ObjectiveTo investigate the condensate pollution in the pipeline of severe pneumonia patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.MethodsFrom January 2017 to January 2019, 120 patients with severe pneumonia treated by mechanical ventilation in our hospital were collected continuously. The lower respiratory tract secretions were collected for bacteriological examination. At the same time, the condensed water in the ventilator exhaust pipe was collected for bacteriological examination at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 hours after tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. The bacterial contamination in the condensed water at different time points was analyzed and separated from the lower respiratory tract. The consistency of bacteria in secretion and drug resistance analysis of bacterial contamination in condensate water were carried out.ResultsOf the 120 patients with severe pneumonia after mechanical ventilation, isolates were cultured in the lower respiratory tract secretions of 102 patients. One strain was cultured in 88 cases, two strains were cultured in 10 cases, and three strains were cultured in 4 cases. The isolates were mainly Gram-negative bacteria (57.5%) and Gram-positive bacteria (42.5%). The most common isolates were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii. The contamination rate of condensate water was 5.0% at 4 hours, 37.5% at 8 hours, 60.0% at 12 hours, 76.7% at 16 hours, 95.0% at 20 hours, and 100.0% at 24 hours, respectively. The bacterial contamination rate in condensate water at different time points was statistically significant (P=0.000). The pollution rate at 4 hours was significantly lower than that at 8 hours (P=0.000). Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 57.5% and Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 42.5%. The most common isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. The consistency of bacteria in lower respiratory tract and condensate water was 83.3% in severe pneumonia patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. The overall resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus was higher, but the resistance to imipenem/cilastatin was lower.ConclusionsThe bacterial contamination in the condensate of patients with severe pneumonia during mechanical ventilation is serious. The pollution rate is low within 4 hours. It is consistent with the bacterial contamination in lower respiratory tract and the bacterial resistance is high.
Objective To explore the effects of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) and its components on the condition and prognosis of patients with Severe Pneumonia. Methods 306 patients with severe pneumonia admitted to the intensive care unit of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to July 2023 were included as study subjects.The patients were divided into MS and non-MS groups according to whether they were combined with MS,and into survival and death groups according to 28-day prognosis,and the general data, laboratory indexes, condition and prognostic indexes of the two groups were compared; multifactorial logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia. ResultsThe levels of test indicators such as body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), blood lactate,white blood cell count(WBC),urea phosphate (Urea), creatinine (SCr),as well as the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock,multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), rate of endotracheal intubation and mortality, ICU treatment cost,and total treatment cost of the MS group were significantly higher than those of the non-MS group; the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and oxygenation index (OI) of the MS group were significantly lower than those of the non-MS group (P<0.05).Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of death from severe pneumonia was 1.276 times higher in combined MS than in no combined MS (95%CI: 1.013, 5.114, P=0.047). Subgroup analyses also showed that the risk of death from non-viral severe pneumonia was 2.147 times higher in those with MS than those without (95%CI: 1.175, 8.428, P=0.023). ConclusionSevere pneumonia with MS may be more severe and may have a worse prognosis.
ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in order to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.MethodThe epidemiological histories, clinical characteristics, laboratory examinations, chest images, and treatment outcomes of 20 confirmed cases of severe COVID-19 admitted to Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from January 16th to February 5th, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsAmong the 20 patients with severe COVID-19, 12 were male and 8 were female. The age ranged from 34 to 84 years old, with an average of (57.4±16.5) years old. Thirteen patients (65.0%) had one or more co-existing diseases, such as hypertension (9 cases), diabetes (6 cases), and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (4 cases). Eleven cases (55.0%) had a history of living or traveling in Wuhan, 4 cases (20.0%) had a history of living in non-Wuhan areas of Hubei Province, 3 cases (15.0%) had a history of contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, while 2 cases had no above-mentioned epidemiological history, but had a history of traveling in non-epidemic areas. The main symptoms were fever (100.0%), cough (100.0%), shortness of breath (75.0%), and fatigue (65.0). Some patients developed into acute respiratory distress syndrome in 3-10 d after onset. The white blood cell count of the patients was normal or decreased, the hypersensitive C-reactive protein and serum amyloid protein significantly increased, while the CD4+ T lymphocyte count and CD56+ natural killer cell count significantly decreased. Sixteen patients (80.0%) were given transnasal hyperbaric oxygenation [among whom 6 patients (30.0%) were transferred to non-invasive ventilator after no improvement], 3 patients (15.0%) were given tracheal intubated ventilator, and 1 patient (5.0%) was treated by tracheal intubated ventilator combined with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to support breathing. By April 8th, 2020, 3 patients died and the remaining 17 had been cured and discharged, with an average length of hospital stay of 21.4 d. The 3 death cases were all elderly with underlying diseases such as heart disease and pulmonary disease.ConclusionsSevere COVID-19 is associated with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and other basic diseases, and some patients develope acute respiratory distress syndrome. Respiratory support may help to improve prognosis.
目的:探讨胸腺肽α1(Tα1)对重症肺炎细胞因子及免疫功能的影响,观察Tα1在重症肺炎中的治疗作用。方法:将2005年3月至2007年12月在成都市第三人民医院呼吸科(包括RICU)收治的重症肺炎患者随机分为对照组(40例)及用药组(45例),在控制感染的基础上加用胸腺肽α1,观察细胞因子水平的变化及T细胞亚群的改变,同时观察临床症状、体征、X线改变,进行疗效评价。结果:两组患者肿瘤坏死因子(TNF-α),白细胞介素6(L-6)水平均呈升高趋势,但对照组升高更加明显,而白介素10(L-10)在用药组患者中呈升高趋势,治疗第4,第8天,用药组CD4+、CD4+/CD8+较用药前升高,明显高于对照组;治疗组临床疗效及住院时间也优于对照组。结论:Tα1可以调节重症肺炎患者的TNF-α,L-6,L-10等细胞因子的水平,减轻炎症反应,改善患者的免疫功能。
Objective To observe the changes of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 ( sTREM-1) and inflammatory mediators levels in plasma of severe pneumonia patients, and explore the significance of systemic inflammatory response state.Methods Plasma levels of sTREM-1, tumor necrosis factor-α ( TNF-α) and interleukin-10 ( IL-10) were examined in 40 patients with severe pneumonia, 25 patients with uncomplicated pneumonia, and 15 healthy volunteers. Plasma levels of TNF-α,IL-10 and sTREM-1 in survival and non-survival severe pneumoniawere observed on days 1,4, 7 and the day of discharge or death.Results Plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-10, and sTREM-1 [ ( 44. 25 ±10. 81) pg/mL,( 58. 21 ±16. 41) pg/mL, ( 51. 75 ±18. 51) pg/mL, respectively] in the patients with severe pneumonia were higher than those with uncomplicated pneumonia [ ( 24.6 ±6. 45) pg/mL, ( 24. 56 ±7. 1) pg/mL,( 25. 55 ±7. 72) pg/mL, respectively] and the normal controls [ ( 13. 82 ±4. 04) pg/mL, ( 15. 30 ±4. 45)pg/mL, ( 14. 37 ±4. 82) pg/mL, respectively] ( P lt;0. 001) . Plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-10, and sTREM-1 were gradually decreased in the survivors, while maintained at high levels or increased in the non-survivors.The levels of these mediators were all significantly higher in the non-survivors than the survivors at all time points. The ratio of TNF-α/ IL-10 level was higher in the severe pneumonia patients than the uncomplicated pneumonia patients and the control subjects ( 1. 286 ±0. 177 vs. 1. 077 ±0. 410 and 0. 932 ±0. 154) on day 1.The ratio of TNF-α/IL-10 level was higher in the non-survivors than the survivors at all time points. There was negative correlation between plasma levels of sTREM-1 and TNF-αon day 1 ( r = - 0. 479, P =0. 002) ,and positive correlation between plasma levels of sTREM-1 and IL-10 on day 1 ( r = 0. 326, P = 0. 040) .Conclusions There are excessive release of inflammatory mediators and unbalanced systemic inflammatory response in patients with severe pneumonia, especially in non-survivors. sTREM-1, TNF-α and IL-10 are involved in the inflammatory response, and their levels may reflect the prognosis.
