Objective To discuss the effect of the occurrence of congestive heart failure on the outcome of pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension. Methods Fifty-four pregnant patients complicated with pulmonary hypertension were admitted from January 2000 through December 2010. Among them, 34 had comorbidity of congestive heart failure. The timing and mode of pregnancy termination, and perinatal outcomes were studied, and comparison was made between those with and without heart failure. Results ① Of all 54 pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension, 34 had congestive heart failure. The incidences of congestive heart failure in patients with mild, moderate and severe degree of pulmonary hypertension were 27.78% (5/18), 73.33% (11/15) and 85.71% (18/21), respectively (P<0.05).②The rate of maternal complications was 47.06% (16/34) and maternal mortality was 17.65% (6/34) in the patients with combined pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. The rate of iatrogenic fetal loss was 29.41% ( 10/34) , preterm labor 52.94% (18/34), neonatal asphyxia 35.29% (12/34) and neonatal mortality 23.53% (8/34) in case of patients with pulmonary hypertension complicated with congestive heart failure. ③The rate of Cesarean section was 91. 18% (31/34) in the patients with combined pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. ④ The rates of iatrogenic induction, premature delivery, maternal complications and mortality, neonatal asphyxia and fetal or neonatal fatality were significantly higher in women with combined pulmonary hypertension and heart failure than those with simple pulmonary hypertension ( P < 0. 05). Conclusions The risk of heart failure increases with the severity of pulmonary hypertension. The occurrence of heart failure is the most important factor affecting the outcome of patients in pregnancy already complicated with pulmonary hypertension , and Cesarean section is the safer mode of termination of pregnancy in this cohort of women.

Objective:The incidence of infections in patients with malignant hematologic diseases is extremely high and significantly affects their prognosis.Identifying early and precise biomarkers for infection is crucial for guiding the treatment of infections in these patients.Previous studies have shown that procalcitonin(PCT)can serve as an early diagnostic marker for bloodstream infections in patients with malignant hematologic diseases.This study aims to compare serum PCT levels in these patients with different pathogens,disease types,infection sites,and severity levels. Methods:Clinical data and laboratory results of infected patients with malignant hematologic diseases treated at the Department of Hematology,the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2018 to August 2023 were collected.General patient information was retrospectively analyzed.Serum PCT levels were compared among patients with different pathogens,types of malignant hematologic diseases,infection sites,and infection severity;Receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curves were used to determine the cut-off values and diagnostic value of serum PCT levels in diagnosing bloodstream infections versus local infections and severe infections versus non-severe infections.Mortality rates after 4-7 days of anti-infective treatment were compared among groups with rising,falling,and unchanged PCT levels. Results:A total of 526 patients with malignant hematologic diseases were included.The main pathogens were Gram-negative bacteria(272 cases,51.7%),followed by Gram-positive bacteria(120 cases,22.8%),fungi(65 cases,12.4%),viruses(23 cases,4.4%),and mixed pathogens(46 cases,8.7%).The main types of malignant hematologic diseases were acute myeloid leukemia(216 cases,41.1%),acute lymphoblastic leukemia(107 cases,20.3%),and lymphoma(93 cases,17.7%).Granulocyte deficiency was present in 68.3%(359 cases)of the patients during infection,with severe infection in 24.1%(127 cases).Significant differences in serum PCT levels were found among patients with different types of pathogens(P<0.001),with the highest levels in Gram-negative bacterial infections.Significant differences in serum PCT levels were also found among patients with different types of malignant hematologic diseases(P<0.05),with the highest levels in lymphoma patients.Serum PCT levels were significantly higher in systemic infections and severe infections compared to local infections and non-severe infections(both P<0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off values for diagnosing bloodstream infections and severe infections were 0.22 and 0.28 ng/mL,with areas under the curve of 0.670 and 0.673,respectively.After 4-7 days of anti-infective treatment,the mortality rates of the PCT declining,PCT unchanged,and PCT rising groups were 11.9%,21.2%,and 35.7%,respectively,and pairwise comparisons were statistically significant(all P<0.05). Conclusion:PCT can be used as an auxiliary indicator for early identification of different pathogens,infection sites,and severity levels in patients with malignant hematologic diseases combined with infections.Dynamic monitoring of PCT levels after empirical antibiotic treatment provides important guidance for assessing patient's prognosis.