Objective:To explore the role of mechanical hemodynamic support (MHS) in mapping and catheter ablation of patients with hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT), report single-center experience in a cohort of consecutive patients receiving VT ablation during MHS therapy, and provide evidence-based medical evidence for clinical practice.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients with hemodynamically unstable VT who underwent catheter ablation with MHS at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University between August 2021 and December 2023 were included. Patients were divided into rescue group and preventive group according to the purpose of treatment. Their demographic data, periprocedural details, and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 15 patients with hemodynamically unstable VT were included (8 patients in the rescue group and 7 patients in the preventive group). The acute procedure was successful in all patients. One patient in the rescue group had surgical left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, remaining 14 patients received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for circulation support. ECMO decannulation was performed in 12 patients due to clinical and hemodynamic stability, of which 6 patients were decannulation immediately after surgery and the remaining patients were decannulation at 2.0 (2.5) d after surgery. Two patients in the rescue group died during the index admission due to refractory heart failure and cerebral hemorrhage. During a median follow-up of 30 d (1 d to 12 months), one patient with LVAD had one episode of ventricular fibrillation at 6 months after discharge, and no further episodes of ventricular fibrillation and/or VT occurred after treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs. No malignant ventricular arrhythmia occurred in the remaining 12 patients who were followed up.Conclusions:MHS contributes to the successful completion of mapping and catheter ablation in patients with hemodynamically unstable VT, providing desirable hemodynamic status for emergency and elective conditions.

Objective:To review and analyze clinical data of patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and mucormycosis, and to explore the surgical indication.Methods:Clinical data of 10 patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and mucormycosis were analyzed retrospectively from March 2018 to November 2022 in our hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery.Results:The age of children varied from 2.58 years old to 16.00 years old and 6 children were males while 4 females. Five patients suffer from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Five patients suffer from invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. The operative indication of 7 patients was the risk of massive bleeding in the airway. The surgical indication for two patients is to control infection and continue treating malignant tumors. One patient chose surgical treatment because the infection could not be cured after long-term antifungal treatment but the focus was limited. Two patients died of sudden acute hemoptysis before operation, the prognosis of 8 patients undergoing surgical treatment was good.Conclusion:The lethal rate of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and mucormycosis is very high. Antifungal drug treatment combined with timely surgical treatment can save patients lives.

Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/surgery* ; Left Atrial Appendage Closure ; Heart Atria/surgery* ; Catheter Ablation/methods* ; Atrial Appendage/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To summarize the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment experience of esophageal hamartoma in children.Methods:From December 2013 to December 2019, 3 cases of esophageal hamartoma were admitted to our hospital, and a retrospective analysis was conducted.Results:There were 1 male and 2 females, with an average age of 6.4 years old. The clinical manifestations were vomiting in 2 cases and dysphagia with esophageal foreign body sensation in 1 case. Esophagography, chest contrast-enhanced CT, and esophagoscopy showed esophageal stenosis or esophageal mass effectg, and esophageal dilatation above the affected segment. The tumor was found in upper esophagus in 1 case and lower esophagus in 2 cases. Tumors were complete resection in all 3 cases and the patients were discharged smoothly. All the 3 cases were followed up after surgery for 10-74 months(average 37 months), and 1 case had gastroesophageal reflux. No stenosis or recurrence was found in all the cases, and all the patients could eat normal diet.Conclusion:The main manifestations of esophageal hamartoma in children are vomiting and choking. Complete surgical resection is the main treatment method, and the prognosis is good.

Objective:Gasless laparoscopic surgery using lifting device was first introduced in 1993 mainly for general surgery and gynecology. Here we report its application in bifid rib treatment and explore the feasibility and safety of the surgery.Methods:From July 2008 to December 2019, according to the enrollment criteria, 278 patients of bifid ribs were treated at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, including 183 males and 95 females, the mean age was(5.7±2.5) years old. There were 242 cases of single bifid rib and 36 cases of multiple bifid ribs. The bifid ribs were more common on the right side, as 184 cases had bifid ribs on right side, while only 68 cases on the left side and 26 cases on both sides. Patients’ clinical data were retrospectively summarized and analyzed, including the patients’ gender, age, location and type of bifid rib, perioperative outcome, and follow-up.Results:All the 278 patients successfully completed the operation. The abnormality was most frequently found in the fifth rib(incidence ranking: fifth > fourth > third > sixth). The mean operation time was(64.5±16.1)min, and the mean blood loss was(4.8±2.1)ml. No serious complications occurred during the surgery. Follow-up was done for 7 to 120 months, and no recurrent patients were observed.Conclusion:Gasless endoscopy with lifting device has been used as a safe and effective method to treat bifid ribs in our hospital. This surgery leads to less injury, smaller incision, and no scars on the front chest. Gasless endoscopic surgery with lifting device can be one of the options for correcting bifid ribs.

