Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) is commonly used to treat arrhythmias. The amount of CIED implantation has increased year by year since its first application in 1958. At the same time, the CIED infection rate also increases significantly. Although the infection rate is very low for the primary implantation, the consequences of CIED infection are serious, and it is often necessary to remove the equipment for treatment. The mortality rate in patients with CIED infections is high, and the economic burden is huge. In this paper, the epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathogen, manifestations and diagnosis, risk factors, treatment and preventive measures of CIED infection were systematically described based on the recently published guidelines and international consensus literature, so as to provide theoretical guidance for the prevention of CIED infections.
Objective To evaluate the application effect of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in immediate breast reconstruction after mammary mastectomy with prosthetic implants. Methods The clinical data of 68 patients with breast cancer undergoing immediate breast reconstruction with prosthetic implantation in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed and divided into ADM group (n=43) and non-ADM group (n=25), according to the use of ADM in the posterior space of pectoralis major muscle while prosthesis implantation or not. The size of breast prosthesis, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage duration, total drainage, total hospital stay, postoperative complications, postoperative cosmetic effect and quality of life of patients were compared between the two groups. Results Patients in the ADM group showed no statistically significant difference regarding operative time, drainage duration, total drainage, hospital stay, postoperative complications and intraoperative removed gland volume with the non-ADM group (P>0.05). The average intraoperative blood loss in the ADM group was less than that of the non-ADM group, the average volume of prosthesis in the ADM group was bigger than that of the non-ADM group, the volume difference between prosthesis and removed gland in the ADM group was smaller than that of the non-ADM group, which was considered statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The subjective satisfaction and objective measurement scores of patients in the ADM group were significantly better than those of the non-ADM group, especially in the symmetry of breast, surgical scar and distance of lateral displacement of nipple (P<0.05). The postoperative quality of life in the ADM group was significantly better than that of the non-ADM group in terms of body image, sexual function and sexual interest (P<0.01). Conclusions It is safe and feasible to use ADM-assisted the immediate breast reconstruction after nipple-sparing mammary mastectomy with prosthetic implantation. As an extension of the pectoralis major muscle, ADM can enlarge the posterior space for the prosthesis implantation, making the choice of the prosthesis much more easier. The combined application of ADM can obtain a better cosmetic effect, meanwhile improving the postoperative quality of life and satisfaction of patients.
Objective
To explore the safety and feasibility of general anesthesia with tracheal intubation in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and the key points in anesthetic management.
Methods
Twenty-five patients with aortic stenosis treated by TAVI in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between September 2012 and June 2013 were included in this study. General anesthesia with tracheal intubation was chosen. We recorded and analyzed the hemodynamics, blood gas, oxygen saturation data before and after anesthesia induction, before surgery, during rapid ventricular pacing, before and after aortic valve implantation. Besides, the incidence of perioperative complications and 30-day mortality were also recorded.
Results
All the 25 patients underwent the implantation surgery successfully. Two patients had the second implantation surgery due to moderate reflux. All the subjects in this study tolerated general anesthesia well without any anesthesia-related complications. There were 19 cases of newly developed or aggravated heart blocks, 7 of permanent pace maker, 2 of perioperative hemorrhage, 2 of cerebral vascular events, and 1 death case.
Conclusioins
General anesthesia with tracheal intubation can be utilized safely in patients undergoing TAVI. TAVI is a challenging technique in need of precise collaborations of multi-disciplines, in which anesthetists should play more as a leader in evaluation and decision-making during the surgery.
Speech enhancement methods based on microphone array adopt many microphones to record speech signal simultaneously. As spatial information is increased, these methods can increase speech recognition for cochlear implant in noisy environment. Due to the size limitation, the number of microphones used in the cochlear implant cannot be too large, which limits the design of microphone array beamforming. To balance the size limitation of cochlear implant and the spatial orientation information of the signal acquisition, we propose a speech enhancement and beamforming algorithm based on dual thin uni-directional / omni-directional microphone pairs (TP) in this paper. Each TP microphone contains two sound tubes for signal acquisition, which increase the overall spatial orientation information. In this paper, we discuss the beamforming characteristics with different gain vectors and the influence of the inter-microphone distance on beamforming, which provides valuable theoretical analysis and engineering parameters for the application of dual microphone speech enhancement technology in cochlear implants.
