Objective:This study aims to systematically compare the differences in severity, clinical manifestations, and treatment processes between patients with foodborne and iatrogenic botulism, thereby providing evidence-based support for clinical diagnosis and management.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on botulism patients admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University between January 2010 and July 2024. The foodborne group was diagnosed according to the WS/T 83-1996 standard. The iatrogenic group required a documented history of type A botulinum toxin injection and typical clinical manifestations. Individuals with comorbid neurological disorders or incomplete clinical data were excluded. The severity of poisoning was classified into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe, according to the "Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Botulism". SPSS 26.0 software was used to statistically analyze the distribution of poisoning severity between groups and to compare clinical symptoms and course indicators across severity grades.Results:A total of 220 botulism patients were included in this study, comprising 86 cases of foodborne poisoning (39.1%) and 134 cases of iatrogenic poisoning (60.9%). There was a significant difference in the distribution of poisoning severity between the two groups ( P=0.001), the proportion of severe poisoning was significantly higher in the foodborne group. Analysis of clinical symptoms indicated that, among patients with mild poisoning, the incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly higher in the foodborne group, compared to that in the iatrogenic group (44.0% vs. 16.4%, P=0.006). In patients with moderate poisoning, the iatrogenic group exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of hoarseness (60.5% vs. 35.7%, P=0.041) and neck weakness (53.5% vs. 17.9%, P=0.003) compared to the foodborne group. Conversely, the foodborne cohort experienced a notably longer interval before seeking medical attention when compared to their iatrogenic counterparts (2.25 d vs. 1.50 d, P=0.003). Among severe poisoning patients, the foodborne group exhibited a higher likelihood of experiencing fever (51.5% vs. 25.0%, P=0.044) and abdominal distension accompanied by constipation (69.7% vs. 41.7%, P=0.034) when compared to the iatrogenic group. Furthermore, the foodborne cohort demonstrated a significantly shorter incubation period (1.00 d vs. 2.45 d, P<0.001), an extended length of hospitalization (22.0 d vs. 16.00 d, P=0.001), and a prolonged duration of antitoxin therapy (14.00 d vs. 9.50 d, P<0.001), alongside a markedly higher total dosage administered (315 900 U vs. 163 300 U, P<0.001) compared to their iatrogenic counterparts. Conclusions:Statistically significant differences exist between food-borne and iatrogenic botulism. Food-borne botulism is characterized by acute onset, greater severity, and a prolonged course, predominantly featuring systemic symptoms and gastrointestinal dysfunction. In contrast, iatrogenic botulism primarily manifests with ocular and oropharyngeal muscle symptoms and is generally less severe.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of emergency percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)support in critically ill patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)and cardiogenic shock(CS).Methods Retrospective analysis of clinical data of AMI combined with CS patients admitted to the department of emergency of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from December 2018 to December 2021,including gender,age,body mass index(BMI),past history(smoking,coronary heart disease,arrhythmia,diabetes,hypertension,hyperlipidemia,cerebrovascular disease);acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)score,highest vasoactive-inotropic score(VIS)within 24 hours of admission,the worst auxiliary examination values within 24 hours after admission:blood lactic acid(Lac),arterial partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),total bilirubin(TBil),creatinine(Cr),serum potassium,left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)],presence of malignant arrhythmia or cardiac arrest during emergency PCI,completion of PCI,and the 30-day prognosis,etc.Patients were divided into an ECMO group and a non-ECMO group based on whether ECMO was applied,to analyze differences in the above indicators between the two groups.Results There were no statistically significant differences between the ECMO group and the non-ECMO group in terms of gender,age,BMI,past history,APACHEⅡ,VIS and the worst auxiliary examination value within 24 hours after admission.The incidence of malignant arrhythmia or cardiac arrest events and 30-day mortality rate during emergency PCI in the ECMO group were significantly lower than those in the non-ECMO group[the incidence of malignant arrhythmia or cardiac arrest during emergency PCI was 17.9％(7/39)vs.45.0％(9/20),and the 30-day mortality was 46.2％(18/39)vs.75.0％(15/20),both P<0.05].The completion rate of PCI in the ECMO group was significantly higher than that in the non-ECMO group[100.0％(39/39)vs.80.0％(16/20),P<0.05].Conclusions For critically ill patients with AMI combined with CS,ECMO support can reduce the risk of malignant arrhythmia or cardiac arrest during emergency PCI,increase the completion rate of PCI,and reduce the 30-day mortality.With the support of the ECMO team,ECMO support emergency PCI is feasible.

