Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

o  History and Organizational frame

Tri-Service General Hospital established The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1967; under the guidance of Dr. Zhang Guo Song, the Burn ICU Center was founded in 1980. Dr. Wan Han Lei launched the development of applying amniotic membrane to treat burn patients in 1981. Dr. Wang Xian Zhen innovated the first tissue bank in Taiwan in 1985; then, fresh frozen porle were used to boost the restorative process of burn patients and also applied to heal some general ulcers. Dr. Wang Xian Zhen’s effort advanced the development of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and therefore, the burn wards were gradually expanded. Meanwhile, Dr. Wang Xian Zhen undertook basic research of burn and plastic surgery as well as gradually assisted surgeons to develop specialization with a great variety, such as craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, burn, microsurgery, and head & neck micro-oncoreconstruction surgery. Moreover, Dr. Wang Xian Zhen founded the China Society of Burn in 1999, and it was later renamed Taiwan Society for Burn Injuries and Wound Healing (TSBIWH). Dr. Chen Tian Mu provided the training courses of microsurgery and invited Dr. Chen Xi Gang and Dr. Dai Nian Zi to join hands to inspire talented doctors for microsurgery in the military.

      On Jun. 27, 2015, the incident of Taiwan water park dust explosion brought disaster to countless burn patients flooding into every hospital. NDMC was assigned the formidable task to rescue all the victims. We, as a single medical center, were proud of our remarkable achievement: taking care of most burn patients in number, without any mortality. Under the guidance of all the previous directors, The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery can gradually reach its sustainable development.

Now, our general ward located in the main building (ward 41) of the hospital. We have 6 full-time Visiting Staff, 12 Residents, and 4 Nurse Practitioners. Besides, there are also 8 beds in isolated ward and 6 beds in ICU.

o  Training and Research

Teaching programs: For our medical students, Clerks, PGY students, and Residents, we offer complete training program for further deduction. Furthermore, we hold regular discussions on medical journals, related issues for Residents, hand surgery, and burn meetings. Besides, we arrange foreign visiting professors and lectures, depending on the needs of our program and the development of medical technology.

Research: We not only obtained NDMC projects and National Science Council projects but also remained publishing SCI papers from 2012 to 2020.

o  Facilities and Specialties

Facilities: From hospital beds, well-equipped burn ICU beds, to medical cosmetic center and various professional medical facilities, such as the Er:YAG Laser, Alexandrite Laser and variety of apparatus for microsurgery.

Specialties: Our division owns the first tissue bank in Taiwan for cadaveric skin preservation and production, featuring the research and cultivation of tissue cells. Numerous experiments related to wound healing, skin blood flow, and cranioplasty are also performed for expecting to promote the effectiveness of medical treatments.

• Major milestone

• Ultimate goal

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has been established for five decades; numerous medical staff, trained and educated by our department, devoted themselves to saving countless victims from the tragedy of Taiwan Water Park dust explosion. In the coming future, we will still play the leading role of military medical service, assist our country to deal with great disasters, and also develop our specialties, such as microsurgery, resuscitation and reconstruction of burn injury, difficult wound management, hand surgery, and face trauma with deformities.