The Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine was founded in 1985. It represented the first ICU in Zhejiang Province, ranked among the earliest ICUs established nationwide, and was designated as one of the first national-level clinical key specialties. Through sustained development over the years, it has evolved into the largest and most comprehensive department of critical care medicine in the province, spanning four campuses and comprising 181 beds. In recent years, the department has garnered widespread recognition and acclaim. It remains the sole institution in the province to receive funding and support from the National Development and Reform Commission and the former National Health and Family Planning Commission, through the Critical Illness Diagnosis and Treatment Capability Improvement Project for Severe and Complex Conditions. Additionally, it is recognized as a key discipline under the Zhejiang Provincial National Regional Medical Center Key Cultivation Specialty Program.

The department provides diagnostic and therapeutic services for critically ill patients both within and beyond the province, and has emerged as a regional and national hub for critical care medicine. Moreover, it functions as the Zhejiang Provincial Standardized Training Base for Residents and Specialists in Critical Care Medicine, the Zhejiang Medical Association ECMO Specialty Talent Training Base, and the Zhejiang Medical Association Emergency and Critical Care Ultrasound Specialty Talent Training Base, thereby fostering the continuous development and supply of high‑quality professionals for the region and beyond.

In the 2023 China Hospital Science and Technology Evaluation Metrics (STEM), the department was ranked fifth in Critical Care Medicine nationwide; in the 2022 Fudan‑version China Hospital Specialty Comprehensive Ranking, it secured tenth place nationally in the same specialty. Owing to its exemplary contributions during the COVID‑19 pandemic response beginning in late 2019, the department was conferred the honorary title of Advanced Collective in COVID‑19 Prevention and Control by the National Health System. In 2020, it received the designation of Advanced Collective in the Tenth “Three Educations” Initiative organized by Zhejiang University.

The Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine constitutes an elite team characterized by preparedness, exceptional competence, and resilience in confronting diverse clinical challenges.

The department possesses a high-caliber and stable workforce dedicated to advancing both clinical practice and fundamental research in critical care medicine, demonstrating exceptional medical expertise and technical proficiency. As of the present, the department comprises a total of over 102 physicians and 500 nursing staff, including 12 chief physicians, 11 associate chief physicians, 57 attending physicians, and 26 certified respiratory therapists. The department’s distinguished faculty includes the Vice Chair-Elect of the Critical Care Medicine Branch of the Zhejiang Provincial Medical Association and the Vice President of the Critical Care Medicine Branch of the Zhejiang Provincial Medical Doctor Association, among other prominent roles. The department remains steadfastly committed to investigating innovative treatments and interventions aimed at enhancing the quality of life and survival outcomes for critically ill patients.

We treat patients with critical condition. Over 9,000 patients are admitted in our department each year, and the rescue success rate is over 90%. Our department is equipped with functional automatic monitors, mechanical ventilators, blood purification devices, blood gas analyzers, IABP, ECMO, EIT and other monitoring and rescue treatment equipment. We provide treatment methods including: bedside CRRT treatment; PICCO Monitoring of hemodynamics with floating catheter; percutaneous dilatation tracheotomy; fiber optic bronchus examination and treatment; bedside ECMO; bedside ultrasound and other monitoring technologies.

During the outbreak of H7N9 and COVID-19, we used the world's most advanced artificial liver technology, ECMO technology, hemodynamic monitoring, airway management, kidney replacement and blood purification technology, and we created a miracle of "zero" deaths, "zero" missed diagnosis of suspected patients, and "zero" infections of medical staff. In recent years, bedside ultrasound and bedside electrical resistance tomography (EIT) technology have been used to perform fluid management and guide lung protective ventilation in a more refined manner.

The online medical collaboration platform in our department is at a leading level in China. The project has covered hospitals in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Guizhou Province. Based on the collaboration platform, remote consultations and training have been conducted.

Our department is the first to carry out research on the determination of brain death in China, and participates in the maintenance of donors for organ transplantation and the management of recipients after transplantation.

We have established a fixed clinical research platform with a large sample of multiple centers that can be kept in synchronization with the network. Since 2020, physicians in our department have published a total of 140 SCI papers, two of which have an impact factor ≥ 30, and fifteen have an impact factor ≥ 10. The department has been awarded five grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, one emergency special project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, one project under the National Key Research and Development Program, one major initiative supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Project, six grants from the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation, one emergency-response project under the Key Research and Development Program of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology, as well as over 30 additional departmental and bureau-level research initiatives. Furthermore, the department has received one second prize and two third prizes of the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award.

Advanced Collective of the 10th "Three Educations" Initiative of Zhejiang University

Advanced Collective in COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the National Health System