Critical care medicine has the characteristics of complex,a wide range of knowledge,and interdisciplinary,so standardized training is difficult.Intensive Care Unit explored a standardized training mode and evaluation system suitable for standardized training residents in the Intensive Care Unit,including generalizing training target,developing step by step teaching plans,establishment of entrance education,basic theory,basic skills,scientific thinking and doctor-patient communication training with diversity of teaching methods,including lecture-based learning,problem-based and casebased learning,implement the flexible and strict evaluation system.

Objective To analyze the main clinical features of human infection with H7N9 avian influenza complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Methods A retrospective analysis of complete clinical data of 9 cases of human infection with H7N9 avian influenza complicated by ARDS admitted from March 2013 to December 2014 admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School was conducted.Results Nine patients' mean age was (46.3±12.3) years, male accounting for 66.7% (6/9). The main clinical features: ① In the duration of acute phase, high fever, cough, hemoptysis sputum, reduction of white blood cell count (WBC) and platelet count (PLT), and myocardial enzyme elevation were the features of the disease. Chest CT showed pulmonary consolidation and ground-glass like shadows. ② On admission, all their oxygenation indexes (PaO2/FiO2) were less than 200 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) of which 66.7% (6/9) was less than 100 mmHg, mean (98.9±62.8) mmHg; 55.6% (5/9) required invasive mechanical ventilatory support; 77.8% (7/9) combined with shock, and hemodynamic monitoring showed peripheral vascular resistance was decreased. ③ There were secondary bloodstream infection in 5 cases and lung infection in 4 cases, accounting for 77.8% (7/9). ④ In 22.2% (2/9) patients, the virus relapsed after the anti-virus therapy was stopped for 7 days, then immediately antiviral treatment was used again, it was still effective.Conclusion Human infection with H7N9 avian influenza complicated by ARDS has typical clinical symptoms, laboratory tests and imaging features, often associated with distributive shock, and at the late stage, secondary pulmonary or blood infection and the virus resurgence may occur.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of low-dose rituximab therapy and sequential maintenance for patients with refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Methods Thirty-three patients with refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura received intravenous rituximab at the dose of 100 mg once a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Complete blood cell count and serum concentrations of immunoglobulin (IgG,IgM and IgA) were monitored regularly. The numbers of CD3+ and CD19+ CD20+ lymphocyte cells were assayed by flow cytometry before and after therapy. Twenty-five patients with responses(complete response and response) were divided into maintained group (12 patients) and control group (13 patients) by random digits table method. The patients in maintained group were treated with rituximab 100 mg every 6 months. The efficacy of maintenance therapy was evaluated through long-term follow-up. Results The complete response(CR) rate, response (R) rate and no response(NR) rate were 48.48%(16/33), 27.27%(9/33) and 24.24% (8/33), respectively. As a result, total effective rate was 75.76% (25/33). There were no significant changes of peripheral blood white blood cell count,hemoglobin,serum immunoglobulin and CD3+lymphocyte counts before and after treatment (P>0.05). However, CD19+ CD20+ cells were almost depleted in patients treated with rituximab: (3.71±2.64)×106/L vs. (279.33±92.78)×106/L, P<0.01. Five patients suffered from allergic response, and 1 patient developed pneumonia and respiratory failure. The relapse rates of maintained group and control group were 1/12 and 4/13, respectively. Conclusions Treatment with low-dose rituximab may be an effective and safe approach in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Relapse rates can be decreased through maintenance therapy with refractory low-dose rituximab. However, the optimal therapeutic schedule need further investigation.

