Study on the Effect of an Intermittent Ventilation Strategy on Controlling Formaldehyde Concentrations in Office Rooms

Material emission and ventilation are two aspects influencing indoor air quality. In this study, a model predictive control (MPC) strategy is proposed for intermittent ventilation system in office buildings, to achieve a healthy indoor environment. The strategy is based on a dynamic model for predicting emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from materials. The key parameters of formaldehyde from panel furniture in the model are obtained by an improved C-history method and large-scale chamber experiments. The effectiveness of the determined key parameters is validated, which are then used to predict the formaldehyde concentration variation and the pre-ventilation time in a typical office room. In addition, the influence of some main factors (i.e., vacant time, loading ratio, air change rate) on the pre-ventilation time is analyzed. Results indicate that the pre-ventilation time of the intermittent ventilation system ranges from several minutes to several hours. The pre-ventilation time decreases exponentially with the increase in the vacant time, the air change rate, and with the decrease in the loading ratio. When the loading ratio of the furniture is 0.30 m2/m3 and the vacant time is 100 days, the required pre-ventilation time approaches zero. Results further reveal that an air change rate of 2 h−1 is the most effective means for rapid removal of indoor formaldehyde for the cases studied. The proposed strategy should be helpful for achieving effective indoor pollution control.

Systematic Evaluation of the Effect of Bedside Ward Round Checklist on Clinical Outcomes of Critical Patients

Objective. To systematically evaluate the effect of bedside ward round checklists on the clinical outcomes of critical patients and thus provide a scientific and rational basis for decision-making in its clinical application. Methods. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were searched to collect the literature studies about randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies involving the effect of bedside ward round checklists on the clinical outcomes of critical patients, and the retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to August 2019. After two researchers independently screened the literature studies, extracted the literature data, and evaluated the risk of bias in included studies, meta-analysis was carried out by using Stata 12.0 software. Results. Two RCTs and nine cohort studies were included in this study. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the ordinary bedside ward round, the application of checklist in bedside ward round could shorten the ICU hospitalization time (standardized mean difference (SMD) = – 0.37, 95% CI (– 0.78, 0.04), P ≤ 0.001) and mechanical ventilation time (SMD = – 0.24, 95% CI (– 0.44, −0.04), P = 0.037) and reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (SMD = 0.61, 95% CI (0.38, 0.99), P = 0.057) in critical patients. However, there were no significant differences in central venous catheter (CVC) retention time and incidence and mortality of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) between ordinary ward round and bedside ward round checklist. Conclusion. The existing evidence shows that compared with the ordinary ward round, the application of bedside ward round checklists can shorten ICU hospitalization time and mechanical ventilation time and reduce VAP incidence and ICU mortality in critical patients. However, due to the limitations of the quality of the included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified with more high-quality studies.

Impact of the nutritional status of children with congenital heart diseases on the early post-operative outcome

Background Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) frequently become malnourished due to many factors including hypermetabolic state, inadequate caloric intake, malabsorption, and fluid restriction as part of the hemodynamic intervention. The abnormal nutritional status may affect early outcome after pediatric cardiac surgery; we aim to prove the importance of nutritional assessment and patient nutritional preparation before performing pediatric cardiac surgery. Results We conducted a prospective observational cohort study from March 2013 till January 2015. All children from birth until 14 years of age admitted to the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) after cardiac surgery. Nutritional status was assessed preoperatively and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was calculated. All post-operative outcome parameters, PCICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilation time, the rate of infection, and ICU mortality were recorded. Two hundred fifty-nine children were evaluated. At admission, 179 patients (69%) had intake less than 50% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calories intake. There was a statistically significant relationship between pre-admission RDA and the infection rate (P value 0.018). Severely malnourished patients had significantly longer ICU length of stay (LOS) (P value = 0.049). Similarly, weight and height percentiles have a significant effect on ICU LOS (P value 0.009 and 0.045) respectively. There was a significant relation between PNI ≥ 55 and the ICU LOS (P < 0.05), and ventilation time (P = 0.036). Delay in feeding postoperatively was associated with a higher risk of infection (P = 0.005), and higher mortality (P = 0.03). Conclusions Children with CHD were significantly malnourished preoperatively and had further weight loss postoperatively. Preoperative nutritional status and delayed postoperative enteral feeding were associated with a higher infection rate and mortality.

