As the center of liver transplantation in the world with the world first success in modified right lob liver transplantation (January of 1999) and two-to-one liver transplantation (March of 2000), AMC performed the 4,000th liver transplantation on November 5 for the first time in Korea. It was the record achieved in 21 years since it had succeeded in liver transplantation first in 1999. Four thousand cases include 3,385 living donor liver transplantation which accounts for 85% and 615 brain dead donor liver transplantation which accounts for 15%. The survival rate was also the highest in the world. AMC records of  96% of 1-year survival rate 93% of 3-year survival rate and 91% of 5-year survival rate were far greater than that of the United States: 85% 70% and 63%, respectively.

AMC received a prize from the Minister of Health and Welfare for excellent hospital at the Medical Korea Awards 2013 held on December 13. Awardees were selected based on five-year cumulative data of consumer satisfaction and loyalty as well as brand power and the results of an online survey of medical consumers and netizen about 320 hospitals, clinics, and pharmaceutical companies.

AMC was rated first in the quality assessment of colorectal cancer published in December by the Health insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) for two consecutive years. AMC scored 100 on a 100-point scale, which means that its structural treatment system and process as well as outcomes of colorectal cancer were judged perfect. To be specific, the average days of hospitalization of colorectal cancer patients were 10.7 days, shorter than the overall average of other general hospitals - 13.4 days. Meanwhile, the operative mortality rate was 0.38%, which is substantially lower than the overall average of 1.17%.

AMC first applied a robotic surgery to pediatric hydroephrosis in Korea to achieve successful results, said the research team led by Professors Kim Kun-suk and Song Sang-hoon of urology. The research team first applied the robotic pyelvioplasty to seven children aged between 4 and 8 with hydronephrosis, who suffered from ureteropelvic junction obstruction which has the narrowed ureter to slow the flow of urine, and they got fully recovered without any complication after surgery.

AMC obtained full accreditation from the AAHRPP (Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program) which is an international accreditation body in the clinical research sector on December 13, 2013. AAHRPP is an independent non-profit accrediting body established by seven departments related to safe and ethical research practices under the government of the United States in 2001. It offers an accreditation to organizations engaging in research by checking if they promote scientifically meritorious and ethically sound research and protect the rights and welfare of research participants.

The International Healthcare Center reopened after enlargement construction. To foster a pleasant space and efficient system, coordinators will help consultation and registration process, and usher foreign patients to different waiting rooms depending on their language. Also a hot-line system for non-English language translation is set up to allow the efficient treatment of foreign patients. On the reopening ceremony, AMC signed medical service agreements with twelve embassies in Korea including the U.S. and Mexico for the provision of healthcare services to foreign diplomats and their families.

AMC opened the Pulmonary Hypertension & Venous Thrombosis Center for the effective treatment of pulmonary hypertension and venous thrombosis which are intractable diseases. The center will not only participate in international clinical researches involving the development of new drugs for pulmonary hypertension and engage in prevention, diagnosis, and standardization of treatment of pulmonary hypertension and venous thrombosis, but also spearhead the introduction of new medicine and interventional procedure to become an international medical center.

Lou Gehrig disease is a deadly disease that damages motor neurons in brain and spinal cord to make muscles no longer work despite clear consciousness, senses, and intelligence, resulting in the paralysis of respiratory muscle to death. Professor Koh research team administered progesterone into genetically modified mice with Lou Gehrig disease and found that this female hormone was effective in controlling the extinction of motor neurons and increasing the survival rate as well.

The research team led by Professor Jang Yong-ju of otolaryngology newly discovered the cause of chronic sinusitis which often reoccurs even after surgery, providing an opportunity for permanently curing chronic sinusitis. The research team revealed for the first time in the world that sinusitis is attributable to the functional failure in natural killer cells that attack the virus-infected cells and cancer cells.

AMC dispatched four medical specialists to the Philippines on November 25 to provide medical support to the region hit by typhoon Haiyan. The disaster relief team dispatched by the request of the Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) provided volunteer medical services at Iloilo, northwest of Cebu in the Philippines.

The 25th Asan Award was held at the auditorium of Asan Research Center for Life Sciences Building on November 25. Grand Prize went to Director Gwak Byung-eun of Galgeori Love Village. He was admired as a friend of discouraged people since he gave up his secure life as a doctor and has engaged in medical volunteering services and welfare works for the disabled, senior citizens who live alone, and homeless people. Besides, 27 people received prizes in 10 areas (incl. groups) including Medical Volunteering Award, Community Service Award, Welfare Practice Award, Volunteer Work Award, Young Volunteer Work Award, Talent Sharing Award, Filial Conduct Award Multicultural Family Award, and Special Award.