Objective: To explore the impact of augmented renal clearance (ARC) on vancomycin pharmacokinetic target attainment in severe infective patients, and to analyze the initial dose of vancomycin based on the measured 12-hour urinary creatinine clearance (12 h-CL_CR). Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. The patients with severe infection, who receiving vancomycin empiric or targeted therapy, admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from February 2013 to December 2017 were enrolled. All patients were treated with vancomycin intravenously by intermittent bolus every 6-12 hours. After four or five doses, blood samples were drawn before the next dosage for serum trough vancomycin concentration (Cmin), and target concentration was defined between 15 mg/L and 20 mg/L. The urine creatinine (UCr) was measured, and CL_CR was calculated. ARC was defined as 12 h-CL_CR > 130 mL·min^-1·1.73 m^-2. According to 12 h-CL_CR before treatment, the patients were divided into ARC group and non-ARC group. The basic renal function of the patients was monitored, and the dosage of vancomycin and the dosage of vancomycin when the blood concentration reached the target were recorded. The correlations between 12 h-CL_CR and the dosage of vancomycin when the blood concentration reached the target as well as the blood concentration of vancomycin were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Dosage stratification analysis was carried out according to different 12 h-CL_CR. The predictive value of 12 h-CL_CR for vancomycin dosage when the blood concentration reached the target was evaluated by using the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC). Results: Data was provided from a total of 135 patients with severe infection, in which 102 patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients with vancomycin treatment duration less than 72 hours, chronic kidney disease Ⅴ phase, vancomycin treatment before entering ICU and those with incomplete data were excluded. The mean 12 h-CL_CR was (114.31±73.38) mL·min^-1·1.73 m^-2. The 12 h-CL_CR in ARC group (n = 44, 43.14%) was significantly higher than that in non-ARC group (n = 58, 56.86%) (mL·min^-1·1.73 m^-2: 179.37±59.04 vs. 65.95±35.71, P < 0.01). Target Cmin of vancomycin was achieved in 50.98% of patients (52/102), the target rate in ARC group was significantly lower than that in non-ARC group [29.55% (13/44) vs. 67.24% (39/58), P < 0.01], and the Cmin of vancomycin in ARC group was significantly lower than that in non-ARC group (mg/L: 10.98±6.09 vs. 14.67±6.20, P < 0.01). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a significantly negative correlation between 12 h-CL_CR and initial Cmin of vancomycin (n = 102, r = -0.436, P < 0.001), but a positive correlation was found between 12 h-CL_CR and vancomycin dosage when the blood concentration reached the target (n = 52, r = 0.275, P = 0.048). The patients with ARC need higher dosage for blood concentration reaching the target than those without ARC (mg·kg^-1·d^-1: 42.47±13.17 vs. 31.53±14.43, P < 0.01). According to 12 h-CL_CR, the patients with initial treatment reaching the target were divided into five subgroups, < 40, 40-70, 71-100, 101-130 and > 130 mL·min^-1·1.73 m^-2. The results showed that as 12 h-CL_CR increased, the attained dosage of vancomycin was also increased correspondingly. ROC curve analysis showed that when 12 h-CL_CR≥69.83 mL·min^-1·1.73 m^-2, the attained dose of vancomycin when the blood concentration reached the target was greater than conventional dosage of 30 mg·kg^-1·d^-1. Conclusions Patients with ARC have low concentrations of vancomycin and often fail to achieve therapeutic target. The initial dose of vancomycin can be selected according to 12 h-CL_CR, the higher the 12 h-CL_CR, the more the dosage of vancomycin is. When 12 h-CL_CR is greater than or equal to 69.83 mL·min^-1·1.73 m^-2, the dosage of vancomycin should be higher than the conventional dosage.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of augmented renal clearance (ARC) on vancomycin pharmacokinetic target attainment in severe infective patients, and to analyze the initial dose of vancomycin based on the measured 12-hour urinary creatinine clearance (12 h-CL_CR). METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted. The patients with severe infection, who receiving vancomycin empiric or targeted therapy, admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from February 2013 to December 2017 were enrolled. All patients were treated with vancomycin intravenously by intermittent bolus every 6-12 hours. After four or five doses, blood samples were drawn before the next dosage for serum trough vancomycin concentration (Cmin), and target concentration was defined between 15 mg/L and 20 mg/L. The urine creatinine (UCr) was measured, and CL_CR was calculated. ARC was defined as 12 h-CL_CR > 130 mL×min^-1×1.73 m^-2. According to 12 h-CL_CR before treatment, the patients were divided into ARC group and non-ARC group. The basic renal function of the patients was monitored, and the dosage of vancomycin and the dosage of vancomycin when the blood concentration reached the target were recorded. The correlations between 12 h-CL_CR and the dosage of vancomycin when the blood concentration reached the target as well as the blood concentration of vancomycin were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Dosage stratification analysis was carried out according to different 12 h-CL_CR. The predictive value of 12 h-CL_CR for vancomycin dosage when the blood concentration reached the target was evaluated by using the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS: Data was provided from a total of 135 patients with severe infection, in which 102 patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients with vancomycin treatment duration less than 72 hours, chronic kidney disease V phase, vancomycin treatment before entering ICU and those with incomplete data were excluded. The mean 12 h-CL_CR was (114.31±73.38) mL×min^-1×1.73 m^-2. The 12 h-CL_CR in ARC group (n = 44, 43.14%) was significantly higher than that in non-ARC group (n = 58, 56.86%) (mL×min^-1×1.73 m^-2: 179.37±59.04 vs. 65.95±35.71, P < 0.01). Target Cmin of vancomycin was achieved in 50.98% of patients (52/102), the target rate in ARC group was significantly lower than that in non-ARC group [29.55% (13/44) vs. 67.24% (39/58), P < 0.01], and the Cmin of vancomycin in ARC group was significantly lower than that in non-ARC group (mg/L: 10.98±6.09 vs. 14.67±6.20, P < 0.01). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a significantly negative correlation between 12 h-CL_CR and initial Cmin of vancomycin (n = 102, r = -0.436, P < 0.001), but a positive correlation was found between 12 h-CL_CR and vancomycin dosage when the blood concentration reached the target (n = 52, r = 0.275, P = 0.048). The patients with ARC need higher dosage for blood concentration reaching the target than those without ARC (mg×kg^-1×d^-1: 42.47±13.17 vs. 31.53±14.43, P < 0.01). According to 12 h-CL_CR, the patients with initial treatment reaching the target were divided into five subgroups, < 40, 40-70, 71-100, 101-130 and > 130 mL×min^-1×1.73 m^-2. The results showed that as 12 h-CL_CR increased, the attained dosage of vancomycin was also increased correspondingly. ROC curve analysis showed that when 12 h-CL_CR≥69.83 mL×min^-1×1.73 m^-2, the attained dose of vancomycin when the blood concentration reached the target was greater than conventional dosage of 30 mg×kg^-1×d^-1. CONCLUSIONS Patients with ARC have low concentrations of vancomycin and often fail to achieve therapeutic target. The initial dose of vancomycin can be selected according to 12 h-CL_CR, the higher the 12 h-CL_CR, the more the dosage of vancomycin is. When 12 h-CL_CR is greater than or equal to 69.83 mL×min^-1×1.73 m^-2, the dosage of vancomycin should be higher than the conventional dosage.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Infections ; Intensive Care Units ; Kidney Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Vancomycin/administration & dosage*