Objective:To study serum procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and platelet count (PLT) in evaluation of severity of acute cholangitis (AC).Methods:Ninety patients with AC who were treated at the General Surgery Department, Guangming Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong Province from January 2016 to December 2018 entered into the observation group, while 60 patients with bile duct stones but without infection treated at the hospital during the study period entered into the control group. Using the " Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Biliary Tract Infections" , the study group of patient was further divided into the mild infection, moderate infection, and severe infection groups. The PCT, CRP and PLT levels of all the subjects were checked. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the relationship between PCT, CRP, PLT indexes with severity of infection. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of PCT, CRP and PLT in the diagnosis of patients with different degrees of infection.Results:In the observation group, there were 46 males and 44 females with a Mean±SD age of (45.6±21.1) years. In the control group, there were 30 males and 30 females, with a Mean±SD age of (45.0±19.3) years. The levels of PLT in the observation group and the control group were (8.2±1.1) ng/ml and (0.4±0.1) ng/ml, respectively. The corresponding CRP were (92.7±21.1) mg/L and (6.1±1.0) mg/L, respectively. The observation group had higher levels than the control group. The PLT counts were (62.6±17.6)×10 9/L and (156.3±35.3)×10 9/L for the two groups, with the observation group having lower platelet count than the control group (both P<0.05). The severity of infection was positively correlated with blood PCT levels and CRP indicators ( r=0.427, r=0.584, all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the PLT ( r=-0.429, P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of PCT using a cut-off value of 9.4 μg/L were 84.0% and 65.0%, respectively, which were higher than the CRP using a cut-off value of 145.7 mg/L. The sensitivity and specificity were 67.0% and 48.0%, respectively. When PLT using a cut-off value of 52.8×10 9/L, the sensitivity and specificity were 71.0% and 52.0%, respectively. Conclusions:Changes in serum PCT, CRP and PLT reflected the severity of infection in patients with AC; PCT had a higher sensitivity and specificity, and it can be used to guide treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of using sternal suspension technique in correcting pectus excavatum after open repair of congenital heart disease and improve the safety of this technique. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for 8 cases of pectus excavatum treated with sternal suspension procedure after open repair of congenital heart disease from October 2005 to October 2018 in our institution, 5 males and 3 females. The median age of patients was 5.75 years (range 3.75-12.33 years) and the median Haller index was 4.20(range 3.60-5.19). All patients underwent cardiac ultrasound and chest CT scan to evaluate the severity retrosternal adhesions. Results: All patients underwent the sternal suspension procedure successfully with a median operation time 55 min (range 30-230 min) and a median blood loss of 2 ml (range 2-120 ml). There was one patient suffered pneumothorax after operation. The patients were followed up for 4 months to 13 years with an excellent and good outcome. Conclusion Sternal suspension technique is a safe and effective procedure for pectus excavatum. To improve the security and reduce the incidence of cardiac injury, sternal suspension technique is a promising alternative for pectus patients with severe adhesion after open repair of congenital heart disease.

