The doctor performs the operation from a control room, using computer monitors to view inside the arteries. Although the patient is awake during the surgery, there isn’t much pain—“like little stings,” according to Jennifer. The recovery time is short, and no anesthetics are involved. The rate of recurrence is low, only about 5 to 8 percent, sometimes related to the patient’s life choices after the surgery.
The group of machines used to diagnose and perform PCI is called the Zeego System, made by the German company Siemens. The machines provide detailed three-dimensional images of anatomical structures. Without these machines, PCI would be impossible. There are fifteen of these systems in China, each costing fifteen million RMB. Dalian was the third city in China to buy this innovative machinery.
Since 1995, China has used PCI. On average, Dr. Qu Peng performs ten surgeries a day. Confident in the procedure, he spends a great deal of time lecturing all over the world on its benefits, technicalities, and superiority over open-heart surgery. In 2006, he went to the American Coronary Conference. At that time, only 60 percent of patients in America received PCI. When he told other doctors that 90 percent of his
patients received PCI, “they said amazing or crazy,” he recalled, but now it’s being used for more cases in America. China—and especially Dalian, with over one hundred cases a year—is leading the world in this area of medicine. Dr. Qu Peng said that nine out of ten doctors in the States would have preferred to perform a bypass on Jennifer because it would have been easier than PCI. Here, though, he had no doubt, not only that he could successfully perform the operation but also that it would be more beneficial for her.
Paul watched his wife’s operation on a computer screen. “It was so cool,” he said. “That was the most expensive movie I’ve ever been to.” The procedure took less than two hours. Afterward, the doctors wheeled Jennifer into the control room, where it was her turn to watch the entire procedure.
Watching the removal of the blockage was amazing. In the black-and-white video, the black suddenly took over the white as blood flowed into areas that had lacked it for so long.
“I felt like life was being pumped into me. I’m a new person. I thank the medical team at No. 2 Hospital.” The cost of Jennifer’s surgery was fractions of what it would have cost elsewhere, and after only three days recovering in the hospital, she was able to go home. She has since given up smoking, cut back on foods with high cholesterol, and begun exercising every day.
Jennifer pointed out that it’s important to do some research first before being treated. The phone number for No. 2 Hospital is 0411-84671291. Also, although doctors are likely to speak English, reception isn’t, so take a Chinese-speaking friend to help you get through the paperwork. “I just want people to know don’t be afraid,” said Jennifer. “There’s no way I would hesitate.”
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