Pioneer in Regional Critical Care: The ICU Department of Wuwei Tumor Hospital

Pioneer in Regional Critical Care: The ICU Department of Wuwei Tumor Hospital​

In the ultimate battle between life and death, the ICU Department of Wuwei Cancer Hospital has once again demonstrated its expertise, composing a profoundly inspiring ode to life.

Recently, the department successfully weaned a severe pneumonia patient off ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) after 22 days of treatment – marking the longest, most complex, and ultimately successful ECMO case since the technology’s introduction in Wuwei.

The 62-year-old female patient was transferred to the ICU after two months of unsuccessful pneumonia treatment at another hospital. Upon admission, she was on ventilator support with pure oxygen, exhibiting critically low oxygenation (PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio of 55 mmHg) and severely compromised lung compliance (10 ml/cmH₂O), leaving her on the brink of death.

Admission Chest CT Scan

VV-ECMO Therapy

Recognizing the urgency, the ICU team promptly initiated ECMO. Facing compounded challenges – including heightened complication risks and declining prognosis with prolonged ECMO duration – the team delivered precision medicine through rigorous management and seamless collaboration.

Over 22 days of continuous monitoring, clinicians meticulously adjusted ECMO parameters, ventilator settings, and vital signs while managing primary infections and preventing complications. Each clinical fluctuation became a silent trial in this relentless tug-of-war against disease. Ultimately, their unwavering dedication prevailed: The patient was successfully decannulated from ECMO, followed by ventilator liberation three days later through transition to high-flow humidified oxygen therapy – each milestone radiating tangible hope.

                                               Critical Illness Rehabilitation Therapy        Family-Involved Rehabilitation

This triumph was no accident. It stands as powerful testament to the ICU’s leadership in regional critical care and marks a milestone in Gansu’s high-acuity medical journey. It embodies our clinicians’ reverence for life, mastery of medical science, and unyielding commitment to duty.

Currently operating three ICU wards across Wuwei Heavy Ion, Central, and Lanzhou Heavy Ion campuses with nearly 50 critical care specialists, it remains the largest ICU in the region.

Notably, the department’s High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation (HFOV) technique – certified as an "Advanced International-Level Medical Technology" by Gansu Province – has attracted 47 patients nationwide, including from Taiwan (where heavy-ion therapy exists without comparable respiratory support capabilities), establishing it as the regional apex for integrated critical care technology.

HFOV Respiratory Management Technology​​

Guided by the hospital’s ethos of "Compassion, Harmony, and Health," the ICU continues to forge medals of life through technical excellence and dauntless dedication. Each achievement concentrates clinical devotion, bears patient hope, and illuminates human resilience – steering critical care in Wuwei toward new horizons where critically ill patients’ "ship of life" can once again chart a course toward recovery.

Wang Yi: Chief Physician Director of Intensive Care Medicine Department,

Gansu Wuwei Tumor Hospital National Committee Member, Chinese Research-oriented Society of Critical Care Medicine National Committee Member, China Health Science and Technology Promotion Association Standing Committee Member, Gansu Provincial Critical Care Medicine Committee Standing Committee Member, Gansu First Extracorporeal Life Support Committee Standing Committee Member, Gansu Provincial Critical Care Committee for Geriatric Diseases Gansu Provincial Outstanding Young Talent in Healthcare Industry Gansu Provincial Outstanding Physician Gansu Provincial Outstanding Communist Party Member ​​Research Achievements:​​ Completed 6 municipal-level research projects and 1 provincial-level project; Currently leading 2 provincial-level research projects; Published over 10 SCI/CSCD/core scientific papers as first/corresponding author; Developed 1 provincial-level medical technology innovation; Awarded 2 Second Prizes for Wuwei City Scientific and Technological Progress; Awarded 1 Third Prize for Gansu Provincial Medical Science and Technology.