Objective To evaluate the thoracic status of patients with funnel chest by quantitative evaluation of chest Xray,and to explore the effect of Nuss surgery.Methods From October 2006 to February 2011,according to the inclusion criteria,there were 47 cases enrolled our group at last,then divided the cases into 3 groups,including pre-operative of Nuss procedure,recent post-bar removal and further post-bar removal.We measured data on chest radiography and statistical analysis,including the maximal distance of the outer boundary of each rib pairs (C,from the 1 st pair to the 9th),the distance between lung apex to the costophrenic angle (H) and the distance between the two costophrenic angles(W).Results All the 47 cases completed the Nuss procedure and Nuss bar removal safely and effectively.All the patients were followed up from 30 to 36 months,without recurrence or long-term complications.Three groups of thoracic data showed an increasing trend,recent post-bar removal and further post-bar removal compared with the same age normal children,the thoracic data of the Nuss bar position were shortened.With the prolongation of time after Nuss bar removal,thoracic data gradually approaching normal.Conclusion We can evaluate the level of pectus excavatum and effect of Nuss procedure through measuring the chest wall data.The chest wall of post-bar removal was significantly improvement compared to the cases of pre-Nuss procedure.There is some restrictions on the thoracic by the Nuss bar.we learn that the limitation of thoracic can be improve after some time.

Objective? To explore the application effects of portable eye-fixing device in patients with out-of-hospital A-ultrasonography examination. Methods? By convenience sampling, 100 patients who underwent A-ultrasonography examination in "Lifeline Express" in Guilin stop of Guangxi in 2017 were selected as subjects in the study and randomly divided into the observation group and control group with 50 cases in each group.Compared with the control group, the observation group was given portable eye-fixing device to help patients fix their eyes during the A-ultrasound examination. The fixing state and examination cooperation between the two groups were compared. Results? After using portable eye-fixing device, the frequency of eye position adjustment in the observation group was (1.34±1.24) times, and that in the control group was (1.86±1.29) times, the difference was statistically significant (t=-2.05, P＜ 0.05). The cooperation degree of patients in the observation group was better than that in the control group with statistical significance (χ2=7.484, P＜0.05). Conclusions? Portable eye-fixing device solves the communication difficulties between doctors and patients caused by regional cultural differences. It can quickly let patients accept instructions and cooperate with doctors to complete the corresponding ophthalmic examinations. It improves the working efficiency of medical staff, especially in out-of-hospital services.

Objective: To investigate the effect of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) on left atrial or atrial appendage (LA/LAA) thrombi in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Method: Data from 3 042 patients with atrial fibrillation(AF), who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination before cardioversion or catheter ablation for the detection of LA/LAA thrombus in our department from March 2016 to January 2018 were prospectively analyzed. Among these patients, LA/LAA thrombus was detected by TEE in 57 patients. A total of 19 patients who received dabigatran or rivaroxaban for ≥3 weeks and underwent repeated TEE were included, 38 patients were excluded (7 patients with rheumatic heart disease, 1 patient treated with pericardial decortication, 1 patient treated with surgical repair of endocardial cushion defect, 1 patient with LA thrombus associated with the atrial septal occluder device, 14 patients received warfarin therapy, 14 patients did not receive repeated TEE). Results: First repeated TEE results showed that LA/LAA thrombus was not completely resolved in 4 out of 4 patients treated with dabigatran (110 mg bid) for a median time of 119 (47, 258) days, whereas LA/LAA thrombus was completely resolved in 5 out of 11 patients treated with dabigatran (150 mg bid) for a median time of 80 (58, 147) days. Thrombus was completely resolved in 2 out of 2 patients treated with rivaroxaban (15 mg qd) for 110 days and 95 days respectively, and in 1 out of 2 patients treated with rivaroxaban (20 mg qd) for 91 days. Second repeated TEE was performed in 8 patients. Thrombus was resolved completely in 2 out of 3 patients with undissolved thrombus treated by dabigatran (110 mg bid) after increasing the dabigatran dosage (150 mg bid). Thrombus was resolved in 3 (1 patient prolonged treatment with dabigatran 150 mg bid and 2 patients switched to rivaroxaban 20 mg qd) out of 4 patients with undissolved thrombus under the dabigatran 150 mg bid regimen, whereas the thrombus remained unresolved in 1 patient switched to rivaroxaban (15 mg qd). After receiving rivaroxaban 15 mg bid treatment, the thrombus was finally resolved in 1 patient with undissolved thrombus treated by rivaroxaban 20 mg qd. There was no clinical thromboembolism or major bleeding events during the median follow up time of 462 (305, 558) days. Conclusions Our data show that NOAC is an effective therapeutic option for the treatment of LA/LAA thrombi. When eligible, a higher NOAC dosage may be preferred due to the higher efficacy on thrombus resolvement.