Objective:To investigate the safety and effectiveness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in emergency treatment of critically ill pregnant women.Methods:Clinical data of 8 pregnant women with severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction during the perinatal period treated by ECMO in the department of intensive care unit (ICU) of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing University Medical School from September 2017 to November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results:For the 8 pregnant women, the mean age was (32.5±6.3) years old. Body weight was (73.5±8.1) kg. Gestational age was (31.0±4.4) weeks. Acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ) score was 13.0±6.6, and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was 8.3±3.8. Among them, 5 pregnant women suffered from severe pneumonia and were treated with veno-venous ECMO (VV-ECMO). Another 3 pregnant women with heart failure underwent veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO). The initial ECMO flow rate was set to 2.0-3.0 L/min. Then the highest flow rate was (3.1±0.6) L/min, and the average ECMO running time was (174±36) hours. The length of ICU stay was (16.0±5.4) days. Six pregnant women (5 with severe pneumonia and 1 with peripartum cardiomyopathy) successfully evacuated from ECMO and survived. Two pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension showed poor prognosis. In total, seven babies survived. Two of them were delivered after ECMO evacution, and one underwent emergency cesarean section with ECMO support. In another case, the fetus could not be delivered due to under-gestational weeks. During this period, there were no serious bleeding complications. One pregnant woman developed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT), then she received another anticoagulant treatment. One pregnant woman got sequential anticoagulation therapy for 3 months on account of thrombosis in the puncture vessel.Conclusions:ECMO has played an active role in the rescue of critically ill pregnant women. For those with reversible severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction, it is necessary to evaluate the application of ECMO as early as possible to improve the survival rate of mothers and infants.

