Pulmonary Embolism Incidence and Fatality Trends in Chinese Hospitals from 1997 to 2008: A Multicenter Registration Study

BACKGROUND: There has not been sufficient evidence to support the Asians being less susceptible to pulmonary embolism (PE) than other ethnicities, because the prevalence of PE/deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in different racial and ethnic groups has not been carefully studied until recently except in Caucasians. To test the hypothesis that the Chinese population has a lower risk for PE, this study comprehensively assessed the hospital-based incidence and case fatality rates for PE during the 1997-2008 in China. METHODS: A registration study of patients with suspected PE syndromes admitted to 60 level-3 hospitals involved in the National Cooperative Project for the Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism (NCPPT) was conducted from January 1997 to December 2008. The only exclusion criterion was an age of less than 18 years. Helical computed tomography scan, ventilation-perfusion lung scintigraphy or pulmonary angiography was carried out before or after hospitalization. All images were reviewed and evaluated independently by two specialists. RESULTS: A total of 18,206 patients were confirmed with PE from 16,972,182 hospital admissions. The annual incidence was 0.1% (95% CI: 0.1% to 0.2%). The overall incidence of PE in male patients (0.2%, 95% CI: 0.1% to 0.3%) was higher than that in female patients (0.1% and 95% CI: 0.0% to 0.1%). An increasing incidence gradient for PE was noticed from Southern to Northern China. In addition, the case fatality rate was apparently decreasing: 25.1% (95% CI: 16.2% to 36.9%) in 1997 to 8.7% (95% CI: 3.5% to 15.8%) in 2008. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the relatively stable PE incidence and decreasing fatality trends in Chinese hospitals may be partially attributable to the implementation of the NCCPT and suggest the government should reevaluate the severity of PE so that health resources for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of PE could be used to their fullest

High-Flow Nasal Cannula: A Promising Oxygen Therapy for Patients with Severe Bronchial Asthma Complicated with Respiratory Failure

Severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure, a common critical illness in respiratory medicine, may be life-threatening. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a novel oxygen therapy technique developed in recent years. HFNC was applied in this study for treating adult patients with severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure. Its efficacy was analyzed comparatively to conventional oxygen therapy (COT). HFNC and COT were randomly performed based on conventional treatment. The HFNC group was similar to COT-treated patients in terms of response rate, with no significant difference in efficacy between the two groups. In patients with bronchial asthma, effectively increased PO2 and reduced PCO2 were observed after treatment in both groups. However, HFNC was more efficient than COT in elevating PO2 in patients with severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure, while no statistically significant difference in PCO2 reduction was found between the two groups. Heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) between the two groups on admission (0 h) and at 2, 8, 24, and 48 h after admission were compared. Both indicators significantly decreased with time. No significant differences in HR and RR were found between the groups at 0, 2, and 8 h after admission. However, these indicators were significantly lower in the HFNC group compared with the COT group at 24 and 48 h after admission. HFNC could significantly elevate PO2 and reduce HR and RR. Thus, it is a promising option for patients with severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure

High-Flow Nasal Cannula: A Promising Oxygen Therapy for Patients with Severe Bronchial Asthma Complicated with Respiratory Failure

Severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure, a common critical illness in respiratory medicine, may be life-threatening. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a novel oxygen therapy technique developed in recent years. HFNC was applied in this study for treating adult patients with severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure. Its efficacy was analyzed comparatively to conventional oxygen therapy (COT). HFNC and COT were randomly performed based on conventional treatment. The HFNC group was similar to COT-treated patients in terms of response rate, with no significant difference in efficacy between the two groups. In patients with bronchial asthma, effectively increased PO2 and reduced PCO2 were observed after treatment in both groups. However, HFNC was more efficient than COT in elevating PO2 in patients with severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure, while no statistically significant difference in PCO2 reduction was found between the two groups. Heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) between the two groups on admission (0 h) and at 2, 8, 24, and 48 h after admission were compared. Both indicators significantly decreased with time. No significant differences in HR and RR were found between the groups at 0, 2, and 8 h after admission. However, these indicators were significantly lower in the HFNC group compared with the COT group at 24 and 48 h after admission. HFNC could significantly elevate PO2 and reduce HR and RR. Thus, it is a promising option for patients with severe bronchial asthma complicated with respiratory failure

Additional file 1: of Is Bulpa criteria suitable for the diagnosis of probable invasive pulmonary Aspergillosis in critically ill patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? A comparative study with EORTC/ MSG and ICU criteria

“Three Key Factors” of the Included Patients. Note: The history of steroid use, abnormal radiology and mycological findings of the included 59 COPD patients were listed in Additional file 1, and patients were diagnosed as probable IPA using three criteria respectively. “Y” means that the case was could be diagnosed as probable/ putative IPA according to the criteria; “N” means that the case was could not be diagnosed as probable/ putative IPA according to the criteria. (DOCX 128 kb