Objective To evaluate the predictive performance of diaphragm thickening fraction ( DTF) assessed by ultrasound in the feasibility of weaning from mechanical ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) . Methods Forty-three patients with COPD were enrolled for prospective study.All patients were ventilated mechanically for more than 48 hours and were expected to be weaned when they met clinical criteria in the intensive care unit from February 2015 to August 2015.Patients received a spontaneous breathing trial under pressure support for 1 h.At the end of spontaneous breathing trial, the right hemi-diaphragm was visualized in the zone of apposition using a 6-13 MHz linear ultrasound probe. Diaphragm thickness was recorded at end-inspiration (DTei) and end-expiration (DTee), and the DTF was calculated as percentage from the following formula:(DTei -DTee) /DTee.Also the rapid shallow breathing index ( RSBI ) was calculated.Patients meeting weaning criteria were extubated.Weaning successfully was defined as spontaneous breathing for >48 h without any form of ventilation support.Results Twenty-five patients were weaned successfully and failure of weaning was found in 18 patients.A significant differences in DTF ( 39.66 ±13.22 )%vs.( 23.84 ±8.85 )%, P <0.05 and RSBI ( 62.74 ±26.05 ) vs.( 98.89 ± 35.44) , P <0.05 were observed between patients with successful weaning and patients with failure.The sensitivity and specificity of DTF≥30 % for successful weaning were 84% and 83.88 %, respectively.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.872 ( 95 % CI: 0.759-0.985 ) for DTF.By comparison, when RSBI was ≤105, there was a sensitivity of 92 %, and a specificity of 38.89 % for determining successful weaning.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.804 ( 95 %CI: 0.669-0.940) for RSBI. Conclusions This study shows that in a cohort of COPD patients, the assessment of DTF using diaphragm ultrasound may be useful to predict success weaning or failure during spontaneous breathing trial.

Objective To observe any effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pul monary function,airflow obstruction,dyspnea,exercise capacity and levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the sputum of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods Thirty patients with stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ COPD were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group with 15 cases in each.TENS applied at the Feishu acupuncture point (BL13) was used in the treatment group,while sham stimulation of the same point without current output was used in the control group.The treatment was administered 40 minutes once daily,5 days a week for a total of 4 weeks.The outcome measures were measured before and after 4 weeks of treatment.Results FVC,FEV1,FEV1％,and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) all improved significantly in the treatment group after 4 weeks of treatment.After treatment,the average TNF-α level in induced sputum and exercise capacity as indicated by the average BODE index had both improved significantly in the treatment group.Compared with the control group,pulmonary function,TNF-α and the BODE index in the treatment group were all significantly better.There was no significant difference in pulmonary function,BODE index or TNF-α before and after treatment in the control group.Conclusion TENS at the Feishu acupoint can reduce airway inflammation,improve pulmonary function and exercise capacity,and decrease TNF-α levels in patients with stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ COPD.This treatment should be very useful for enhancing their ability in the activities of daily living.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation(NPPV) as a weaning strategy in patients with acute respiratory failure after failure to wean from invasive positive pressure ventilation(IPPV). Method A prospective randomized and controlled clinical trial of weaning of IPPV was carried out in patients mechanically ventilated in mode of IPPV for more than 48 hours with failure in a spontaneous breathing trial(SBT: PSV 6 cmH_2O). Patients with contraindications to NPPV were excluded. After failure the SBT, patients were randomly divided(random number) in two groups. Patients in NPPV group were extubated after being ventilated with high pressure support for 30 minutes and then placed on NPPV. Patients in IPPV group were weaned following conventional procedure. Arterial blood gases, maximal inspiratory pressure, respiratory rate,tidal volume, rapid shallow breathing index, heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and peripheral oxygen saturation were measured before and after failing the SBT. The rate of complications, including pneumonia and tracheotomy duration mechanical ventilation, days of hospital stay and outcome were observed. Findings of the two groups were vompared using the Student t test and the chi-square test. Results The percentage of complications in the NPPV group was lower(22.9% versus 72.2%, P <0.01) ,with lower incidences of pneumonia(6.1%,36.1%; P <0.01) and tracheotomy. Compared between the two groups, days of ICU stay( 14.16(3.45) d vs. 22.57( 7.71 ) d; P <0.01) and total days of mechanical ventilation(14.88±3.76 days vs. 20.68± 2.79 days, P <0.01) of NPPV group are shorter than IPPV group. Conclusions NPPV is a good alternative to the mechanically venti-lated patients who fail in initial weaning attempts. The key to successful NPPV weaning is the proper selection of weaning candidates and using NPPV as soon as possible after extubation.

