N末端脑钠肽前体与左心室射血分数联合试验在急性呼吸困难快速诊断中的应用

目的 探讨N末端脑钠肽前体对急性呼吸困难的鉴别诊断价值,并寻求其对心力衰竭引起的急性呼吸困难快速诊断的切点.方法 将2008年1-6月来我院急诊就诊的呼吸困难患者91例分为心源性呼吸困难组(心源性组34例)、非心源性呼吸困难组(非心源性组57例).评价各参数对于急诊呼吸困难鉴别诊断的价值,并通过对各参数与心源性呼吸困难的关系进行ROC曲线分析,最终获得各参数对于心源性呼吸困难的最佳诊断范围.结果 心源性组与非心源性组患者的N末端脑钠肽前体(6203.50、1410.00ng/L)、肌钙蛋白Ⅰ(0.12、0.03 μg/L)、左心室射血分数(46.25%、65.60%)、左房内径(42.75、36.00 mm)差异均有统计学意义(P均＜0.01).对于心源性呼吸困难,以N末端脑钠肽前体值≥3715 ng/L为切点,其灵敏度及特异度达到最大值.根据ROC曲线分析,N末端脑钠肽前体及左心室射血分数是诊断心源性呼吸困难的最佳指标.N末端脑钠肽前体ROC曲线下面积为0.828±0.045(P＜0.01),左心室射血分数ROC曲线下面积0.829±0.049(P＜0.01).N末端脑钠肽前体和左心室射血分数对心源性呼吸困难进行联合试验,其特异度上升为96.50%,总符合率上升为83.50%,阳性预测值上升为91.30%,阳性似然比上升为17.60,误诊率下降为3.50%.结论 急诊检测N末端脑钠肽前体有利于对急性呼吸困难患者做出快速诊断,有助于快速鉴别患者的呼吸困难是否为急性充血性心力衰竭引起.     

Dyspnea during thalidomide treatment for advanced ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE: To detail the dyspnea encountered in women receiving thalidomide as therapy for advanced ovarian cancer. CASE SUMMARIES: Eight of 18 (44%) patients with recurrent ovarian cancer developed dyspnea while receiving thalidomide 200 mg daily as part of a prospective Phase II study. Dyspnea was evaluated with pulse oximetry, chest X-ray and, if indicated, spiral computed tomography scan. Four patients had abnormal chest X-ray findings (1 pleural effusion, 1 pneumonia, 2 mild congestive heart failure), and one of these patients also had a pulmonary embolus. The other 4 patients had no objective test findings to explain their dyspnea. Five patients had resolution of symptoms when thalidomide was discontinued and, when the drug was resumed at a 50% dose reduction, experienced no further shortness of breath. DISCUSSION: While dyspnea in association with thalidomide has not previously been reported as a common adverse event, it was a frequent complaint of patients receiving this drug as part of a Phase II study. Comorbid conditions causing dyspnea were evaluated since they are common in this patient population; however, half of our patients had no objective evidence of such conditions. The Naranjo probability scale indicated a probable relationship between dyspnea and thalidomide therapy in the patients with no objective evidence of comorbidity. We advocate discontinuation of thalidomide until symptoms have resolved, at which time reintroduction of thalidomide at a reduced dose may be considered. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving thalidomide may develop dyspnea as an adverse effect of the drug. In selected patients, thalidomide may be safely reintroduced once symptoms resolve.     

肌钙蛋白Ⅰ在急性心力衰竭鉴别诊断中的应用价值

目的：明确肌钙蛋白Ⅰ（cTnI）在心源性呼吸困难的鉴别诊断中有无应用价值。方法：比较急性心衰与急性肺源性呼吸困难时cTnI的变化情况,并观察一定的cTnI临界值辅助诊断心衰的敏感性和特异性。结果：总共156例患者,最后确诊为急性心衰的患者69例,而肺源性呼吸困难患者87例。急性心衰组的平均cTnI值为0.76±0.85ng/dL,而肺源性呼吸困难组为0.25±0.32ng/dL,两组间有显著性差异（P〈0.001）。根据ROC曲线计算肌钙蛋白Ⅰ的临界值（截点值）为0.42ng/dL,其鉴别心衰的敏感度为71.53%,特异度为90.36%,准确度为80.14%。结论：检测肌钙蛋白Ⅰ水平并与其它临床信息相结合,有助于快速准确地诊断充血性心力衰竭。     

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing in the emergency department

In the past decade a large amount of attention has been focused on brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing in the evaluation of patients with acute dyspnea as well as the screening of patients for congestive heart failure (CHF). Because BNP is secreted by myocytes in response to ventricular stretch, it has long been thought that BNP could become a biochemical marker for CHF. Rapid assays have been developed and BNP testing has been studied in detection of CHF and predictive outcomes in a large variety of settings. We review the clinical evidence associated with the use of BNP testing in the acute care setting. We conclude with a discussion of clinical utility in the emergency department for the evaluation of patients presenting with acute dyspnea.     