Objective:To evaluate the predictive value of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO 2) for the occurrence of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Methods:The data of 94 patients with sepsis admitted to the intensive care unit of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from September 2019 to June 2021 were collected. The patients were divided into SAE group and non-SAE group according to the evaluation results of daily intensive care unit confusion assessment method (CAM-ICU) during ICU treatment. The general data such as age and gender of the patients, rScO 2 on 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days of ICU admission, and prognostics were recorded. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to evaluate the predictive value of rScO 2 on SAE during ICU stay. Results:All 94 patients were enrolled in the analysis, of whom 59.6% (56/94) were male, and the mean age was (50.1±15.1) years old; the incidence of SAE was 31.9% (30/94). The levels of rScO 2 within first 3 days of ICU admission in the SAE group were significantly lower than those in the non-SAE group (1 day: 0.601±0.107 vs. 0.675±0.069, 2 days: 0.592±0.090 vs. 0.642±0.129, 3 days: 0.662±0.109 vs. 0.683±0.091, all P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in rScO 2 level on the 5th or the 7th day between the SAE and non-SAE groups (5 days: 0.636±0.065 vs. 0.662±0.080, 7 days: 0.662±0.088 vs. 0.690±0.077, both P > 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that 1-day rScO 2 had the greatest predictive value for SAE [1 day: area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.77, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.65-0.89, P < 0.01; 2 days: AUC = 0.60, 95% CI was 0.48-0.72, P > 0.05; 3 days: AUC = 0.55, 95% CI was 0.41-0.68, P > 0.05]; with 1-day rScO 2 = 0.640 as the diagnostic threshold, the sensitivity was 73.4%, the specificity was 80.0%. Compared with the non-SAE group, the length of ICU stay and hospital stay in the SAE group were significantly longer [length of ICU stay (days): 13.6±7.1 vs. 9.0±4.3, length of hospital stay (days): 20.1±8.0 vs. 15.8±6.1, both P < 0.05], but the ICU mortality between the two groups was not statistically different. Conclusions:The incidence of SAE is relatively high in ICU patients, and the occurrence of SAE can be predicted by monitoring rScO 2. The rScO 2 value on the first day of ICU admission is closely related to the occurrence of SAE, and may be the target of sepsis resuscitation to guide the treatment and improve the long-term prognosis.

Objective To investigate the effects of protein intake in the early phase and later phase on the outcomes of critically ill patients.Methods A total of 326 critically ill patients admitted in intensive care unit of our hospital from September 2016 to March 2018 were enrolled in this prospective observational study.According to the 28-day prognosis of patients,they were divided into death group and survival group.Early protein target (EPT) was defined as the daily protein intake≥0.8 g/ (kg · d) on days 1-3,and late protein target (LPT) was defined as the daily protein intake≥0.8 g/ (k · d) on days 4-7.Results Daily protein intakes on day 1 and day 3 and cumulative protein intakes on days 1-3 were significantly higher in non-survivors than in the survivors (P＜0.05),but daily protein intakes on day 2,4,5,6 and 7 and cumulative protein intakes on days 4-7 and 1-7 showed no significant difference between two groups (P＞0.05).Hospital mortality was the lowest in the LPT group,the highest in the EPT,and in the middle in the EPT+LPT group and non-EPT+non-LPT group (P＜0.05).The survival curve analysis showed that the survival time of the EPT-only group was significantly lower than that of the LPT-only group (P＜0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that age,sex,cumulative protein and caloric intakes on days 1-7 were the independent risk factors for mortality.Conclusion Early low protein intake is benefit for the outcomes of critically ill patients,and combined with adequate intake of protein in the later stage may further improve the outcomes.

BACKGROUNDRapidly progressive pneumonia infection with H7N9 virus is a novel disease, and limited information is available concerning serial chest radiographic and computed tomography (CT) findings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in serial radiologic findings in patients with H7N9 pneumonia.

METHODSThe two institutional ethics review boards approved this retrospective study. This study included 10 patients with H7N9 pneumonia. All patients underwent chest radiologic examinations at different time points. Serial radiologic images were systematically analyzed.

RESULTSAll patients showed abnormal results on initial chest radiography and CT. The initial radiographic abnormalities were unilateral (n = 9) and bilateral (n = 1), including ground-glass opacities (GGOs) (n = 5) and consolidation (n = 5). The initial CT findings consisted of unilateral (n = 6) and bilateral (n = 4), including consolidation (n = 10), GGOs (n = 10), reticular opacities (n = 2), and pleural effusion (n = 3). Follow-up radiologic findings showed rapid development of consolidation or GGOs within two weeks after illness onset. Pneumomediastinum with secondary subcutaneous emphysema and pneumothorax were noted in two patients. Follow-up high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) after two weeks showed slow improvement in both size and opacity of the lesions. On HRCT after discharge, patients had substantial residual lesions such as irregular linear opacities, reticular opacities, parenchymal bands, traction bronchiectasis, and cystic lesions.

CONCLUSIONSThe most common radiologic findings at presentation are multifocal or diffuse areas of consolidation and GGOs in H7N9 pneumonia. HRCT in sequence can show more changes in rapid progression of disease and a slow decrease of both size and opacity of the lesions plays an important role in the evaluation of H7N9 pneumonia.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype ; physiology ; Influenza, Human ; diagnostic imaging ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed