Objective To evaluate the optimal management of cardiac surgery during pregnancy,in the second or third trimester,and the maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant patients after surgery.Methods Six pregnant women with heart diseases were identified,who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.Surgery was performed using cardiopulmonary bypass at mild hypothermia/normothermia,with pulsatile perfusion.Natural progesterone(20 mg)was added in priming solution,monitoring uterine contractions and heart rate changes.The mode of surgeries included mitral valve replacement+tricuspid valve plastic in three cases,aortic and mitral valve replacement+tricuspid valve plastic in one,left ventricular myxomatomy in one,left ventricular septal myectomy+artificial aortic valvular vegetations dissection+tricuspid valve plastic in one.Results The cardiopulmonary bypass and cross clamp time averaged 169 minutes(range,96~419 minutes)and 113 minutes(range,56~296 minutes),respectively.Five patients were alive.One maternal and fetal death occurred 6 h after surgery caused by heart failure and pulmonary edema.The other 5 patients terminated pregnancies after heart surgeries,one underwent with cesarean section 3 d after surgery in second trimester,two of whom with induction of labor,and two full-term labor(one with cesarean section,one with normal delivery).Two newborns were alive with no malformation.Conclusion Cardiopulmonary bypass can be used safely with satisfactory maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant patients with heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objective To investigate the relationship between noninvasive brachial artery blood pressure (B) and radial artery blood pressure (R) of the right arm.Methods Two hundred and ninetyfive patients with 149 males and age of (47 ± 16) years were studied.The height of patients was 163 ± 8 cm,and weight of patients was (61.2 ± 7.8) kg.The patients with peripheral vascular disease,wounds of arm skin or subcutaneous tissue infection were all excluded.Their B (with adult cuffs) and R (with infant cuffs) of the right arm were measured and analyzed after the patients under general anesthesia and stable hemodynamics.The relationships between B and R were analyzed by linear regression,the differences between B and R of each interval were compared using one-way ANOVA and then followed by SNK procedure.Results Right brachial artery blood pressure was significantly lower than radial artery blood pressure.The differences between the two varied from 13 to 18 mmHg in systolic BP (SBP),diastolic BP (DBP) and mean blood pressure (MAP).And linear regression was most applicable to describe their correlation [r=0.841 (SBP),0.808 (DBP),0.833 (MAP),all P＜0.01].Conclusions Radial artery blood pressure measured with infant cuffs can well reflect the variation of brachial artery blood pressure.

Objective:To summarize acute type A aortic dissection(ATAAD) is relatively uncommon in dialysis patients, and repair outcomes are not fully understood.Methods:Between January 2014 and March 2020, 20 patients with ATAAD required dialysis for preoperative end-stage renal disease(ESRD) were treated by our group. There were 11 male and 9 female patients at mean age of(47.8±11.3) years. The mean duration of dialysis therapy in the total 20 patients before the onset of ATAAD was(4.5±3.9 )years, with 90%(18 cases) of these patients undergoing hemodialysis(rather than peritoneal dialysis). 17 patients were treated emergency surgically, surgical operation were performed under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and perfused the cerebral selective cerebral perfusion, 5 cases with ascending aorta + arch fenestrated stent, 5 cases with ascending aorta+ hemi-arch replacement(2 cases with stent elephant trunk), 4 cases with ascending aorta+ arch replacement+ stent elephant trunk(1 case with coronary artery bypass grafting for left anterior descending coronary artery), 2 cases with aortic valvuloplasty + ascending aorta+ hemi-arch replacement, 1 case with Bentall+ arch fenestrated stent.Results:2 patients were died from aortic ruptured before operation, 1 patient treated medically was alive three months after admission. Cross-clamp, cardiopulmonary bypass, and circulatory arrest times of all the surgical patients were(233.8±84.4) min, (155.5±63.6)min and(28.2±10.8)min, respectively. The following complications occurred postoperative: 3 cases died in the hospital, 1 case of tracheotomy, 2 cases of cerebral infarction, 1 case of cerebral hemorrhage, 1 case of transient paraplegia, and 1 case of surgical site infection. After a mean follow-up of(11.6±14.5) months(rang, 3-61 months). the overall survival rate at 1 year and 5 years was 53% and 27% respectively.Conclusion:Dialysis patients with ATAAD should be operated on urgently and medical treatment carries high risks of aortic rupture, although in-hospital mortality is acceptable, long-term mortality is poor.