BACKGROUND:Early identification of patients requiring ventilator support will be beneficial for the outcomes of botulism.The present study aimed to establish a new scoring system to predict mechanical ventilation(MV)for botulism patients. METHODS:A single-center retrospective study was conducted to identify risk factors associated with MV in botulism patients from 2007 to 2022.Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen out risk factors for constructing a prognostic scoring system.The area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was calculated. RESULTS:A total of 153 patients with botulism(66 males and 87 females,with an average age of 43 years)were included.Of these,49 patients(32.0%)required MV,including 21(13.7%)with invasive ventilation and 28(18.3%)with non-invasive ventilation.Multivariate analysis revealed that botulinum toxin type,pneumonia,incubation period,degree of hypoxia,and severity of muscle involvement were independent risk factors for MV.These risk factors were incorporated into a multivariate logistic regression analysis to establish a prognostic scoring system.Each risk factor was scored by allocating a weight based on its regression coefficient and rounded to whole numbers for practical utilization([botulinum toxin type A:1],[pneumonia:2],[incubation period≤1 day:2],[hypoxia<90%:2],[severity of muscle involvement:grade II,3;grade III,7;grade IV,11]).The scoring system achieved an area under the ROC curve of 0.82(95%CI 0.75-0.89,P<0.001).At the optimal threshold of 9,the scoring system achieved a sensitivity of 83.7%and a specificity of 70.2%. CONCLUSION:Our study identified botulinum toxin type,pneumonia,incubation period,degree of hypoxia,and severity of muscle involvement as independent risk factors for MV in botulism patients.A score≥9 in our scoring system is associated with a higher likelihood of requiring MV in botulism patients.This scoring system needs to be validated externally before it can be applied in clinical settings.

Objective To analyze the prognosis and influencing factors of patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)complicated with cardiogenic shock(CS)under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)support.Methods Retrospective analysis of the clinical data of ECMO supported coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)treatment for AMI complicated with CS patients who visited the department of emergency medicine of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from December 2018 to December 2021,including gender,age,body mass index(BMI),past history(smoking history,coronary heart disease,diabetes,hypertension,hyperlipidemia,cerebrovascular disease),acute physiological and chronic health evaluationⅡ(APACHEⅡ),vasoactive-inotropic score(VIS),the worst auxiliary examination indicators within 24 hours before ECMO[arterial lactate acid,white blood cell count(WBC),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),alanine transferase(ALT),total bilirubin(TBil),creatinine(Cr),serum potassium(K+),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)],time from onset to PCI,coronary angiography results(involved anterior descending branch,circumflex branch,right coronary artery,three-vessel lesions,left main artery lesions),whether to use intra aortic-balloon counterpulsation(IABP)and continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT).Patients were divided into survival and death groups based on the prognosis after 30 days of onset.Univariate analysis was used to compare the differences in the above indicators between the two groups with different prognoses,Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of AMI patients with CS under ECMO support coronary angiography and PCI treatment,and the receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC curve)was drawn to evaluate the predictive value of risk factors on patient prognosis.Results Out of 39 patients,21 cases(53.8%)survived and 18 cases(46.2%)died.Compared with the survival group,the VIS score,lactate acid,time from onset to PCI,involvement of the circumflex artery,three-vessel disease,and left main artery lesions significantly increased in the death group(all P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that lactate acid and three-vessel lesions were independent risk factors affecting the 30-day prognosis of AMI patients with CS[odds ratio(OR)and 95%confidence interval(95%CI)were 1.845(1.018-3.342)and 107.171(1.307-8 785.901),all P＜0.05].ROC curve analysis showed that lactate acid and three-vessel lesions has predictive value for the prognosis of AMI combined with CS patients undergoing ECMO supported coronary angiography and PCI treatment,the area under the ROC curve(AUC)were 0.756 and 0.752,95%CI were 0.601-0.911 and 0.588-0.916,P value were 0.007 and 0.008.When the cut-off value of lactic acid was 5 mmol/L,the sensitivity and specificity of predicting the prognosis of AMI combined with CS patients undergoing coronary angiography and PCI treatment were 94.1%and 57.1%,respectively.Conclusions The indications for using ECMO in critically ill patients with AMI combined with CS need to be further refined.VIS score,lactate acid,time from onset to PCI,three-vessel lesions,and left main artery lesions are risk factors for patient death.When using ECMO support for high lactate,high VIS score,and three-vessel lesions,caution should be exercised.Early ECMO support can improve the prognosis of appropriate patients by reducing lactate,reducing the use of vasoactive drugs,and shortening the time from onset to PCI.