Objective To observe and analyze the risk factors of secondary intraocular hypertension in diabetic macular edema (DME) patients after treatment with dexamethasone vitreous cavity implant (DEX). MethodsA retrospective observational study. A total of 352 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) secondary macular edema diagnosed by ophthalmic examination and treated with DEX in Department of Ophthalmology of Harbin 242 Hospital from January 2016 to March 2022 were included in the study. Among them, 221 were males and 131 were females, with the mean age of (55.56±8.09) years. There were 194 patients with disseminated macular edema, 158 patients with cystoid macular edema. All patients underwent vitreous cavity implantation of DEX. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured once a month for 3 months after treatment, with IOP over than 25 mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa) or higher than 10 mm Hg from baseline as secondary intraocular hypertension. The relevant clinical data were collected, and the risk factors of secondary intraocular hypertension in DME patients after DEX treatment were analyzed by binary logistic regression. ResultsAmong 352 patients, 116 patients (32.95%, 116/352) were in the intraocular hypertension. Among them, 29 patients (25.00%, 29/116), 69 patients (59.48%, 69/116) and 18 patients (15.52%, 18/116) occurred intraocular hypertension at 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment, respectively. Compared with the normal IOP group, the IOP in the intraocular hypertension group increased significantly at 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment, with statistical significance (t=10.771, 21.116, 13.761; P<0.001). Compared with normal IOP group, the patients in the intraocular hypertension group had younger age (t=6.967), longer duration of diabetes (t=5.950), longer axial length (AL) (t=14.989), higher proportion of DME grade 3 (Z=6.284), higher proportion of DEX implantation in pars plana (χ2=23.275), and higher HbA1c level (t=10.764), the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that longer AL [odds ratio (OR)=1.428, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.054-1.934], DEX implantation in pars plana (OR=1.358, 95%CI 1.063-1.735), and higher HbA1c (OR=1.702, 95%CI 1.225-2.366) were the risk factors for secondary intraocular hypertension in DME patients after DEX treatment (P<0.05), older age was a protective factor (OR=0.548, 95%CI 0.380-0.789, P<0.05). ConclusionsLong AL, DEX implantation in pars plana and high HbA1c are the risk factors for secondary intraocular hypertension after DEX treatment in DME patients, older age is a protective factor.
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX) in the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). MethodsA prospective randomized controlled study. A total of 57 PDR patients with 79 eyes diagnosed by Department of Ophthalmology of The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2021 to February 2023 were included in the study. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed in all affected eyes. Central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by OCT. The patients were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 27 cases and 35 eyes and 30 cases and 44 eyes, respectively. All eyes were treated with routine 25G PPV and intraoperative whole-retina laser photocoagulation. At the end of the operation, the experimental group was given 0.7 mg DEX intravitreal injection. At 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after operation, the same equipment and methods were used for relevant examinations. The improvement after surgery was assessed according to the diabetic retinopathy severity score (DRSS). Mixed analysis of variance was used to compare logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution BCVA and CMT between the two groups and within the two groups before and after operation. ResultsAt 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after surgery, BCVA was significantly improved at different time points after surgery, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). At different time after operation, BCVA and CMT in experimental groups were significantly better than that in control group, with statistical significance (P<0.05). Compared with the CMT before surgery, the CMT at all time point after surgery in experimental group were significantly decreased, and the difference were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference one week after eye operation in control group (P=0.315). At 4, 12 and 24 weeks after operation, CMT decreased in control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with before surgery, DRSS increased two steps higher at 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after surgery in 20 (45.45%, 20/44), 26 (59.10%, 26/44), 32 (72.73%, 32/44) and 31 (70.45%, 31/44) eyes in the experimental groups, respectively. The control group consisted of 15 (42.86%, 15/35), 15 (42.86%, 15/35), 16 (45.71%, 16/35) and 18 (51.43%, 18/35) eyes, respectively. There was no significant difference in DRSS at 1, 4 and 24 weeks after operation between the control group and the experimental group (P=0.817, 0.178, 0.105). At 12 weeks after surgery, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.020). ConclusionPPV combined with intravitreal injection of DEX in the treatment of PDR can improve postoperative visual acuity, alleviate postoperative macular edema and improve the severity of DR.
