based in Rochester, Minnesota, founded in 1889 by Dr. William Worrall Mayo and later developed by his sons. It pioneered an integrated, multi-specialty group practice model, emphasizing collaborative care and research, which revolutionized American medicine. Today, it is consistently ranked among the top hospitals globally, known for its patient-centered care and major contributions to medical education and innovation.
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a globally renowned nonprofit academic medical center founded in 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio, by four physicians who envisioned a group practice focused on patient care, research, and education. It has since grown into one of the world’s leading healthcare institutions, consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the United States for its pioneering work in specialties like cardiology and heart surgery.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a professional organization founded in 1964, dedicated to advancing cardiothoracic surgery through education, research, and advocacy. It is not a physical place or cultural site, but rather a leading medical society that sets clinical standards, maintains a national database for surgical outcomes, and hosts major annual meetings for surgeons worldwide.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
The *Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)* is a premier peer-reviewed medical journal, first published in 1983, that focuses on cardiovascular disease. It serves as the flagship publication of the American College of Cardiology, disseminating major research, clinical trials, and reviews to advance the field of cardiology worldwide.
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is not a physical place or cultural site, but a professional medical society. It was founded in 1917 by pioneering surgeons to advance the field of cardiothoracic surgery through education, research, and innovation. Today, it is a leading global organization that hosts an annual scientific meeting and publishes prestigious journals to disseminate knowledge among surgeons.
American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline committee
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) guideline committees are not a physical place but a collaborative group of medical experts. They are responsible for developing and publishing influential clinical practice guidelines for cardiovascular disease, which are based on systematic reviews of scientific evidence. This partnership, formalized over decades, aims to standardize and improve heart care practices for healthcare professionals across the United States and globally.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the United States responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, and the food supply. It was formally established with its modern name in 1930, but its origins trace back to the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act, a landmark law passed in response to public outrage over unsanitary conditions in the food industry. Today, it regulates a wide range of products, from cosmetics and tobacco to vaccines and prescription medications.
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province in central China, historically known as a major transportation hub formed by the merging of three towns—Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang—at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han rivers. It gained modern prominence as the site of the 1911 Wuchang Uprising, which led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and more recently became globally known during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019. The city is also celebrated for its historical Yellow Crane Tower and its role as a vital industrial, educational, and economic center.