Objective:To investigate the in-hospital diagnosis and treatment time for patients with acute ischemic stroke in Hebei Province.Methods:The data of in-hospital diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke in Hebei Province were collected and analyzed, and then compared with the NINDS recommended time. Methods The data of in-hospital diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke in Hebei Province were collected and analyzed, and then compared with the NINDS recommended time.Results:The median time in hospital diagnosis and treatment was significantly longer than the NINDS recommended time (104 min vs. 60 min, P<0.001). The median time from completing the cranial CT scan to getting the CT report differed significantly to the NINDS recommended time (30 min vs. 20 min, P<0.001). The median time from getting the CT report to obtaining treatment was 43 min, which was significantly longer than the NINDS recommended 15 min ( P<0.001). The median time of in-hospital diagnosis and treatment for emergency service system (EMS) patients was 101 min, which was shorter than that for non-EMS patients (104 min, P=0.01). The median time of in-hospital diagnosis and treatment in Tertiary Hospital was 105 min, which was significantly longer than that in Secondary Hospital 99 min, ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The in-hospital emergency treatment delay in Hebei Province was relatively serious for patients with acute ischemic stroke. The time between obtaining the head CT report to beginning thrombolytic therapy is the most important factor in hospital delay. EMS can shorten in-hospital delay for acute ischemic stroke. Compared with the tertiary hospital, the secondary hospital has shorter in-hospital delay time.

Objective:To explore the selection of strategies for early reperfusion therapy and its impact on prognosis in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).Methods:The treatment data and 3-year follow-up results of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients in 49 hospitals in Hebei Province from January to December 2016 were collected. Patients with STEMI who received either intravenous thrombolytic therapy (ITT) or primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) within 12 hours of onset were enrolled. Baseline data, the time from the first diagnosis to the start of reperfusion (FMC2N for ITT patients and FMC2B for PPCI patients), vascular recanalization rate, in-hospital mortality, 1-year mortality, and 3-year mortality were compared between ITT and PPCI groups. The efficacy and prognosis of ITT and PPCI at different starting time of reperfusion (FMC2N≤30 minutes, FMC2N > 30 minutes, FMC2B≤120 minutes, FMC2B > 120 minutes) were analyzed.Results:A total of 1 371 STEMI patients treated with ITT or PPCI were selected, including 300 patients in the ITT group and 1 071 patients in the PPCI group. 1 055 patients were actually followed up (205 patients in the ITT group and 850 patients in the PPCI group), with a rate of 79.4%. There were no significant differences in age, gender, and previous history between the two groups. The time from the first diagnosis to the start of reperfusion in the ITT group was shorter than that in the PPCI group [minutes: 63 (38, 95) vs. 95 (60, 150), U = -9.286, P = 0.000], but was significantly longer than the guideline standard. Compared with the ITT group, the vascular recanalization rate in the PPCI group was higher [95.5% (1 023/1 071) vs. 88.3% (265/300), P < 0.01], and in-hospital mortality was lower [2.1% (22/1 071) vs. 6.7% (20/300), P < 0.01], but there were no significant differences in the 1-year mortality and 3-year mortality [5.3% (45/850) vs. 4.4% (9/205), 9.5% (81/850) vs. 9.3% (19/205), both P > 0.05]. Between ITT group and PPCI group with different reperfusion starting time, the FMC2N > 30 minutes group had the lowest vascular recanalization rate and the highest in-hospital mortality. Pairwise comparison showed that the vascular recanalization rate of the FMC2B ≤ 120 minutes group and the FMC2B > 120 minutes group were significantly higher than those of the FMC2N > 30 minutes group [95.5% (654/685), 95.6% (369/386) vs. 88.0% (220/250), both P < 0.008], the in-hospital mortality was significantly lower than that of the FMC2N > 30 minutes group [2.0% (14/685), 2.1% (8/386) vs. 7.6% (19/250), both P < 0.008]. There was no significant difference in 1-year mortality (χ 2 = 2.507, P = 0.443) and 3-year mortality (χ 2 = 2.204, P = 0.522) among the four groups. Conclusions:For STEMI patients within 12 hours of onset, reperfusion therapy should be performed as soon as possible. PPCI showed higher infarct related artery opening rate and lower in-hospital mortality compared with ITT, and had no effect on 1-year and 3-year mortality.