Objective:To identify the risk factors for and outcomes of preoperative hepatic dysfunction (HD) in patients who underwent surgery for the treatment of acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection (ADIAD).Methods:A retrospective study including 810 consecutive patients between January 2014 and December 2019 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital was performed with emergency surgical repair. All patients were divided into non-HD and HD groups according to the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score before surgery and their clinical parameters and clinical outcomes were collected and compared. To determine independent predictors of preoperative HD, multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using variables with P<0.5 in the univariate analyses. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were conducted to analyze the association between preoperative HD and postoperative long-term survival. Results:The mean age of the patients was (52.4±12.5) years. 215 patients (26.5%) were identified as the preoperative HD group. In univariate analysis, significant difference was found with respect to the postoperative complications (98.6% vs. 94.5%, P=0.011) and 30-day mortality (20.0% vs. 8.4%, P<0.001) between the two groups. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that elevated serum troponin T levels upon admission( OR=1.921, P<0.001) and preoperative cardiac tamponade ( OR=2.158, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for preoperative HD. The long-term mortality rate was not significantly affected by preoperative HD. Conclusion:Early HD before surgery was commonly observed in patients with ADIAD and was associated with increased postoperative complications and 30-Day mortality. Elevated serum troponin T levels upon admission and preoperative cardiac tamponade were identified as risk factors for preoperative HD.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of the pulmonary rehabilitation system based on the concept of prehabilitation for patients after cardiac surgery to wean tube and avoid related complications.Methods:From January 2018 to December 2019 in a single-center(third-class hospital in cardiac surgery intensive care unit), all adult patients hospitalized for 7 days before open-heart surgery were included. They were randomly divided into pulmonary rehabilitation group(198 cases) and control group(234 cases). To compare and analyze the clinical effects, the main observations were observed including overall outcome indicators(such as early extubation rate, ICU stay, hospitalization costs, advanced oxygen therapy support after extubation) and lung outcome related indicators(such as the occurrence of pulmonary complications, chest drainage, secondary intubation, tracheotomy, lung infection and chest tube drainage).Results:There was no statistical difference between groups in basic conditions and surgical conditions. The lung rehabilitation group significantly increased the rate of early extubation, reduced the number of advanced oxygen therapy after weaning, shortened the length of ICU stay, saved hospitalization cost, significantly reduced the occurrence of postoperative respiratory complications and improved postoperative respiratory function( P<0.05). Conclusion:During cardiac perioperation, pulmonary rehabilitation significantly can increase the rate of early extubation , shorten the length of mechanical ventilation, reduce the occurrence of secondary tracheal intubation and pulmonary complications. And it can also effectively promote the recovery of lung function and the overall recovery.

Chronic heart failure （CHF） and diabetes mellitus （DM） comorbidity presents a myriad of symptoms and a complex pathogenesis， making the traditional diagnostic and treatment model of "using disease to treat syndrome" often inadequate in clinical practice. The concept of "syndrome-based treatment of disease" is rooted in the core thinking of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome differentiation and treatment， emphasizing the importance of syndrome as the guiding principle. This approach categorizes various diseases according to their corresponding syndrome categories for exploration， adhering to the principle of starting from the syndrome and addressing the disease thereafter， which highlights the advantages of TCM holistic view and syndrome differentiation and treatment. The pathogenesis of CHF is characterized by deficiency of both Qi and Yin， along with blood stasis， affecting organs such as the lung， spleen， and kidney， which in turn impacts the distribution and metabolism of body fluids. Dysfunction in body fluid regulation leads to stagnation， resulting in pathological products like phlegm and turbidity， which exacerbates syndromes of Yin deficiency and excessive heat. As the conditions of Yin deficiency and dryness-heat intensify， and as body fluid depletion continues， the patient's DM symptoms worsen， contributing to or aggravating the comorbidity. Following the diagnostic approach of "syndrome-based treatment of disease"， TCM diagnosis and treatment of CHF and DM comorbidity should focus on the core pathogenesis of "deficient Qi retention". This study categorized CHF and DM comorbidity into four stages： A （comorbid risk period）， B （precomorbid period）， C （intermediate stage of comorbidity）， and D （advanced comorbidity）， proposing corresponding TCM syndrome types for each stage. In terms of treatment， adhering to the principle of "tonifying deficiency and relieving stagnation"， the specific methods included invigorating Qi and strengthening the body， nourishing Yin and generating body fluids， activating blood circulation and Qi， and promoting diuresis and removing toxins. This study reviewed recent research progress on Chinese medicine compound prescriptions for CHF combined with DM， aiming to achieve precise treatment for both diseases and provide a scientific basis for the application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of CHF and DM comorbidity.

Objective    To identify the predictors for readmission in the ICU among cardiac surgery patients. Methods    We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2 799 consecutive patients under cardiac surgery, who were divided into two groups including a readmission group (47 patients, 27 males and 20 females at age of 62.0±14.4 years) and a non readmission group (2 752 patients, 1 478 males and 1 274 females at age of 55.0±13.9 years) in our hospital between January 2014 and October 2016. Results    The incidence of ICU readmission was 1.68% (47/2 799). Respiratory disorders were the main reason for readmission (38.3%).Readmitted patients had a significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to those requiring no readmission (23.4% vs. 4.6%，P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-operative renal dysfunction (OR=5.243, 95%CI 1.190 to 23.093, P=0.029), the length of stay in the ICU (OR=1.002, 95%CI 1.001 to 1.004, P=0.049), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the first postoperative day (OR=1.000, 95%CI 1.000 to 1.001, P=0.038), acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ) score in the first 24 hours of admission to the ICU (OR=1.171, 95%CI 1.088 to1.259, P<0.001), and the drainage on the day of surgery (OR=1.001, 95%CI1.001 to 1.002, P<0.001) were the independent risk factors for readmission to the cardiac surgery ICU. Conclusion    The early identification of high risk patients for readmission in the cardiac surgery ICU could encourage both more efficient healthcare planning and resources allocation.