Does interatrial communication affect post-operative course of children undergoing tetralogy of Fallot repair? Single centre retrospective cohort study: propensity score matching

Introduction: During tetralogy of Fallot repair, leaving or even create an interatrial communication may facilitate post-operative course particularly with right ventricle restrictive physiology. The aim of our study is to assess the influence of atrial communication on post-operative course of tetralogy of Fallot repair. Methods: Retrospectively, we studied all children who had tetralogy of Fallot repair (2003–2018). We divided them into two groups: tetralogy of Fallot repair with interatrial communication (TOFASD) group and tetralogy of Fallot repair with intact atrial septum (TOFIAS) group. We performed propensity match score for specific pre- or intra-operative variables and compared groups for post-operative outcome variables. Secondarily, we looked for right ventricle restrictive physiology incidence and influence of early repair performed before 3 months of age on post-operative course. Results: One hundred and sixty children underwent tetralogy of Fallot repair including (93) cases of TOFIAS (58%) and (67) cases of TOFASD (42%). With propensity matching score, 52 patients from each group were compared. Post-operative course was indifferent in term of positive pressure ventilation time, vasoactive inotropic score, creatinine and lactic acid levels, duration and amount of chest drainage and length of intensive care unit and hospital stay. Right ventricle restrictive physiology occurred in 38% of patients with no effects on outcome. 12/104 patients (12%) with early repair needed longer pressure ventilation time (p = 0.003) and intensive care unit stay (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Leaving interatrial communication in tetralogy of Fallot repair did not affect post-operative course. As well, right ventricle restrictive physiology did not affect post-operative course. Infants undergoing early tetralogy of Fallot repair may require longer duration of positive pressure ventilation time and intensive care unit stay.

Clinical outcomes of concomitant use of enteral and intravenous sedatives and analgesics in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Purpose To evaluate potential differences in days on mechanical ventilation for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on route of administration of analgesic and sedative medications: intravenous (IV) alone vs IV + enteral (EN). Summary This institutional review board–approved study evaluated ventilation time and fentanyl or midazolam requirements with or without concurrent EN hydromorphone and lorazepam. Patients were included in the study if they were 18 to 89 years old and were admitted to the intensive care unit with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction or antigen test and respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 72 hours. In total, 100 patients were evaluated, 60 in the IV-only group and 40 in the IV + EN group. There was not a significant difference in ventilation time between the groups (mean [SD], 19.6 [12.8] days for IV + EN vs 15.6 [11.2] days for IV only; P = 0.104). However, fentanyl (2,064 [847] μg vs 2,443 [779] μg; P &lt; 0.001) and midazolam (137 [72] mg vs 158 [70] mg; P = 0.004) requirements on day 3 were significantly higher in the IV-only group, and the increase in fentanyl requirements from day 1 to day 3 was greater in the IV-only group than in the IV + EN group (378 [625] μg vs 34 [971] μg; P = 0.033). Conclusion Addition of EN analgesic and sedative medications to those administered by the IV route did not change the duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19, but the combination may reduce IV opioid requirements, decreasing the impact of IV medication shortages.

Efficacy of Etimicin Sulfate Combined with Cefotaxime Sodium in the Treatment of Patients with Septic Shock and Effect on Serum Inflammatory Factor Levels and Immune Function

Objective. To explore the effect of etimicin sulfate combined with cefotaxime sodium and cefotaxime sodium alone in the treatment of patients with septic shock and the effect on serum inflammatory factor levels and immune function. Methods. Total of 95 patients with septic shock who were treated in our hospital from March 2018 to July 2020 were collected as the subjects of this study. Among them, 44 patients who received cefotaxime sodium treatment and were included in the control group, and 51 patients who received etimicin sulfate combined with cefotaxime sodium treatment were included in the research group. The levels of serum IL-6 (interleukin-6), PCT (procalcitonin), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), CD3+ (cluster of differentiation 3+), CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, FIB (fibrinogen), and PT (prothrombin time), APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time) time before and after treatment, and the treatment effects, mechanical ventilation time, hospitalization time, and incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups were compared. Results. The total effective rate of treatment in the research group (90.20%) was higher than the control group (72.73%) ( p < 0.05 ). After treatment, the serum levels of IL-6, PCT, and TNF-α, FIB, CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and PT and APTT time in the two groups of patients have improved significantly ( p < 0.05 ). Compared with the control group, the research group’s IL-6, PCT, TNF-α levels, PT, and APTT decreased more, and FIB, CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels increased more ( p < 0.05 ). The mechanical ventilation time and hospital stay of the research group were significantly shorter than the control group ( p < 0.05 ). There was no significant difference between the total incidence of adverse reactions in the research group (15.69%) and the control group (9.09%) ( p > 0.05 ). Conclusion. Compared with cefotaxime sodium alone, the treatment of etimicin sulfate combined with cefotaxime sodium is more effective in improving the coagulation function and cellular immune function of patients with septic shock, reducing the level of serum inflammatory factors, and having higher clinical treatment effective.