Objective To investigate the effect of lung protective and ventilatory management strategies for brain death donors on eligibility and availability of lungs for transplantation.Method The clinical data of two brain dead patients who accepted lung protective ventilatory management strategies from Feb.2015 to Mar.2015 were retrospectively analyzed.Two cases of brain-dead patients,due to severe cerebral trauma,accepted the aggressive lung protective ventilatory management strategies and airway management for 9 days and 4 days respectively.PaO2/FiO2,chest imaging manifestations,surface of the lung harvested and pulmonary rehabilitation of recipients after operation were observed.Result Two lung recipients were liberated from ventilation and pulmonary function improved significantly after double lung transplantation.Conclusion The application of lung protective ventilatory strategies in potential organ donors with brain death can increase the number of eligible and harvested lungs.

Objective To investigate the awareness of occupational health knowledge and concept of front-line workers in the automobile manufacturing industry. Methods A total of 1 188 front-line workers from 47 automobile manufacturing enterprises in Guangdong Province were selected as the research subjects using the judgment sampling method. The awareness of occupational health knowledge and concept of the workers was investigated using the Personal Questionnaire for National Survey of Occupational Health Literacy for Key Populations. Results The median (25th and 75th percentiles) awareness of occupational health knowledge and concept among the research subjects was 56.00% (44.00%, 64.00%). The awareness was higher among male workers than female workers (P<0.05). The awareness was higher among married workers than workers with other marital status (P<0.05). The awareness of workers with an education level of middle school or below was lower than those in the senior high school and junior college group and bachelor's degree or above group (all P<0.05). The awareness of workers in the group with personal monthly income <5 000 was lower than that in the other two income groups with personal monthly income ≥5 000 (all P<0.05). The awareness of workers in medium and large enterprises was higher than that of workers in small and micro enterprises (all P<0.05). The awareness of workers in foreign-funded enterprises was higher than that in private enterprises and other enterprises (all P<0.05). The awareness of workers with job tenure >5-10 and >10 years was higher than that in workers with job tenure of 1-≤5 years (P<0.05). The awareness for the 25 items of occupational health knowledge and concept among the research subjects ranged from 6.14% to 96.72%, with an average awareness of 54.46% for the 25 items. Conclusion The awareness of occupational health knowledge and concept of front-line workers in automobile manufacturing industry is not high in general, and it is influenced by gender, marriage status, education level, personal monthly income, enterprise nature and scale, and job tenure.

BACKGROUND: Although intensively studied in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the prognostic value of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) has little been elucidated in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). This study aimed to reveal the prognostic value of DBP in AECOPD patients. METHODS: Inpatients with AECOPD were prospectively enrolled from 10 medical centers in China between September 2017 and July 2021. DBP was measured on admission. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality; invasive mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were secondary outcomes. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariable Cox regressions were used to identify independent prognostic factors and calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for adverse outcomes. RESULTS: Among 13,633 included patients with AECOPD, 197 (1.45%) died during their hospital stay. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that low DBP on admission (<70 mmHg) was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality (HR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.53-3.05, Z = 4.37, P <0.01), invasive mechanical ventilation (HR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.32-2.05, Z = 19.67, P <0.01), and ICU admission (HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.24-1.69, Z = 22.08, P <0.01) in the overall cohort. Similar findings were observed in subgroups with or without CVDs, except for invasive mechanical ventilation in the subgroup with CVDs. When DBP was further categorized in 5-mmHg increments from <50 mmHg to ≥100 mmHg, and 75 to <80 mmHg was taken as reference, HRs for in-hospital mortality increased almost linearly with decreased DBP in the overall cohort and subgroups of patients with CVDs; higher DBP was not associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Low on-admission DBP, particularly <70 mmHg, was associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes among inpatients with AECOPD, with or without CVDs, which may serve as a convenient predictor of poor prognosis in these patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trail Registry, No. ChiCTR2100044625.
Humans ; Blood Pressure ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy* ; Cohort Studies ; Respiration, Artificial ; Inpatients ; Hospital Mortality