Older patients with severe aortic valve stenosis who are more at risk for traditional open-heart surgery that replaces a valve through the incision of heart now can get treated safely because the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is available which uses stent. On October 2, a 79-year old male patient who suffered from severe aortic valve stenosis underwent TAVI in a hybrid operating room on the 3rd floor of East Building. It was the 100th TAVI performed in AMC and the first in Asia. The team of Professors Park Seung-jung and Kim Young-hak from the Asan Heart Institute announced that the success rate of TAVI in 100 patients with severely degraded and hardened aortic valve stenosis was 94%.

The Organ Transplantation Center has recently published the results of analyzing patents survival rate at a time when the number of liver and kidney transplantations between people with different blood groups exceeded 200. The survival rate of patients both in liver and kidney transplantations were over 96% (one year). AMC has so far performed 220 blood-type incompatible liver transplantations and 200 blood-type incompatible kidney transplantations. The former marked the record for the largest number of liver transplantation in the world while the latter marked the record for the largest number of kidney transplantation in Korea.

Tim Brown who is a world-famous innovative designer and CEO and president of IDEO, a design consulting firm, visited AMC on October 9 to discuss with AMC President Park Seong-wook on how to change and innovate overall medical services of the hospital based on an innovative design-centric mindset. He adopted a design process to realize the innovative management of Mayo Clinic innovation center which is in the spotlight as a provider of innovative medical services. Tim Brown was surprised by AMC excellent medical achievements and research performance as well as the efficiency of patient-centric treatment process. He also showed interest in the center challenging endeavor to innovate and improve overall quality of medical services by incorporating human-centric design thought to offer patients a good experience.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was expanded to retain a total of 58 beds, increased by 20 beds. Therefore AMC now runs Korea largest-scale neonatal intensive care unit.

The research team led by Professor Kim Tae-won and Assistant Professor Jin Dong-hoon of oncology reported in the online edition of Cell Death and Differentiation, a sister magazine of Nature, that they discovered p34SEI-1 which is a new regulator of PTEN (a representative tumor suppressor protein) and go on developing an anticancer drug using it.

Daewoong Foundation established Daewoong Award ? Lee Sung-gyun Liver Transplantation Clinical Research Award in order to commemorate accomplishments of AMC Professor Lee Sung-gyu of liver transplantation and hepato-biliary surgery and encourage the research and medical activities of medical specialists in the field of liver transplantation. It is awarded to those who contributed to the advances in medical technologies by making remarkable achievements in the field of liver transplantation. First winners were AMC Professors Sung Kyu-bo of radiology and Hwang Gyu-sam of anesthesiology and pain medicine.

AMC has performed the 20,000th colon cancer surgery. This was achieved in 24 years since the foundation of AMC in 1989. Among them were 9,100 rectal cancer surgeries, 4,600 right colon cancer surgeries, and 6,300 left colon cancer surgeries. In case of early rectal cancer surgery, the 5-year survival rate was 91.4%, which is far higher than 88.2% of the U.S. In stage-two and three rectal cancers, the survival rate was 87.8% and 75.4%, respectively. This is relatively higher than the U.S average survival rate of 69.5%. By focusing on improving each patients quality of life as well as cancer treatment, AMC preserved the anorectal function of nine out of ten patients with rectal cancer to enable them defecate without intestinal fistula.

The Korean Management Association Consulting (KMAC) announced on September 30 that AMC ranked first in the survey of Korean Customer Satisfaction Index (KCSI). AMC received high score of 75.2 points in comprehensive satisfaction, especially in  convenient reservation and  facilities/environment.

AMC has performed the 20,000th breast cancer surgery. Since 2010, an average of 2,000 surgeries were conducted a year and it accounted for 12.7% of breast cancer surgeries in Korea. The team led by Professors Ahn Sei-hyun, Son Byung-ho, and Lee Jong-won from the Breast Cancer Center has monitored 11,215 patients who ve undergone breast cancer surgery in AMC from 1989 to 2008 to discover that the 5-year survival rate rose by over 20% for the past 15 years.

The research team led by Professor Shin Jin-woo of anesthesiology & pain medicine has developed a new approach to treat spinal stenosis using balloon dilatation. As this procedure was recently verified to be safe and effective, the Ministry of Health and Welfare designated it as a new medical technology. While studying an effective and safe way to overcome the limitations of existing procedures, Professor Shins team realized that balloon dilation which has been widely used to hemadostenosis, can ease intractable spinal stenosis (intervertebral foramen) to some degree if applied to spine disorders. The results were posted on the recent publication of [Pain Physician], an international pain medicine journal.

The Korean Management Association Consulting (KMAC) announced on August 27 that AMC ranked first in the category of hospital in the survey of Great Work Place in Korea for two-year consecutive years. Especially this year, AMC was included in the best 30 companies in all industries, ranking the 13th. According to KMAC, AMC received a favorable evaluation in areas such as  industrial leadership relevance of evaluation and compensation  systematic development of human resources excellent working environment  employees commitment to goal achievement. The managements efforts to foster a good working environment, for instance by reflecting opinions obtained through VOE system and employee satisfaction survey in the hospital policy received good reviews.

As the rising survival rate of cancer patients boosts the interest in cancer patients quality of life, research shows that meditation therapy for controlling emotions helps cancer patients ease stress and relieve feelings, improving the quality of life. The Cancer Education Center carried out meditation therapy for 51 patients receiving radiation treatment after breast cancer surgery for six weeks a total of 12 times. As a result, they felt less anxiety and fatigue than those who did not participate in meditation. This study result was published in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine, a representative international journal of complementary medicine.

AMC medical volunteering team went into medical services in Myanmar. For five nights and six days from August 3 to 9, the team delivered volunteer activities at Yangon, the capital of Myanmar where no proper medical system is established. The volunteering team was consisted of twenty three members including leader Professor Na Young-Shin of neurological surgery, surgeons and nurses of obstetrics/gynecology, nephrology, pediatrics, and anesthesiology & pain medicine, medical engineers, and medical students from the Medical College of Ulsan University. 1,009 patients visited the medical team who examined about 300 patients a day on average.

AMC obtained the first grade in all categories of the quality assessment of medical care benefits conducted by the Health insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) last year. HIRA disclosed the result through the Annual Report of Quality Assessment of Medical Care Benefits 2012 published on July 4. Two hospitals including AMC were rated first in all categories, which is the first time.

AMC opened the Robotic Training Center to pass on robotic surgery techniques and cultivate specialists equipped with advanced robotic surgery skills. Starting with prostate cancer in 2007, AMC has accumulated rich experience of performing a total of 3,811 robotic surgeries until the end of June, 2013. Intuitive Surgical, a manufacturer of the da Vinci Robot Surgical system who selects the global robotic surgery training center said it chose AMC for its rich experience in advanced robotic surgery in Korea and world-class clinical capabilities and research performance.

The Asan Cancer Center ranked the best cancer center both in medical service and customer recognition in Korea. Hosted by the Korea Management Association Consulting and reviewed by customers and experts, 2013 The Proud, Koreas Premium Product awards prize to excellent areas in professional medical services. Also the Asan Cancer Center earned the highest level of recognition from customers in the 2013 Premium Brand Index which is hosted by the Korean Standards Association and reviewed by customers in terms of recognition. As the center won the first prize at the award ceremony held on July 18, it was recognized as the best premium brand in Korea.

The Asan Medical Center Heart Institutes Vascular Disease Center was renamed to Aortic Disease Center after expanding and reorganizing services and systems. The institute said the center was renamed and reorganized in order to specialize aortic disease into key treatment area and promote the operation of hybrid operating room. Especially in the hybrid operating room opened in April, it is possible to simultaneously perform cardiovascular and systemic vascular interventional procedure and surgical operation. It reduces burden on patients and a treatment period, which allows the customized treatment of elderly and highly-risk patients. The Aortic Disease Center runs the 24-hour hotline for emergency aortic surgery.

The research team led by Professor Nam Joo-hyun of obstetrics and gynecology has performed 1,000 laparoscopic surgeries for cervical cancer which accounts for the largest percentage of gynecological cancers. This is the record achieved fifteen years after the laparoscopic surgery was first performed in 1997. The team set a milestone by performing the largest number of laparoscopic surgeries for cervical cancer in a short period of time in the world. The research team compared two groups having laparoscopic surgery and abdominal surgery for early cervical cancer respectively from 1997 to 2008 by selecting 263 patients each from the groups. The analysis found that the five-year survival rate of patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery was 95.2% compared to 96.4% of those who have undergone abdominal surgery, demonstrating that laparoscopic surgery is as good as abdominal surgery in terms of technical excellence and safety.

The medical team led by Dr. Kim Song-cheol of hepato-biliary & pancreas surgery performed 1,000 laparoscopic pancreatic surgeries, which is known to require very sophisticated skills, setting the record for the largest number of laparoscopic pancreatic surgeries performed in the world. The fact that 1,000 procedures were carried out in one hospital is a remarkable achievement and this is also the first time in the world Pancreas is a large organ located deep inside stomach, so that big scar and severe pain tend to be resulted from the abdominal surgery and it is quite hard to manage complications. But the laparoscopic pancreatic surgery is effective in minimizing postoperative pain, scar size, and hospitalization period and significantly lowers the risk of intraoperative bleeding and complications. Thats why patients prefer and are highly satisfied with this procedure.

The 1^st Asan International Medical Symposium (AIMS) took place over two days on June 21-22. The theme of this symposium, hosted entirely by AMC, was “Minimally Invasive Surgery & Intervention.” Presenters included 19 distinguished foreign scholars from leading universities and major research institutes abroad as well as 47 Korean medical scientists. Attendees numbered around 800. The symposium provided a meaningful opportunity to experience applications of minimally invasive surgery in 11 areas of medicine, among them general surgery, urology, and obstetrics/gynecology, as well as to explore the vision of this field. 

The team of Dr. Young Hwa Chung, a professor in the Dept. of Gastroenterology, published findings that confirmed the efficacy of pegylated interferon (Peginterferon or Peg-IFN) in reducing recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Peg-IFN was administered to post-operative liver cancer patients who were at high risk of recurrence due to overexpression of MTA1 (Metastatic Tumor Antigen 1).

The study is expected to help reduce HCC recurrence rates and increase survival rates through personalized preventive care for patients who have MTA1-positive liver cancer.

Drs. Sang-Do Lee and Se-Won Lee and their team of AMC’s Dept. of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine received widespread attention for a new method of lung volume reduction, using a bronchoscope to insert one-way valves into the lungs. This method can treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease for which effective fundamental treatment is difficult. After being assessed for safety and efficacy, the procedure was designated as a new medical technology by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

When the special one-way valves are inserted, they prevent inhaled air from entering the damaged parts of the lungs. At the same time, they still allow air that has been trapped in damaged areas to be expelled during exhalation. In this way, the valves effectively reduce the volume of the areas affected by the emphysema, making breathing easier. With its innovative therapeutic effect and departure from conventional conservative treatment, this ground-breaking valve-based treatment is expected to accelerate the fight against emphysema and other COPDs.

New insights into the mechanisms of anesthesiaon consciousness loss and recovery were derived from a joint study conducted by AMC faculty. The team, which included Drs. Gyu-Jeong Noh, Seung-Woo Ku, Byung-Moon Choi, and Baek Seung-hye of AMC's Dept. of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine along with Drs. UnCheol Lee and George Mashour of the University of Michigan Medical School, published successful results that identified a common mechanism of anesthesia. The team analyzed the directional connectivity and power of cortical feedback in 48 patients under general anesthesia. Their findings gained new insights into how diverse anesthetic agents inhibit cortical feedback connectivity from the frontal to parietal regions, thereby diminishing consciousness.

Dr. Min-seon Kim, an assistant professor in the Dept. of Endocrinology/Metabolism, was part of a joint research team that identified a novel appetite suppressant and an anorexigenic (appetite-suppressing) signalling pathway. Dr. Kim’s team found that clusterin (apolipoprotein J) and LRP2 (a potential clusterin receptor) are critical components in the hypothalamus for regulating the human appetite, and that anorexigenic signals are delivered in close association with the protein hormone leptin, which acts to suppress the appetite. This study is significant for identifying a novel mechanism that could help treat obesity.

In a first for a single institution in Korea, AMC achieved an aggregate total of 200 pancreas transplants, according to the Organ Transplantation Center. Of all the pancreas transplants performed in Korea to date, 72% were performed at AMC. A pancreas transplant is a fundamental treatment method for diabetic patients experiencing serous diabetes complications when their pancreas cannot secrete insulin, or the insulin doesn’t properly function in the body. When performed in the early stages of diabetes, a pancreas transplant can prevent various complications. It can also reduce the likelihood of a subsequent kidney transplant due to decreased renal function. 

A team led by Dr. Yong-Hee Kim of the Dept. of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery successfully removed a very large tumor from inside the chest of a five-year-old child using the da Vinci robot-assisted surgical system. Since it is difficult to maneuver the robotic arm in a small child’s body, abundant experience and know-how was needed. Having all the required expertise, Dr. Kim’s team made four small puncture holes in the child’s chest, inserted the robotic arm, and removed the tumor without causing any damage to nerves or vessels.

A team led by Dr. Byung-Sik Kim of the Division of Stomach Surgery set a world record by surpassing 2,000 laparoscopic stomach cancer surgeries applying intracorporeal anastomosis. An anastomosis is a surgical connection between the esophagus, stomach, and/or bowel. Intracorporeal, or more specifically intra-abdominal, anastomosis is an advanced surgical operation allowing the entire procedure to be completed inside the abdomen. Dr. Kim’s team has also achieved a success rate of over 95% since first performing intra-abdominal anastomosis in 2005.

A team led by Drs. Ho-Joon Im, Jong-Jin Seo, and Kyung-Nam Koh of Children's Hospital’s Division of Pediatric Hematology announced that they had successfully performed haploidentical (half-matched) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in twelve patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA), with an engraftment rate of 100% indicating successful implantation. Dr. Im’s team announced that, between July 2009 and July 2012, twelve patients with SAA had received transplanted hematopoietic stem cells from parents or siblings, and all of them became transfusion-independent. Over the next half year or so, sixteen more patients were successfully treated. 

A team led by Dr. Chang-Sik Yu of the Division of Colorectal Surgery released findings on a domestically-developed stem cell therapy for treating anal fistula in Crohn's disease patients. The findings were published in the journal Stem Cells. Crohn’s fistula is a common complication of the rare digestive disorder known as Crohn’s disease. In a study conducted between 2010 and 2012, Dr. Yu’s team used intralesional injections of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) to treat 33 Crohn’s fistula patients. The autologous ASCs were produced using fat from the patient’s own body. Complete closure of the fistula was achieved in 27 of the 33 patients eight weeks after the stem cell injections.

The life of Russian patient Mr. Alexei (male, age 27) was at risk from alcoholic cirrhosis. In Japan, the country where the world’s first successful adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) was performed in 1993, doctors at Hokkaido University Hospital gave up on surgery, determining that the patient’s condition was too serious and the intended donors (the patient’s mother and aunt) were too old and their livers too small. Eventually, doctors at Hokkaido University Hospital contacted Dr. Sung-Gyu Lee of AMC’s Division of Liver Transplantation and Hepato-Biliary Surgery, whose 2:1 liver transplants have produced excellent outcomes. After receiving a 2:1 liver transplant at AMC, Mr. Alexei attained normal adult liver function. This occasion confirms that the level of medicine at AMC has surpassed Japan, where LDLTs first originated.

On Feb. 15, AMC’s Dept. of Nuclear Medicine became the first clinical unit in Korea to receive international accreditation for its PET imaging facilities from the American College of Radiology (ACR), a medical imaging quality accreditation authority in the United States. An overall evaluation of the PET laboratory assessed factors like PET imaging quality; required qualifications and training of personnel, including doctors, radiological technologists, and medical physicists; adequacy and quality control procedures for equipment within the test facility; and implementation of a quality assurance program. ACR issued official recognition that AMC’s Dept. of Nuclear Medicine is a world-class provider of PET scans, in terms of both quality and patient safety.

The AMCCH International Symposium on Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Asia Pacific Seminar 2013, took place Jan. 25-26. Organized by AMC Children’s Hospital’s Dept. of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the symposium allowed Korean and foreign medical scientists to discuss the latest clinical developments in the field and seek future directions. Content ranged from a general introduction to the field and the latest research findings and transplantation techniques to discussions of actual clinical cases. Whether they were new to HSCT or already specialists in the field, the attendees all rated the symposium as highly valuable.

A team led by Dr. Seong-Yoon Kim of the Dept. of Psychiatry published findings that older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or pre-dementia, have a greater risk of worsening dementia if they suffer from depression. The team did a comparative analysis between 179 older adults with both MCI and depression and 187 older adults with MCI and no depression, using the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS). The results found that MCI has higher odds of developing into dementia when accompanied by depression.