Objective:To summarize the experience and effect of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) on the treatment of sudden cardiac death (SCD).Methods:The data of 120 adults with SCD-ECPR in emergency department of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by Survival/death at 90 days, OHCA/IHCA (out-of-hospital/in-hospital cardiac arrest), with/without acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and divided according to 60 min of the time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time). Age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, IHCA/OHCA, initial rhythm, no-flow time, CA-Pump On time, ECMO evacuation success rate, 90-day survival rate, ECMO treatment time were analyzed.Results:①Total of 114 adult patients with SCD-ECPR were enrolled, and 45 (39.5%) patients survived at 90 days, of whom 40 (88.9%) patients had good neurological outcomes.②Age and no-flow time were significantly lower in the 90-day survival group than that in death group, and the proportion of IHCA and shockable initial rhythm was higher. ③The no flow time in IHCA group was significantly lower than that in OHCA group, and the 90-day survival rate was higher. ④OHCA and regional interhospital transport prolonged CA-Pump On time and reduced the 90-day survival rate. ⑤The AMI group was older with a higher Charlson comorbidity index, and the 90-day survival rate was significantly lower than that in non-AMI group.Conclusions:ECPR improves the prognosis of patients with SCD, there are high benefits in patients with long healthy life expectancy, IHCA, shockable initial rhythm, and short no flow time. The smooth life-saving chain of SCD-ECPR improves survival rate, by screening high benefit candidates in patients with OHCA, delayed initiation of ECPR or requiring interhospital transport, despite CA-Pump On time > 60 min, there is still survival potential.

Objective:To investigate the major adverse kidney events (MAKE) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).Methods:The data of 75 patients with AMI-ECPR in Emergency Medicine Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by survival/death at 90 days, with/without renal replacement therapy (RRT), and whether to initiate RRT because of acute kidney injury (AKI). age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, OHCA/IHCA (out-of-hospital/in-hospital cardiac arrest), initial rhythm, Gensini score, ECPR initial blood gas pH and lactate value, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECMO and RRT treatment time, 90-day survival rate were analyzed. Moreover, the renal function of the survivors was followed up.Results:① Total of 68 AMI-ECPR patients were enrolled, 22 (32.4%) patients survived at 90 days, 54 (79.4%) combined with RRT, and 48 (70.6%) MAKE within 90 days. ②Compared with the death group, the 90-day survival group had a higher proportion of initial shockable heart rhythm, a lower Gensini score, a higher ECPR initial blood gas pH and a lower lactic acid value. ③The severity of coronary artery disease, ECPR initial acidosis and hyperlactacemia in the RRT group was significantly higher than that in the non-RRT group, and all the non-RRT group patients survived. ④ There was no difference between the AKI-RRT group and the non-AKI-RRT group. Of 21 patients with stage 1 AKI initiating RRT, 5 survived, one of them still needs RRT for 90 days, and 7 patients with stage 2 to 3 AKI initiating RRT died.Conclusions:The 90-day MAKE rate in AMI-ECPR patients was as high as 70.6%, and the 90-day renal insufficiency rate in AMI-ECPR survivors with AKI was as high as 20.0%. Active initiation of RRT to avoid AKI or early initiation of RRT may improve the prognosis of AMI-ECPR patients.

Objective:To investigate the time characteristics from extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) initiation to termination.Methods:The data of ECPR patients in extracorporeal life support center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by survival/death at 90 days, in-hospital/out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA/OHCA), daytime/evening initiation, and procedural/non-procedural termination. Data on age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, interhospital transport, initial rhythm, ECPR initial blood gas pH and lactate value, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECPR initiation/termination and ECMO treatment time, 90-day survival rate and so on were analyzed.Results:200 ECPR patients were enrolled, the cardiogenic etiologies were accounted for 70.5%, more men than women, 68 (34.0%) patients survived at 90 days, of whom 61 (89.7%) patients had good neurological outcomes. The 90-day survival group had a significantly lower of no-flow time, a higher proportion of IHCA and initial shockable heart rhythm, with a higher ECPR initial blood gas pH and a lower lactic acid value than those in the death group. 3. The no flow time in OHCA group was significantly longer than that in IHCA group, with a lower ECPR initial blood gas pH and a higher lactic acid value, 77.4% were non-procedural termination and the 90-day survival rate was 16.1%. ECPR were initiated in all time periods, IHCA-ECPR initiated at random, OHCA-ECPR were rare in the early morning, and the initiation time had no significant effect on ECPR outcomes. There were 75.5% of ECPR terminated at the daytime, 56.8% death cases were occurred within 3 days after ECPR, and 19.0% of patients in the procedural termination group died due to a combination of factors.Conclusions:ECPR had a potentially high benefit for patients with IHCA, initial shockable rhythm, and a short no-flow time. The ECPR initiation time were irregular and had no effect on ECPR outcomes. Death events tend to occur in the early days after ECPR, and ECPR terminated is mostly during the daytime working hours. The construction of full-time ECPR team should be strengthened.