Risk Factors and Incidence for HAI in Elderly Patients Undergoing Neurosurgery in a Single Center

Background: Health care-associated-infection (HAI) is an important issue in neurosurgery department. With the aging population, we are receiving an increasing number of elderly patients who have a higher risks of HAI. AIM: We want to better understand risk factors of HAI and prevent HAI in elderly patients who accept neurosurgeries.Methods: This was a case-control study. We took review of the medical records of patients aged 60 and older who underwent neurosurgical operations from 1 January to 31 December 2016 in a single centre. Patients with infection and intubation before admission were excluded. Risk factors and outcomes were analysed, including age, sex, activities of daily living (ADL) score, smoking history, emergency admission status, ICU stay, ventilator use, ventilation time, diabetes, coronary heart disease, immune system disease, consciousness at admission, albumin decrease, blood sugar, unplanned second operation, indwelling venous catheter, external ventricular drainage (EVD), discharge ADL, length of stay (LOS), and medical costs.Results: A total of 1757 geriatric patients over 60 years underwent neurosurgical procedure were enrolled. Their age ranged from 60 to 93 years, with an average of 67.56 ± 6.16 years, including 1083 males(61.6%)and 674 females(38.4%).Among 1757 patients in 14703 hospital days, 95 cases of infection were diagnosed with HAIs in 78 patients, The HAI rate was 4.4% (78/1757) and HAI case rate was 5.4%(95/1757),incidence of HAI in neurosurgical geriatric patients was 6.5‰. Of these 95 infections, the most common types were pneumonia (65.3%), followed by primary bloodstream infection (13.7%), central nervous system infection (8.4%), urinary tract infection (6.3%), and wound infection (6.3%). Multivariable logistic regression showed that the independent risk factors for HAI in elderly patients were ICU stay, mechanical ventilation, plasma albumin below 35g/L, unplanned reoperation, and venous catheterization.Conclusions: To prevent HAI, we should improve the ICU standards, decrease ventilation time, improve the nutrition supply, and dynamically evaluate the necessity of deep venous catheters and remove them as early as possible. Such measures could not only help reduce HAI and shorten hospital stays for elderly patients, but also decrease medical insurance cost for the government.

Postoperative Changes in Pulmonary Function after Valve Surgery: Oxygenation Index Early after Cardiopulmonary Is a Predictor of Postoperative Course

Objective: To determine pulmonary functional changes that predict early clinical outcomes in valve surgery requiring long cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Methods: This retrospective study included 225 consecutive non-emergency valve surgeries with fast-track cardiac anesthesia between January 2014 and March 2020. Blood gas analyses before and 0, 2, 4, 8, and 14 h after CPB were investigated. Results: Median age and EuroSCORE II were 71.0 years (25–75 percentile: 59.5–77.0) and 2.46 (1.44–5.01). Patients underwent 96 aortic, 106 mitral, and 23 combined valve surgeries. The median CPB time was 151 min (122–193). PaO2/FiO2 and AaDO2/PaO2 significantly deteriorated two hours, but not immediately, after CPB (both p < 0.0001). Decreased PaO2/FiO2 and AaDO2/PaO2 were correlated with ventilation time (r2 = 0.318 and 0.435) and intensive care unit (ICU) (r2 = 0.172 and 0.267) and hospital stays (r2 = 0.164 and 0.209). Early and delayed extubations (<6 and >24 h) were predicted by PaO2/FiO2 (377.2 and 213.1) and AaDO2/PaO2 (0.683 and 1.680), measured two hours after CPB with acceptable sensitivity and specificity (0.700–0.911 and 0.677–0.859). Conclusions: PaO2/FiO2 and AaDO2/PaO2 two hours after CPB were correlated with ventilation time and lengths of ICU and hospital stays. These parameters suitably predicted early and delayed extubations.