氨基末端B型钠尿肽原在急诊呼吸困难患者诊治中的应用

目的研究氨基末端B型钠尿肽原(NT-proBNP)水平检测在急诊室呼吸困难患者诊治及充血性心力衰竭(CHF)患者心功能分级中的应用价值,并探讨CHF患者的NT-proBNP最佳诊断阀值。方法利用胶体金法对急诊的405例呼吸困难患者进行NT-proBNP检测,比较心源性呼吸困难[主要指CHF患者,166例(41%)]和非心源性呼吸困难患者[239例(59%)]之间血浆NT-proBNP水平。结果166例由CHF引起的呼吸困难患者血浆NT-proBNP的中位数(四分位数)为4 245(1 535~11 158)ng/L,明显高于239例由非CHF引起的呼吸困难患者[中位数(四分位数)为175(35~489)ng/L](P<0.001)。NYHA分级Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ级的CHF患者的NT-proBNP水平[中位数(四分位数)分别为1 358(1 098~2 966)、3 252(1 322~9 089)、5 980(2 674~12 143)ng/L],两两比较差异均有统计学意义(P(0.05)。血浆NT-proBNP诊断CHF的最佳阈值为900 ng/L,其敏感性为90%、特异性为85%,受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线下面...     

某综合性三级甲等医院急诊科592例院内抢救病例的临床分析

[目的]了解综合性三级甲等医院急诊科院内抢救疾病的分布与构成。[方法]回顾性分析2010年山西医科大学第一医院急诊科592例院内抢救病例的临床资料。[结果]年龄多分布在60岁～80岁年龄组,男性多于女性;以呼吸系统疾病、消化系统疾病、循环系统疾病、中毒与物理损害最多;主要病种为上消化道出血、肺部感染(肺炎、重症肺炎)、慢性阻塞性肺疾病急性加重、急性心肌梗死、中毒与物理损害、支气管哮喘急性发作;以危及生命的急性症状或急性临床综合征入院抢救主要集中在呼吸困难、呼吸心搏骤停、昏迷、咯血、胸痛、胸闷、晕厥、呼吸衰竭、急性肾衰竭、休克、急性冠脉综合征。[结论]急诊抢救病例的分布具有一定规律,可为急诊科抢救护理工作指明重心,有利于急诊科护理抢救工作的开展。     

脐血单个核细胞移植治疗老年急性广泛前壁心肌梗死后心源性休克合并重度心力衰竭1例(英文)

背景:人脐血单个核细胞作为一类移植细胞日益引起关注,但多为基础研究。目的:就脐血单个核细胞移植治疗老年急性广泛前壁心肌梗死后心源性休克合并重度心力衰竭1例进行报道。方法:急性广泛前壁心肌梗死后心源性休克合并重度心力衰竭女性患者1例,经冠心病介入治疗置入3枚支架及内科药物系统治疗,仍有反复发作性呼吸困难等心力衰竭症状。使用冠脉微导管经左冠前降支将含有脐血单个核细胞2.4×108个,总计50mL干细胞悬液注射到梗死相关血管。结果与结论:干细胞移植后随访近4个月,患者无不良反应发生,心力衰竭症状明显好转。射血分数从术前22%,移植后42%,到移植后21d升高至53%。血脑钠肽从术前1730ng/L,移植后854ng/L,到移植后21d降低至264ng/L。移植后4个月患者无胸闷、气短、乏力、呼吸困难发生,可以从事日常活动。说明脐血单个核细胞移植治疗急性心肌梗死后心源性休克合并心力衰竭安全、有效。     

Age-related differences in diagnoses within the elderly population

The most common diagnoses of elderly patients in the emergency department (ED) were compared among three age subgroups: 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and 85 and older. The computerized billing records for patient visits to 10 northern New Jersey hospital EDs for the years 1985 to 1991 were retrospectively analyzed. The most frequently occurring ICD-9-CM codes for elderly patients were compared among the three age subgroups. Elderly persons comprised 174, 146 (14% of the total) patient visits. The 176, 146 patient visits were assigned 259,440 ICD-9-CM codes. The most common ICD-9-CM codes for medical diagnoses included chest pain, cardiac dysrhythmias, congestive heart failure, syncope, abdominal pain, and dyspnea. Fractures, particularly of the lower limb and upper limb; contusions; open wounds, particularly of the head, neck, and trunk; and falls were among the most common trauma diagnoses. The proportions in the three age subgroups of each diagnosis were statistically significantly different, except for cardiac arrest and contusions of the trunk and of multiple sites. The diagnoses with clinically significant higher relative risks in older age subgroups were atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, syncope, hypovolemia/dehydration, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, dyspnea, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, cerebrovascular accident, septicemia, urinary tract infection, fractures, and open wounds of the head, neck, trunk, particularly the scalp, and falls. Clinically significant lower relative risks were found in older age subgroups for chest pain, acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, angina, chronic airway obstruction not elsewhere classified, epistaxis, contusions of the upper limb, and open wounds of the finger.     