Objective To investigate the early safety and efficacy of transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for high-risk elderly patients with pure aortic valve insufficiency. Methods A prospective multicenter clinical study of domestic J-valveTM TAVI for high-risk native non-calcified aortic valve insufficiency was conducted from April 2014 to May 2018, and the early postoperative results were analyzed. A total of 82 patients were enrolled, including 62 patients from West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 16 patients from Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, and 4 patients from Beijing Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases. There were 55 males and 27 females. The age was 61-90 (73.8±6.3) years. The logistic EuroSCORE was 10.0%-44.4% (17.5%±8.1%). All patients underwent TAVI using J-ValveTM system. Clinical evaluation and echocardiography were performed preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. Multislice spiral CT was reviewed before discharge. Results Three patients were transferred to thoracotomy for cardiopulmonary bypass operation, and 1 patient had decreased cardiac function due to leakage of the valve 1 week after surgery. The overall technical and procedural success rate was 95.1% and 93.9%, respectively. During hospitalization, 1 patient died of moderate pericyclosis complicated with multiple organ failure, and 1 patient died of pulmonary infection. Six (7.6%) patients received pacemaker implantation due to new onset Ⅲ° atrioventricular block. Echocardiographic follow-up showed paravalvular leak was observed in the few of patients, mild paravalvular leak was in 13 patients on the 30th day. Two patients showed moderate paravalvular leak. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume decreased from 197.7±66.8 mL (pre-TAVI) to 147.2±53.3 mL (30-day post-TAVI) (P<0.05). Mean pressure gradient was 9.5±4.1 mm Hg (30-day post-TAVI). Conclusion This multicenter study demonstrates that TAVI with the J-Valve system for the treatment of pure aortic regurgitation is associated with sustained clinical and functional cardiovascular benefits in high-risk patients with symptomatic aortic regurgitation early-term follow-up. Our results further support that TAVI with the specific designed J-Valve system is an acceptable alternative therapy for high-risk patients with pure AR. Our result demonstrates good early-term durability and preserved hemodynamic function. The procedure appears to offer an adequate and lasting resolution for selected patients with pure aortic regurgitation.
Objective To investigate the clinical application of da Vinci surgical system in nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM) and immediate one-stage implant-based breast reconstruction. Methods Five cases of breast cancer who underwent NSM and immediate implant-based breast reconstruction were analyzed from March 2022 to April 2022. Evaluation endpoints included the key points of operation, duration of surgery, postoperative complications, and patient-reported outcomes. Results Two patients underwent implant-based postpectoral breast reconstruction without mesh. Three patients received prepectoral reconstruction with biological mesh, 2 of which underwent bilateral breast reconstruction. Operating duration of 5 patients was 240–320 min, with an average of 291 min. The blood loss was 10–30 mL, with an average of 18 mL. No patient switched to open surgery due to the uncontrolled bleeding. The average drainage volume was 78 mL/d (60–100 mL/d) in the first 3 days and 38 mL/d (30–50 mL/d) in the 3 to 7 days after operation. The drainage tube was removed 10–18 days after operation, with an average of 13.2 days. No postoperative infections or nipple-areolar complex necrosis were observed. The inpatient stay was 1–3 days, with an average of 1.8 days. One month after operation, the BREAST-Q satisfaction score was 64–82, with an average of 76.20. The average cost for operation was 45 072 RMB (43 420–47 524 RMB). Conclusions The robotic NSM and immediate one-stage implant-based breast reconstruction is a safe procedure with better clinical outcomes and favorable patients’ satisfaction. However, the robotic system has longer operation time and higher cost. It still needs to be personalized in the clinical practice.
Objective To evaluate clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and maintenance after treatment from mandibular implant-supported overdentures with different attachment types. Methods We searched six electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2005), Current Controlled Trials, MEDLINE (1966 to Sept. 2005), EMBASE (1984 to Sept. 2005), and Chinese biomedical database disk (1978 to Sept. 2005). Eleven Chinese professional journals in oral health were also handsearched from their first published issues. Three authors screened and selected the studies, appraised their methodological quality and extracted data from the studies. The results were presented narratively by meta-analysis. Results After strict screening, 12 trials involving 282 patients were included. Two of the trials were included in a meta-analysis with 27 patients in bar-clip group, 29 patients in ball-spring group, and the other trials were described thoroughly. The findings seemed to indicate that the bar-clip group had the highest retention but more oral mucosa complications, while the ball-spring group had good retention and less oral mucosa complications but needed more aftercare treatments, and the magnetic group had less retention but better peri-implant outcomes. Conclusions There is inadequate evidence to prove which is the best choice for mandibular implant-supported overdentures among bar-clip, ball-spring and magnetic attachments. More controlled clinical trials are required to guide clinicians on the choice of the type of attachment in mandibular implant-supported overdenture.
ObjectiveTo summarize the current research progress of three-dimensional (3D) printing technique for spinal implants manufacture.
MethodsThe recent original literature concerning technology, materials, process, clinical applications, and development direction of 3D printing technique in spinal implants was reviewed and analyzed.
ResultsAt present, 3D printing technologies used to manufacture spinal implants include selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, and electron beam melting. Titanium and its alloys are mainly used. 3D printing spinal implants manufactured by the above materials and technology have been successfully used in clinical. But the problems regarding safety, related complications, cost-benefit analysis, efficacy compared with traditional spinal implants, and the lack of relevant policies and regulations remain to be solved.
Conclusion3D printing technique is able to provide individual and customized spinal implants for patients, which is helpful for the clinicians to perform operations much more accurately and safely. With the rapid development of 3D printing technology and new materials, more and more 3D printing spinal implants will be developed and used clinically.