Objective To investigate the effect of Shenmai injection in treating elderly with orthostatic hypotension. Methods The total of 97 cases of patients with orthostatic hypotension were randomly divided into 2 groups, which was injected intravenously with 100 mL Shenmai injection once daily as the treatment group, with 100 mL glucose as the control.The treatment lasted 14 days. The clinical symptom score, the difference of blood pressure, the P￣selectin, and the platelet maximum aggregation were measured. Results Compared with the control, Shenmai injection significantly reduced the clinical symptom scores of patients (P<0.05), lowered the difference of blood pressure for upright and supine significantly (P<0.05), decreased the platelet maximum aggregation and P￣selectin remarkably (P<0.05). Conclusion Shenmai injection significantly reduces the difference of blood pressure for upright and supine of the elderly with orthostatic hypotension, and inhibits the activities of platelets, thus improves the clinical symptoms.

Objective To explore the effect of external diaphragm pacemaker (EDP) in patients with mechanical ventilation after stroke. Methods One hundred patients with mechanical ventilation after stroke, admitted to our hospital from January 2014 and July 201, were assigned to a control group and an observation group (n=50) according to the willing of the patient family. All the patients received routine ICU treatment; patients from the observation group were additionally given external diaphragm pacemaker (EDP). After 30 d of treatment, the incidence of respiratory infections and percentage of total subjects of weaned, diaphragmatic excursion, duration in ICU, and duration of mechanical ventilation were compared between the two groups. Results As compared with those in the control group, the percentage of subjects of weaned and diaphragmatic excursion were significantly increased, and the duration in ICU, duration of mechanical ventilation, and incidence of respiratory infections were significantly decreased in the observation group (P<0.05). Conclusion EDP treatment may increase the percentage of subjects of weaned by improving the diaphragmatic function, which can decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation and incidence of respiratory infections in patients with mechanical ventilation after stroke.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the prevalence and orthostatic blood pressure changes in subjects with symptomatic orthostatic hypotension (OH), and to observe the relation between symptoms and orthostatic blood pressure change in this population.

METHODSA total of 193 subjects who consulted physicians due to OH related symptoms were selected, and divided into three groups: young (n = 37), middle-aged (n = 66) and elder (n = 90). Height, body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and resting heart rate were measured. Symptom scores of every subject were obtained. CAVI and ABI were measured. Blood pressure including recumbent position, orthostatic systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured at the morning and at the afternoon on two separate examination days with at least one week interval. After that, orthostatic changes in systolic blood pressure (OCs) and orthostatic changes in diastolic blood pressure (OCd) were calculated.

RESULTSOH prevalence was 32.6% in this cohort. The prevalence of three groups was similar [young: 32.4%, middle-aged: 25.8%, and elderly: 37.8%, respectively (P > 0.05)]. Only 9 cases (14.29% of confirmed OH cases) reached the OH diagnostic criteria with equal or more than 2 times orthostatic blood pressure measurements. OH was diagnosed in 63 patients during the 4 times orthostatic blood pressure check, of which 19.5% to 57.14% cases were diagnosed with single orthostatic blood pressure check. Age, weight, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, smoking, drinking habit, sex, coronary heart disease, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, stroke history, antihypertensive drug use were similar between OH group and non-OH group. Height, waist circumference, hip circumference, and resting heart rate were significantly lower in OH group than in non-OH group (P < 0.05). The values of the factors in OH group were lower. CAVI was 8.45 ± 0.19 in non-OH group and 8.37 ± 0.27 in OH group (P > 0.05), ABI was significantly lower in OH group than in non-OH group (1.004 ± 0.013 vs. 1.051 ± 0.009, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of OH in people with related symptoms is high. Repeated orthostatic blood pressure measurements can improve OH detection rate.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Humans ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; epidemiology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the relation between course and effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on patients with spinal cord injuries. Methods The retrospective study of 147 patients with spinal cord injuries were reviewed and on the basis of comprehensive treatment the control group was not treated with hyperbaric oxygen (NHBO group,39 cases),whereas Hyperbaric oxygen treatment group(HBO group,108 cases)were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. According to courses of HBO treatment ,from short term to long term ,the HBO group was divided into 3 subgroups,HBO1,HBO2 and HBO3 subgroup. Evaluation based on the result all selected patients assessed on the six months after the date of surgery. Results There was no significant difference in baseline data between the NHBO group and the HBO group and the overall effectiveness of the HBO group was better than the NHBO group(P<0.01). The efficacy of HBO2 and HBO3 subgroup was better than that of HBO1 subgroup. From the perspective of spinal cord function before and after treatment ,the efficacy of the HBO group was better than that of the NHBO group(P < 0.05).The efficacy of HBO2 and HBO3 subgroup was superior to that of HBO1 subgroup (P < 0.05). However there was no significant difference in total effective rate and spinal cord score between the HBO2 and the HBO3 subgroups. Conclusions Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is effective in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The treatment for 3~4 courses play the best therapeutic effect.