Objective To verify the association between admission serum phosphate level and short-term (<30 days) mortality of severe pneumonia patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) / respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). Methods Severe pneumonia patients admitted to the ICU/RICU of Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from November 2019 to September 2021 were included in the study. Serum phosphate was demonstrated as an independent risk factor for short-term mortality of severe pneumonia patients admitted to ICU/RICU by logical analysis and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. The patients were further categorized by serum phosphate concentration to explore the relationship between serum phosphate level and short-term mortality. Results Comparison of baseline indicators at admission between the survival group (n=54) and the non survival group (n=46) revealed that there was significant difference in serum phosphate level [0.9 (0.8, 1.2) mmol/L vs. 1.2 (0.9, 1.5) mmol/L, P<0.05]. Logical analysis showed serum phosphate was an independent risk factor for short-term mortality. ROC curve showed that the prediction ability of serum phosphate was close to pneumonia severity index (PSI). After combining serum phosphate with PSI score, CURB65 score, and sequential organ failure score, the predictive ability of these scores for short-term mortality was improved. Compared with the normophosphatemia group, hyperphosphatemia was found be with significantly higher short-term mortality (85.7% vs. 47.3%, P<0.05), which is absent in hypophosphatemia (25.8%). Conclusions Serum phosphate at admission has a good predictive value on short-term mortality in severe pneumonia patients admitted to the ICU/RICU. Hyperphosphatemia at admission is associated with a higher risk of short-term death.
Objective To investigate the pleural effusion lymphocyte subsets in patients with pneumonia complicated with pleural effusion and its relationship with the occurrence of critical illness. MethodsPatients with pneumonia complicated with pleural effusion (246 cases) admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to June 2022 were selected as the research subjects. According to the severity of pneumonia, they were divided into a critical group (n=150) and a non-critical group (n=96). After 1:1 matching by propensity score matching method, there were 60 cases in each group. The general data of the two groups were compared. CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+ ratio were detected by flow cytometry. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of critical pneumonia, and a nomogram prediction model was constructed and evaluated. The relationship between PSI score and lymphocyte subsets in pleural effusion was analyzed by local weighted regression scatter smoothing (LOWESS). Results After matching, the differences between the two groups of patients in the course of disease, heat peak, heat course, atelectasis, peripheral white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer (D-D), procalcitonin (PCT) and hemoglobin were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the non-critical group, the proportion of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ cells in critical group was lower (P<0.05), and the proportion of CD8+ cells was higher (P<0.05). Combined atelectasis, increased course of disease, fever peak and fever course, increased WBC, CRP, D-D, CD8+ and PCT levels, and decreased CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ and Hb levels were independent risk factors for the occurrence of critical pneumonia (P<0.05). The nomogram prediction model based on independent influencing factors had high discrimination, accuracy and clinical applicability. There was a certain nonlinear relationship between pneomonia severity index and CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+. Conclusions Lymphocyte subsets in pleural effusion are closely related to the severity of pneumonia complicated with pleural effusion. If CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ are abnormal, attention should be paid to the occurrence of severe pneumonia.
