Hospital Introduction / History
Equipments and Treatment Facilities
For 41 years since its opening in 1982, Sejong Hospital has kept its renown as the leading heart specialty general hospital of the nation. Even at the era of its opening, it took many processes and quite a long time in many university hospitals, until specialty doctors could finally look at the emergency heart patients who have arrived. Sejong Hospital revealed an epochal diagnosis and treatment system that changed the whole paradigm forever.
In order to provide appropriate and fast treatment, specialty doctors of Cardiology, Thoracic Surgery, Pediatrics, Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine always reside to form an ‘Emergency Heart Team’, 24 hours and 365 days, to operate the ‘24-hour Cardiovascular Emergency Center system’ in case of emergency situations of patients with cardiovascular diseases, in which every fraction of a second may count. The system is such that as soon as an emergency break-out calls, rapid response and treatment by the Emergency Heart Team (cardiology specialists included) can be operated on the patient, at the same time. Emergency surgeries can be performed without hesitation when required, with specialty doctors from the Department of Thoracic Surgery residing in-hospital. The consultation system of Sejong Hospital among departments and the ‘Heart Specialist Residing in Hospital 24-hours’ system are currently benchmarked by many cardiovascular centers.
Despite it being a private hospital, an abundance of cardiac surgery performances competent more than enough to compare with those of a university hospital has been accumulated over the years, with the advanced Emergency Cardiac Treatment System of Sejong Hospital and excellent medical staff.
Since its initial designation in 1989 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to be a special diagnosis and treatment institution for heart disorders, it has continued to be so today through the years, after 2005, 2008, and 2011, as the only heart specialty hospital in the Republic of Korea. In November 2011, the hospital was approved as a heart specialty hospital that provides a high level of medical service and safety with international standards by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations(Joint Commission International, JCI).
A total of 37 heart specialists (20 from Cardiology, 10 from Thoracic Surgery, 7 from Pediatrics) operate on clinical treatments of patients and fundamental medical research of heart disorders in children and adults, and also perform not only internal drug treatments, interventional procedures, surgical procedures for congenital and acquired heart disorders but heart transplant surgeries as well, the ultimate treatment for end stage heart disorders.
Favorable outcomes are being gained since the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s approval as a Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) operating institution after carrying out a Comprehensive Cardiac Care in June 2015 for the first time in Korea. The Comprehensive Cardiac Care is a developed country type consultation system that consists of medical staff from departments of cardiology, thoracic surgery, radiology, anesthesiology and pain medicine and others, gathering together at one time to diagnose and treat the patient to decide on the most appropriate method of treatment for the patient with heart conditions. A Non Stop system that allows incredible reduction of time taken for treatment from diagnosis to surgery, within 1~2 weeks after initial OPD examination.
Although Sejong Hospital has steadily performed surgeries through the years, such as operating a heart transplantation in 1990(for the 1st time among private hospitals and 3rd time nationwide), the practice was discontinued for while due to multiple reasons. Since then, in order to provide a more professional medical service for patients in need of heart transplantation surgeries, the Center in charge for Organ Transplantation was opened, in January 2015, and thus the 2nd chapter of Heart Transplantation Surgery was renewed.
In our hospital, the Cerebral Strokes consulting system among Neurology, Neurosurgery, Emergency Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine and Cardiology is enforced, and Cerebral Stroke Concentrated Treatment Room is operated, with a specialty nurse in charge residing 24-hours. Through this, not only are we enabled to provide optimum medical service to stroke patients, but also arrange a fast treatment system for cerebrovascular treatments (following the cardiac field), exhibiting a more precise and safe medical skills.
Heart Surgeries (Open heart, Closed heart) | 33,272 cases |
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Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention Procedures | 95,272 cases |
Echocardiography performed | 493,682 cases |
Bloodless Surgery | 1,053 cases |
Cardiovascular Angiography: Examination to check for blockages or narrow areas in the Coronary Artery. Intervention Procedures: Inserting a balloon or a stent(metal nets) where it is examined to be narrow or blocked in the Coronary Artery, to expand the area, through the artery in arms·legs. Treatment that unblocks blood vessels by actually reaching the heart