A case of cicatricial female pattern hair loss was reported. A 36-year-old female patient presented with gradually aggravated hair loss for more than 10 years. Skin examination showed diffuse hair thinning on the scalp, thin and soft hairs, and some pencil eraser-sized areas of focal atrichia. TrichoScan examination revealed markedly decreased hair density on the forehead, variability in hair diameter greater than 20%, and increased proportions of vellus hairs. Dermoscopic examination showed increased numbers of vellus hairs, plenty of focal atrichia areas measuring 3 - 5 mm in diameter, loss of some follicular ostia, and confluent white dots. Histopathological examination of vertical and transverse scalp sections showed predominantly distributed miniaturized hair follicles with lichenoid folliculitis around the infundibulum and isthmus, concentrically layered perifollicular fibrosis, a marked decrease in the number of hair follicles compared with healthy people of the same age, increased proportions of vellus hairs, a large number of miniaturized hair follicles and follicular streamers, and formation of follicular micro-scars. The patient was diagnosed with cicatricial female pattern hair loss. She received topical treatment with 5% minoxidil liniment once a day, and alternate treatment with topical tacrolimus ointment and clobetasol propionate ointment, as well as oral spironolactone at a dose of 20 mg twice a day and compound glycyrrhizin capsules at a dose of 50 mg thrice a day. After half a year of treatment, there was no marked aggravation of hair loss, and the follow-up continued.

Objective:To investigate the safety of early whole body computed tomography (WBCT) combined with coronary angiography (CAG) in patients with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and its application value in the diagnosis of cardiac arrest and complications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).Methods:This was a retrospective study. Patients who underwent ECPR in the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2017 to July 2021 were enrolled in this research. Patients younger than 18 years or with incomplete clinical data were excluded. The results of WBCT and CAG examinations after ECPR were collected.Results:A total of 89 patients with ECPR, aged (47±17) years, were enrolled in the study, all underwent WBCT examination, and no adverse events such as ECMO and tracheal tube shedding occurred. WBCT found 7 cases of pulmonary embolism, 3 cases of aortic dissection and 2 cases of cerebral hemorrhage. WBCT identified CPR-related complications in 42 cases, including rib fractures ( n=20), pneumothorax ( n=5), mediastinal emphysema ( n=5), subcutaneous emphysema ( n=6), and hematoma or swelling at puncture site ( n=6). Fifty-five patients underwent CAG examination, the most common culprit vessels were the left anterior descending branch disease (58.2%) followed by the left circumflex branch disease (27.3%), the right coronary artery disease (21.8%) and left main artery disease (12.7%). Conclusions:Early WBCT and CAG examinations are of great significance and safety for the guidance of treatment in ECPR patients.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of early lactate in patients with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of patients with ECPR in the Emergency Medicine Department of The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from March 2015 to August 2021. The age, sex, etiology, initial rhythm, prognosis, blood lactate and pH of patients with ECPR were collected, and their difference between the deceased and survived patients was compared.Results:Totally 95 patients were enrolled, with an average age of 47 years; male accounted for 69.5%, and the survival rate was 29.5%. There was no significant difference in age and sex ratio between the deceased and survived patients. However, the deceased patients had a significant lower rate of shockable rhythms (31.3% vs. 60.8%), a higher level of lactate [16.4 (11.2, 19.1) vs. 9.2 (3.2, 15.0), mmol/L], and a lower pH [7.01 (6.88, 7.23) vs. 7.37 (7.10, 7.43)] than the survived patients. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that shockable rhythm [odds ratio ( OR) = 0.295, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.118-0.739), lactate ( OR=1.159, 95% CI: 1.068-1.258) and pH ( OR= 0.017, 95% CI: 0.002-0.157) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis. Furthermore, a lactate level >24 mmol/L was the best threshold to predict mortality with a specificity of 100%. Combined application, the cutoff point was lactate level>16 mmol/L and pH <6.828. Conclusions:Shockable rhythm, higher early lactate and lower pH value are independent risk factors for prognosis in patients with ECPR. Early lactate > 24 mmol/L or lactate > 16 mmol/L companied with pH < 6.828 are novel indicators of the termination of ECPR.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of platelet dynamics on the prognosis of 28-day in patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).Methods:From January 2017 to December 2020, 60 patients from the Emergency Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University received ECMO for life support. The baseline data of the patients were collected, the minimum value of platelets on day 1-7 of the machine was calculated, and the platelet change value and change rate were calculated. The patients were divided into the survival group and death group according to the 28-day survival status after ECMO was installed, and the receiver operating curve (ROC) was drawn based on the platelet change value and change rate to evaluate its predictive value for prognosis.Results:Among patients receiving VV-ECMO, the platelet change value and change rate on day 7 had the best prediction effect on the patient's 28-day outcome ( AUCΔPLT7=0.772, P=0.016; AUCΔPLT7%=0.764, P=0.020), when the platelet change value was 4×10 9/L as the critical value, the sensitivity was 0.857, the specificity was 0.615, and when the platelet change rate was -28.99% as the critical value, the sensitivity was 0.857, the specificity was 0.615, and when the platelet change rate was -28.99%. The sensitivity was 0.643 with a specificity of 0.846. In patients receiving VA-ECMO, the platelet change rate on day 6 predicted the best effect on the patient's 28-day outcome ( AUCΔPLT6%= 0.707, P = 0.045). When the platelet change rate was -26.19% as the critical value, the sensitivity was 0.842 and the specificity was 0.643. Conclusions:Platelet dynamic changes of platelets are correlated with the 28-day prognosis of patients receiving ECMO, and the combination of platelet change value and the critical value of change rate can better predict the poor prognosis of patients in both ECMO modes.