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of hemoperfusion (HP) combined with continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) on the treatment of acute paraquat (PQ) poisoning.Methods:Prospective randomized controlled trials and retrospective studies on the efficacy of HP combined CVVH in patients with oral PQ poisoning (poisoning time ≤ 24 hours) were found by searching from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI and Wanfang databases before November 1st, 2019. The experimental group was treated with HP+CVVH, and the control group was treated with HP. Data included the general information of the literature, mortality, survival time, the incidence of respiratory failure and circulatory failure. The bias risk and the data were analyzed using the RevMan 5.3 software.Results:A total of 1 041 literatures were retrieved, and 7 literatures were finally enrolled, including 1 199 patients, with 735 patients in the control group and 464 patients in experimental group. Meta-analysis showed that compared with HP alone, HP+CVVH could significantly reduce the short-term mortality [4-day mortality: hazard ratio ( HR) = 0.52, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.38-0.71, P < 0.000 1], but no significant improvement in long-term mortality was found (28-day or 30-day mortality: HR = 0.68, 95% CI was 0.39-1.21, P = 0.19; 90-day mortality: HR = 1.13, 95% CI was 0.61-2.10, P = 0.07; total mortality: HR = 0.96, 95% CI was 0.72-1.29, P = 0.78). The survival time of patients treated with HP+CVVH was significantly longer than that of HP patients [mean difference ( MD) = 2.02, 95% CI was 0.81-3.22, P = 0.001], but the heterogeneity between studies was large. According to the type of literature, a subgroup analysis showed that the survival time of patients treated with HP+CVVH in prospective randomized controlled trials and retrospective studies were significantly longer than that of HP patients (prospective studies: MD = 1.53, 95% CI was 0.94-2.12, P < 0.000 01; retrospective studies: MD = 2.40, 95% CI was 0.08-4.73, P = 0.04). Compared with HP group, HP+CVVH could significantly reduce the incidence of circulatory failure [relative risk ( RR) = 0.40, 95% CI was 0.30-0.52, P < 0.000 01], but the incidence of respiratory failure significantly increased ( RR = 2.75, 95% CI was 2.18-3.48, P < 0.000 01). Conclusion:HP combined with CVVH can reduce the short-term mortality and the incidence of circulatory failure, prolong the survival time, and save time for further rescue, but it can't improve the long-term prognosis of patients.

Objective: To investigate the application of emergency medical service (EMS) of Hebei Province and preliminarily analyze its value in the treatment of acute stroke patients. Methods: We collected data of 4 147 acute stroke patients admitted to the Emergency Department between January 2016 and December 2016 in 49 hospitals of Hebei Province. Patients were divided into the EMS group and non-EMS group according to the pattern of arriving hospital. The general data, the onset-to-door time, door-to-treatment time, thrombolytic rate, length of hospital stay and prognosis were compared between the two groups. LSD-t test, Mann-Whitney U or Chi-squared test or Fisher exact test was used for statistical analysis as appropriate. Results: A total of 4 147 acute stroke patients were enrolled, including 589 patients (14.2%) with hemorrhagic stroke and 3 558 patients (85.8%) with ischemic stroke. A total of 750 patients (18.1%) were admitted to the hospital by EMS. The proportion of patients with hemorrhagic stroke who used EMS was higher than that of ischemic stroke (33.4% vs 15.5%, P<0.01). The median onset-to-foor time in the EMS group was less than that in the non-EMS group (1.75 h vs 4.57 h, P<0.01). The median time of onset-to-door time within 1 h in the EMS group was longer than that of the non-EMS group (0.67 h vs 0.53 h, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in 1-<2 h period and 2-<3 h period. The median time of onset-to-door time of ≥3 h in the EMS group was shorter than that of the non-EMS group (5.0 h vs 9.47 h, P<0.01). In the EMS group, the proportion of patients with onset-to-door time <3 h was higher than that of the non-EMS group (66.13% vs 57.44%, P<0.01). Compared with the non-EMS group, the time of door-to-treatment time was much shorter in the EMS group (87 min vs 101 min, P<0.01). The length of hospital stay in the EMS group was shorter than that of the non-EMS group [11 (7,14) days vs 12 (6,16) days, P<0.01]. In the EMS group, 15.9% patients received thrombolytic therapy, whereas only 11.0% patients in the non-EMS group received this therapy (P=0.001). In the EMS group, 88.8% patients achieved more favorable outcomes at discharge, which was higher than that in the non-EMS group (85.5%, P=0.02). Conclusions EMS is considered as effective in shortening onset-to-door time, reducing door-to-treatment time, improving thrombolytic rate, reducing hospitalization days, and enhancing the prognosis of acute stroke patients.