Machine Learning Algorithm-Based Analysis of Efficacy of Pulmonary Surfactant Combined with Mucosolvan in Meconium Aspiration Syndrome of Newborns through Ultrasonic Images

Objective. The study aimed to explore the efficacy of pulmonary surfactant (PS) combined with Mucosolvan in the diagnosis of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) in newborns through ultrasonic images of lung based on machine learning. Methods. 138 cases of infants with MAS were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into PS group (n = 46), Mucosolvan group (n = 46), and combination group (n = 46). Then, ultrasonic images based on machine learning algorithm were used for examination. On the basis of conventional treatment, the PS group accepted intratracheal PS drip treatment with 100 mg/kg. For the Mucosolvan group, 7.5 mg/kg of Mucosolvan was added with 50 g/L glucose, which was diluted to 3 mL. Then, the mixture was injected intravenously with a micropump for more than 5 min. The combination group received combined treatment of PS and Mucosolvan. If there was no relief or the symptoms aggravated after 12 h of PS treatment, the patient should be treated again. 7.5 mg/kg/d of Mucosolvan was given for 7 days. Mechanical ventilation time, hospitalization time, oxygenation index (OI) before treatment, at 3 d and at 7 d after treatment, and arterial/alveolar oxygen ratio (a/APO2) of the three groups were detected and compared. Besides, in-hospital mortality and complication rate of the three groups were statistically compared. Results. Ultrasonic image edge detection based on machine learning algorithm was more condensed and better than Sobel operator. Compared with the PS group and the Mucosolvan group, treatment efficiency, OI at 3 d and at 7 d after treatment, and a/APO2 of combination group were increased. Mechanical ventilation time and hospitalization time of the combination group were shortened, and mortality rate of the combination group was reduced ( P < 0.05). Compared with the situation before treatment, OI at 3 d and at 7 d after treatment and a/APO2 of the combination group were increased, and OI at 7 d after treatment and a/APO2 of the PS group and the Mucosolvan group were increased ( P < 0.05). Curative effect, mechanical ventilation time, hospitalization time, OI before and after treatment, a/APO2, and mortality rate during hospitalization of the PS group and the Mucosolvan group had no significant difference ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the complications rates in the three groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion. Pulmonary ultrasound based on machine learning algorithm can be used in the diagnosis of MAS in neonates. PS combined with Mucosolvan is feasible and safe in treating neonatal MAS and effectively improves the pulmonary oxygenation function. Therefore, it is worthy of clinical application.

Sequential non-invasive following short-term invasive mechanical ventilation in the treatment of tuberculosis with respiratory failure: a randomized controlled study

Background Invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) have been combined as sequential MV in the treatment of respiratory failure. However, the effectiveness remains unclear. Here, we performed a randomized controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of sequential MV in the treatment of tuberculosis with respiratory failure. Methods Forty-four tuberculosis patients diagnosed with respiratory failure were randomly divided into sequential MV group (n = 24) and conventional MV group (n = 20). Initially, the patients in both groups received invasive positive pressure ventilation. When the patients' conditions were relieved, the ventilation modality in sequential MV group was switched to oronasal face mask continuous positive airway pressure until weaning. Results After treatment, the patients in sequential MV group had similar respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygenation index, alveolo-arterial oxygen partial pressure difference (A-aDO2), blood pH, PaCO2 to those in conventional MV group (all P value > 0.05). There was no significant difference in ventilation time and ICU stay between the two groups (P > 0.05), but sequential MV group significantly reduced the time of invasive ventilation (mean difference (MD): − 36.2 h, 95% confidence interval (CI) − 53.6, − 18.8 h, P < 0.001). Sequential MV group also reduced the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP; relative risk (RR): 0.44, 95% CI 0.24, 0.83, P = 0.006) and atelectasis (RR:0.49, 95% CI 0.24,1.00, P = 0.040). Conclusions Sequential MV was effective in treating tuberculosis with respiratory failure. It showed advantages in reducing invasive ventilation time and ventilator-associated adverse events. Registration number for clinical trial Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000032311, April 21st, 2020