Objective:To summarize the experience and effect of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in adults.Methods:The data of 40 adults with OHCA-ECPR in Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by discharge survival/in-hospital death, with/without bystander resuscitation, and with/without interhospital transport. Age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, initial rhythm, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECMO evacuation success rate, survival rate, ECMO treatment time, time-to-death, and length of hospital stay were analyzed.Results:①Among the 40 patients with OHCA-ECPR, 9 patients (22.5%) survived upon discharge, 7 (77.8%) of whom had good neurological outcomes.②The no-flow time in the survival group was significantly shorter than that in the death group, and the proportion of shockable initial rhythm was higher.③Bystander resuscitation greatly shortened the no-flow time.④The regional OHCA-ECPR interhospital transport extended the CA-Pump On time, without affecting patients’ prognosis.Conclusions:ECPR improves the prognosis of patients with OHCA. Bystander resuscitation greatly shortens the no-flow time. ECPR is significantly effective in patients with short no-flow time and shockable initial rhythm. Regional interhospital transport ECPR is recommended to benefit more patients with OHCA.

Objective:To analyze whether lower anticoagulation intensity can reduce the incidence of complications in patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).Methods:Clinical data of 88 non-cardiac surgery patients who received ECMO support for more than 72 h were collected in the Extracorpical Life support Center of Jiangsu Province Hospital from March 2015 to March 2021. According to the average activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) level on the third day of ECMO, the patients were divided into the APTT < 50 s group ( n=53) and APTT ≥50 s group ( n=35). The venovenous ECMO (VV-ECMO) subgroup was divided into the APTT <50 s group ( n=23) and APTT ≥50 s group ( n=10). The venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) subgroup was divided into the APTT <50 s group ( n=30) and APTT≥50 s group ( n=25). The average daily transfusion volume of red blood cells during ECMO, the incidence of bleeding, the incidence of thrombosis and all-cause mortality were compared between the two groups. Results:There were no significant differences in the incidence of thrombosis and all-cause mortality in the APTT <50 s group compared with the APTT ≥50 s group ( P>0.05), but the incidence of bleeding and the daily transfusion volume of red blood cells were significantly decreased (7.5% vs. 35.7%; 0.50 U vs. 0.88 U) ( P < 0.05). In 33 VV-ECMO patients, the all-cause mortality, incidence of bleeding, average daily transfusion volume of red blood cells in the APTT <50 s group were lower than those in the APTT ≥50 s group, and the incidence of thrombosis was higher, but there was no statistical difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). In the 55 VA-ECMO patients, there were no significant differences in all-cause mortality, incidence of bleeding, thrombosis and average daily transfusion volume of red blood cells between the two groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:The lower anticoagulation intensity in patients without anticoagulation can reduce the occurrence of bleeding in ECMO patients. It is reasonable for such patients to have a lower anticoagulation intensity and studies with larger sample size need to be carried out.