Anzhen Hospital Cardiology: Arrhythmia and Heart-Failure Teams

What kind of cardiology institution Anzhen is

Founded on 14 April 1984 by Wu Yingkai, Beijing Anzhen is a tertiary general teaching hospital focused on cardiopulmonary and vascular care. It is a National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Disease. Cardiology is a national key discipline, while cardiology and cardiac and great-vessel surgery have national clinical key-specialty designations. These are distinct institutional recognitions.

That institutional profile matters for a patient with a rhythm or heart-failure problem because it places electrophysiology, device work, heart-failure assessment and surgical collaboration inside one hospital rather than across separate referrals. The hospital's main site is listed at 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, and a Tongzhou campus opened on 19 October 2024.

As a historical reference point only, the hospital's cardiology specialty appeared at position 3 in the 2023 national specialty reputation list compiled through Fudan. That is a dated departmental reference. It does not rank the arrhythmia or heart-failure subspecialties, does not rank individual clinicians, and says nothing about any single patient's likely course.

The arrhythmia centre's documented clinical directions

An official hospital account published in March 2024 sets out the arrhythmia centre's clinical and research interests. These include atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, and atrial tachycardia and flutter. The same account describes work at the overlap between complex rhythm disorders and heart failure, and notes that the centre operates across three wards.

The research side is described in terms of a registry and blood-sample follow-up platform, observational data work and contributions to guidelines. The centre also frames part of its work around complex electrophysiology and medical engineering, including ablation mapping and tools.

For a rhythm enquiry, identify the established diagnosis and whether the unresolved question follows earlier assessment, ablation or device care. Ask which group would review that question and how its opinion would be communicated. The documented research directions can explain the program's interests; they do not select a mapping system or ablation strategy for an individual who has not been assessed.

Who leads the arrhythmia work, and in what role

Ma Changsheng's current hospital biography lists him as head of the cardiology medical centre, director of arrhythmia ward 1, chief physician and professor, with a doctoral mentoring role. His stated clinical and basic research focus covers complex arrhythmias and coronary interventional work. He has led national research projects, edited a heart-rhythm ablation atlas and interventional cardiology texts, and holds editorial roles including editor of PACE and associate editor of Circulation.

The March 2024 centre history records that Ma was arrhythmia centre head from 2021 until February 2024, and that Long Deyong has held that centre role from February 2024. Long's current biography lists him as chief physician, professor, doctoral and postdoctoral mentor, arrhythmia centre director and ward 2 director. His stated research covers catheter assessment and treatment of complex atrial fibrillation, atrial tachycardia and ventricular and supraventricular tachycardia.

Long's biography also records leadership of a national innovation talent key-field team, teaching roles connected with a health authority rhythm-intervention expert committee and physician training, and editorial or review roles with PACE, Europace and Heart Rhythm. Wang Yunlong is named in the centre history as leading the third ward. These are role descriptions from official pages, not endorsements of any individual outcome.

The heart-failure and cardiomyopathy centre

A second official account, also published in March 2024, describes the heart-failure centre as formally established in 2015, with national roles in heart-failure quality control and training. Its clinical groups are organised around cardiomyopathy-related, arrhythmia-related, valve-related and ischemic heart failure, with cardiac implantable electronic device and cardiac resynchronisation therapy follow-up, and collaboration with surgical colleagues around the perioperative period.

The current hospital biography identifies Du Xin as director of the heart-failure and cardiomyopathy center, chief physician, professor and doctoral mentor. Her clinical focus is complex heart failure and cardiomyopathy. She has clinical-research working-group roles and national research funding, with publications including Circulation, JACC and the European Heart Journal. This current role differs from the administrative-deputy title in the center's 2024 history.

The center's development involved earlier leadership by Liu Xiaohui and Dong Jianzeng. Its disease-focused groups now provide a useful map for an enquiry: the question may concern cardiomyopathy, a rhythm disorder, valve disease or ischemic disease. A request can identify the cause recorded by the current clinicians and the part of an existing plan on which another assessment is sought.

Research questions the heart-failure centre has described

The center's March 2024 account describes the HERO heart-failure cohort, the ELITE comparison of early and delayed renal replacement in patients receiving VA-ECMO, and PANDA research on influenza vaccination in heart failure. It also describes a collaborative life-support research network. These are different study designs and questions, rather than a single treatment program offered to every patient.

A cohort follows clinical information over time, whereas a comparison study addresses a specified clinical question. The named projects show interests in disease course, supportive care and prevention. Their presence does not establish that a particular study is recruiting or that its intervention is appropriate for an overseas enquirer. A research question and a proposed clinical assessment need to be discussed separately.

For someone with an established diagnosis, a useful question is what an additional opinion would address: the recorded cause, the interpretation of previous care or coordination with rhythm and device services. Ask what can be assessed from existing information and what remains uncertain. The center's research profile gives context, but does not replace that case-specific explanation.

Honours and what they do and do not tell you

Ma Changsheng's biography records three National Science and Technology Progress Second Prizes, along with a State Council allowance, Beijing Scholar recognition, a health outstanding young and middle-aged contributor award, a national leading talent designation, the Capital Labor Medal and the Wu Jieping-Paul Janssen Medicine and Pharmacy award. These are honours attributed to him on the hospital's own page.

His research and educational work spans national projects, specialist texts and professional training. Long Deyong's contribution includes complex-rhythm research and training, while Du Xin's profile emphasizes heart failure, cardiomyopathy and clinical research. These are complementary academic and clinical roles within cardiology, rather than interchangeable titles or confirmation of a personal appointment.

When considering a named team, distinguish the broader cardiology center from a subspecialty center and an individual ward. Ma's cardiology leadership and Long's arrhythmia-center leadership can coexist because their responsibilities are different. The clinical question should determine which group is asked to review the records, while the hospital confirms the actual clinician and assessment arrangements.

Practical questions before you approach either team

Summarize the diagnosis, prior care and the decision on which another opinion is sought. Ask which existing rhythm, imaging or device-follow-up records the relevant group needs, and whether a records-based opinion is possible before travel. Confirm the proposed assessment and acceptance with the receiving team. Urgent or worsening symptoms require local care, not a wait for overseas planning.

ChinaSpecialistCare can help organise a cardiology enquiry, prepare records and coordinate assessment arrangements after hospital acceptance. We are independent of Anzhen Hospital and cannot guarantee a named clinician, procedure or outcome. A brief initial enquiry is free and does not require purchasing an optional proxy consultation.

Cardiology care in China for international patients

Sources & scope of this guide

References and official service information relevant to this guide.

This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.