A Henan Doctor Draws Diagrams before Carrying out Surgery

Cheng Zhaoyun draws schematic diagrams before carrying out surgery. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Cheng Zhaoyun, 55, vice-president of Central China Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan province, has a habit of drawing schematic diagrams before carrying out surgeries on patients with heart disease.

The habit started since he returned to China after studying in Australia in the second half of 2000.

Up to now, more than 4,000 hand-drawn patients' schematic diagrams are housed in his office, recording the surgeries of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the past 18 years.

The colorful schematic diagrams show the detailed information of different patients, Cheng said.

There are more than 4,000 hand-drawn patients' schematic diagrams in Cheng's office. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The diagrams were regarded as preoperative preparations for better knowing the patients and also reference materials for doctors to perform heart surgeries.

Heart disease has become one of the biggest diseases in recent years, Cheng said.

He and his team carried out more than 800 surgeries last year, increasing from 21 surgeries in 2000, the first year he returned to Zhengzhou from Australia, he said.

Cheng hoped the schematic diagrams could make a contribution for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the future.

Besides his persistence on drawing the schematic diagrams, he also keeps improving techniques for his surgeries.

Cheng gives a patient a careful examination in Central China Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

He has been using the 8-0 sutures, the most delicate and fine surgical stitches for heart surgeries, ever since he came back to the hospital in 2000.

"For the anastomosis (or connection) of tiny coronary blood vessel in heart surgery, the 8-0 sutures can maintain better blood flow to the heart compared with other size of threads," Cheng said.

This is a challenge for a surgeon because he has to be very gentle in the process when connecting the blood vessels of 1.5-2.0mm with this kind of fine sutures, either not too loose or not too tight.

Cheng is one of the five surgeons who use this technique in almost every case of coronary bypass operation in China, according to Dahe Daily.

"It's good for the patient's recovery," Cheng said.

He received The Golden Knife Award from Chinese Association for Cardiovascular Surgery in 2012.

Meanwhile, Cheng has been ranked among the top 10 surgeons in the field of coronary artery bypass surgery in China for the past four years.