Objective To evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews/meta-analyses related to the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid-assisted treatment for severe pneumonia. Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data and VIP databases were searched by computer, and the systematic reviews/meta-analyses of corticosteroid hormone as an auxiliary means for the treatment of severe pneumonia which were published from establishment of the databases to October 25th, 2018 were searched. A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Review-2 (AMSTAR-2) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to evaluate the quality of literature reports. Results A total of 16 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were included, all of which were non-Cochrane systematic reviews. In terms of methodological quality assessed by AMSTAR-2, there was no plan in all studies; only one study explained the reasons for inclusion in the study type; eight studies did not describe the dose and follow-up time of the intervention/control measures in detail; three studies did not indicate the evaluation tools and did not describe the risk bias; six studies did not explicitly examine publication bias. In terms of reporting quality assessed by PRISMA, all studies had no pre-registered study protocol or registration number; thirteen studies did not describe the specific amount of articles retrieved from each database; three studies did not present their retrieval strategies or excluded reasons in detail; no funding sources were identified in included studies; eight studies reported both whether the study was funded and whether there was a conflict of interest. Conclusions At present, there are many systematic review/meta-analysis studies on the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid-assisted treatment for severe pneumonia, and the overall quality of the study has been gradually improved. However, the common problems in the study are relatively prominent. The follow-up period and dose of intervention in the study of severe pneumonia are different, so the baseline is difficult to be unified. Suggestions: strengthening the training of researchers, standardize the research process, and report articles in strict accordance with the PRISMA statement; subgroup analysis being conducted according to the dose and duration of the hormone.
Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of psittacosis patients. Methods The clinical features, treatment and prognosis of severe pneumonia caused by Chlamydia psittaci were analyzed and relevant literatures were reviewed. Results An 83-year-old male with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus was admitted to the hospital for "fever, cough for 5 days and dyspnea for 3 days". Chest CT showed a large mass of increased density in the right lung; CD4+ T lymphocytes had an absolute value of 23 cells/μL; Blood gas analysis showed type Ⅰ respiratory failure; Chlamydia psittaci was detected by metagenomic next-generation sequencing. The patient was diagnosed of severe pneumonia (Chlamydia psittaci), type 2 diabetes mellitus, suspected central nervous system infection. This patient was treated with doxycycline and macrolides antibiotics and discharged from hospital after complete recovery. Literature review showed that patients got infected from contacting sick bird, manifested with multiple system involvement. Respiratory symptoms were common, while central nervous system infection seemed to be rare. The diagnosis of psittacosis depended on serology, nucleic acid detection, pathogen isolation and culture. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing had superiority in the diagnosis of psittacosis. Tetracyclines were the preferable treatment, such as doxycycline or tetracycline, with a duration of at least 10 to 14 days. The prognosis of psittacosis was well, and most of the severe and even life-threatening cases were caused by unclear diagnosis and delayed treatment, and the overall mortality rate was about 1%. Conclusions Psittacosis is one kind of zoonoses. History of poultry exposure is helpful in diagnosis, and metagenomic next-generation sequencing has advantages in diagnosing psittacosis. Tetracyclines are preferred with adequate course of treatment. The overall prognosis is good.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effectiveness of early repair in infants with large ventricular septal defect complicated with pneumonia. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 30 infants who underwent emergency operation in our hospital between January 2014 and April 2015. There were 16 males and 14 females at age of 0.9-12.0 (4.6±2.9) months and with weight of 3.0-8.8 (5.6±1.4) kg. They were diagnosed as ventricular septal defect combined with pneumonia as a trial group. There were other 30 patients without pneumonia, 10 males and 20 females, aged of 0.7-19.0 (4.9±4.8) months, weighing 2.6-12 (5.8±2.1) kg, as a control group. All the patients were followed up for 6 months. ResultsOne patient died in the trial group. None died in the control group. There were statistical differences in length of hospital stay (15.73±6.44 d vs. 10.16±2.16 d, P=0.002) and mechanical ventilation time (28.00±15.72 h vs.12.17±9.10 h, P=0.000) between the trial group and the control group. There was no statistical difference in aortic cross-clamping time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, or CICU residence time (P > 0.05). All the patients were followed up for 6 months. Incidence of pneumonia reduced, growth status and exercise tolerance significantly improved. ConclusionEmergency operation for the infants who suffered from ventricular septal defect with severe pneumonia is efficient and effective. Early mechanical ventilation may be beneficial to the procedure.