It is the first endoscopic submucosal tunnel tumor resection (STER) in the world, which is written as a guide for the standard surgical method of treating submucosal tumors of the digestive tract; For many years, Xu Meidong has made remarkable achievements in the industry.

Recently, Xu Meidong won back the honor of the National Labor Medal.

It is not easy to ask Xu Meidong for an interview. He is too busy. Xu Meidong, vice president of Shanghai Oriental Hospital and director of the Department of Gastroenterology and the Center of Gastroenteroscopy, in addition to complicated administrative affairs, maintains the workload of more than 1000 operations every year, and interviews are conducted between his two operations——

Surprise the audience! Show "Xu's Operation" in front of world peers

When she graduated from college, Xu Meidong's ideal was to become an excellent surgeon and use a scalpel to cure the disease and save the patient. In order to realize this wish, after four years of work, he resolutely gave up his stable job in his hometown of Xuzhou and went south to study for a graduate degree in surgery from Shanghai Medical University. Coincidentally, Professor Yao Liqing, the tutor, served as the director of the Endoscopy Center of Zhongshan Hospital due to the needs of the hospital's development, so he also began to work on digestive endoscopy. "At that time, the endoscopy center was in a state of" three nots "- no team, no equipment, no subject, and it was very difficult to develop." Xu Meidong did not lose heart because of this, but learned new endoscopic technology while improving his surgical technology.

In 2006, with the introduction of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), Xu Meidong learned and mastered this technology, and then devoted herself to digestive endoscopy. "However, traditional ESD surgery is not universal, and it is not applicable to submucosal tumors of the esophagus. It will destroy the integrity of the esophageal mucosa. Once the esophageal mucosa is damaged, the suture of the wound is very difficult, and sometimes cannot be completed. This increases the incidence of gastrointestinal fistula and infection. It often takes a long time for patients to recover. This problem has puzzled me for a long time. "

In the first half of 2010, a new submucosal tunnel technology, peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), was introduced to treat achalasia in China. The principle of this technique is to use the loose area of the submucosa of the digestive tract as the operating space, and to perform muscle resection on the premise of ensuring the integrity of the mucosa. Inspired by this technology, Xu Meidong thought that since a tunnel can be built to cut muscles, can a tunnel also be built to remove submucosal tumors in the esophagus? As a result, he confirmed the feasibility of his idea through several animal tests, so he invented a new endoscopic submucosal tunnel tumor resection (STER) in the second half of 2010.

In 2011, at the International Digestive Endoscopy Academic Conference of Zhongshan Hospital, Xu Meidong demonstrated the operation in front of colleagues all over the world, which surprised four people. At that time, experts from all countries attending the meeting believed that this new technology was epoch-making for submucosal tumors, and this technology was also called "Xu's surgery" by the industry.

Xu Meidong clearly remembered that he was a male patient from Henan Province. He was in his prime of life. He had a big knife in the early stage. If he had another big knife, he would have no quality of life for the rest of his life. Benefiting from this technology, the patient was reborn and ushered in high-quality daily life.

Today, STER technology has been developed in all provinces of the country, and has been included in the surgery catalog and medical insurance reimbursement. Tens of thousands of patients with submucosal tumors benefited from this, which not only reduced the economic burden of patients, but also saved the country's medical expenses. It became a typical "Chinese program" for Chinese people to invent, popularize and benefit the country.

"Second time entrepreneurship"! From Zhongshan Hospital to Dongfang Hospital

In 2019, Xu Meidong made another important decision in her life, moving from Zhongshan Hospital to Dongfang Hospital. At that time, the Endoscopy Center of Zhongshan Hospital was an ace department, while the Endoscopy Center of Dongfang Hospital was unknown, which puzzled many people. Xu Meidong described the move to the East as a "second venture".

In Xu Meidong's view, Pudong New Area is the forefront of reform and opening up. Pudong's medical and health care needs a strong clinical discipline, which is a good platform for him to realize his personal ideals and ambitions. "With the concerted efforts of Mr. Yao Liqing and our generation of teachers and brothers, Zhongshan Endoscopy has come a way. I know this way very well, so I am confident that we can bring the Oriental Endoscopy Center together."

The Pudong New Area and Dongfang Hospital have given Xu Meidong strong support, and the reconstruction and expansion of the two endoscopic centers in the north and south hospital areas have effectively met the needs of the development of the discipline.

Xu Meidong focused on leading the team to carry out various advanced endoscopic technologies, to achieve "no one has my own, and everyone has my own advantages". After less than five years of development, Dongfang Hospital has more than 100000 cases of endoscopic diagnosis and treatment every year, and the fourth grade endoscopic resection surgery ranks among the top three in Shanghai, ERCP ranks among the top five in Shanghai.

Only Xu Meidong and his team can understand the efforts behind these figures. Xu Meidong usually finds time to finish one or two operations before the morning class meeting, just as reporters' interviews are conducted between his two operations.

Benefit patients! Spreading advanced technology to all parts of the country

A year ago, a special signing and listing ceremony was held in Dongfang Hospital. As the leading unit, Dongfang Hospital signed a new contract with 10 community health service centers such as Lujiazui, Weifang, Lianyang, and announced the official launch of a new round of high-quality medical consortium construction.

Speaking of the construction of the medical consortium led by Dongfang Hospital, it can be traced back to 2019, when under the support and guidance of the Pudong New Area Health Commission and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xu Meidong led and cooperated with many communities in Pudong New Area to establish the "Oriental Regional Alliance for Early Screening of Colorectal Cancer" to build a two-way referral platform for early screening of colorectal cancer.

Doctors of Dongfang Hospital will regularly go to the community to explain the colorectal cancer screening process, so that community residents can enjoy convenient and high-quality services, and protect the digestive tract health of Pudong residents.

Wang Abe, who lives in Dongming Street, is the direct beneficiary. He sighed: "It's really convenient. I was found to be a high-risk group of colorectal cancer in the community screening. Later, the community hospital helped me to arrange the endoscopic examination time of Dongfang Hospital. Most importantly, the inspection precautions were listed for me."

In this regard, Xu Meidong said that he hoped that through the construction of the medical consortium, early screening and treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer could be carried out, so as to truly alleviate the suffering of patients and benefit more community residents.

Today, the Endoscopy Center of Dongfang Hospital under the leadership of Xu Meidong has long been famous. The reporter met many young doctors from all over the country here. "As long as you want to study, you can sign up. The duration of study varies from 3 to 6 months." Xu Meidong said that in recent years, the department has brought out more than 100 medical staff for further study every year, which is one of the units that cultivate the most advanced medical staff in China.

If you want to learn medicine from Xu Meidong, the threshold is not high. If you are interested, contact the hospital to register. However, it is not so easy to graduate from here. "We have set up special classrooms for everyone to study in a concentrated way, and also to go to the operating table together. They are like seeds. After learning, they will return to their hospitals and spread advanced technology to all parts of the country, so that more people will benefit."

Xu Meidong insists on "Giving people fish is better than giving them fish". The young doctors he brings out have basically become the backbone of their own hospitals, and some doctors have grown into department directors. "Why should they be lenient in and strict out? Since they are aiming at the brand of 'Xu Meidong', they can't smash the brand."

In the interview, Xu Meidong also revealed her "small goal", hoping to develop her department into a national key discipline in 3-5 years. At the same time, we will further deepen the cooperation of the medical consortium, strive to expand the coverage of popular science knowledge, and make greater contributions to improving the national health level. (The picture is provided by Dongfang Hospital)

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