Value of Dynamic Variation of Impedance Cardiac output in the diagnosis of Heart Failure in emergency department patients with undifferentiated dyspnea.

Aim of studyCardiac output (CO) responses to acute changes in body position and Valsalva maneuver (VM) were proposed to assess cardiac contractile reserve. We investigated the value of sitting position (SP), leg raising (LR), and VM for identifying heart failure (HF) in patients with undifferentiated dyspnea.Materials and methodsIt is a prospective study including patients over 18 years old admitted to the emergency department (ED) for dyspnea. Bioimpedance CO was measured at baseline, under SP, LR, and VM. HF diagnosis was based on clinical assessment, serum levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and echocardiography findings. Study population was divided into patients with heart failure (HF group) and patients without HF (HF- group). Diagnostic performance of CO change under the three maneuvers was calculated by sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results290 patients were enrolled in the study. The final diagnosis was dyspnea due to congestive heart failure in 147 patients (50.7%). CO change with VM was the most accurate exam in identifying congestive heart failure as the cause of dyspnea with a sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios of 79%, 60%, 1.97, and 0.36 respectively. Area under ROC curve was 0.62(95% CI, 0.55–0.69), 0.63(95% CI, 0.56–0.69), and 0.70(95% CI, 0.64–0.76) respectively for SP, LR, and VM. In a multivariate analysis, CO change with VM, but not with SP or LR, carried independent diagnostic value (p < 0.001).Conclusionthe diagnosis of HF can be aided with use of analyzing the effect of VM on non-invasively measured CO among patients admitted to the ED with undifferentiated dyspnea. Diagnostic yield of SP and LR was poor.     

Electrocardiographic ST-segment elevation: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy versus ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction—A case series

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome, is a newly described disorder in which patients develop anginal symptoms, often times with acute congestive heart failure, during periods of stress. The electrocardiogram demonstrates ST-segment and/or T-wave abnormalities similar to those findings seen in acute coronary events; on occasion, serum markers can be abnormal. As an extreme, acute pulmonary edema with or without cardiogenic shock can also be encountered. At cardiac catheterization, these patients are found to have abnormal left ventricular function yet normal coronary arteries. We compared 2 populations encountered in the emergency department (ED) population—Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. In the ED, features of the presentation and management were similar between the 2 groups with the exception of the presence of female sex and abnormal QT interval occurring more often in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy subgroup. These 2 cardiovascular maladies present in very similar fashion in the ED; distinction in the ED may not be possible.     

Diagnosis of pneumonia in adults in general practice. Relative importance of typical symptoms and abnormal chest signs evaluated against a radiographic reference standard.

The diagnostic value of typical symptoms and abnormal chest signs for pneumonia have been evaluated against a radiographic reference standard in 402 adult patients with respiratory tract infection in general practice. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 20 patients by a positive chest radiograph. The doctors diagnosed pneumonia in seven of these on the basis of history and physical examination alone, and in addition in 22 patients with normal radiographs. The diagnostic value of the typical symptoms cough, chest pain, and dyspnoea, reported by the patients on a questionnaire, increased with increasing intensity of the symptoms, and both "very annoying lateral chest pain" and "very annoying dyspnoea" had likelihood ratios (LR) between 4 and 5. The LR of crackles was 3.7. When evaluated against the doctor's clinical diagnosis of pneumonia as reference standard, crackles achieved an LR of 14.8, while the typical symptoms achieved lower LRs than when evaluated against the radiographic reference standard. These discrepancies, which were confirmed by logistic regression, indicate that crackles and other abnormal chest findings are interpreted too frequently as features of pneumonia and that the importance of typical symptoms is underestimated in the diagnosis of pneumonia.     

脐血单个核细胞移植治疗老年急性广泛前壁心肌梗死后心源性休克合并重度心力衰竭1例（英文）

背景：人脐血单个核细胞作为一类移植细胞日益引起关注,但多为基础研究。目的：就脐血单个核细胞移植治疗老年急性广泛前壁心肌梗死后心源性休克合并重度心力衰竭1例进行报道。方法：急性广泛前壁心肌梗死后心源性休克合并重度心力衰竭女性患者1例,经冠心病介入治疗置入3枚支架及内科药物系统治疗,仍有反复发作性呼吸困难等心力衰竭症状。使用冠脉微导管经左冠前降支将含有脐血单个核细胞2.4×108个,总计50mL干细胞悬液注射到梗死相关血管。结果与结论：干细胞移植后随访近4个月,患者无不良反应发生,心力衰竭症状明显好转。射血分数从术前22%,移植后42%,到移植后21d升高至53%。血脑钠肽从术前1730ng/L,移植后854ng/L,到移植后21d降低至264ng/L。移植后4个月患者无胸闷、气短、乏力、呼吸困难发生,可以从事日常活动。说明脐血单个核细胞移植治疗急性心肌梗死后心源性休克合并心力衰竭安全、有效。     

Clinical criteria for the detection of pneumonia in adults: guidelines for ordering chest roentgenograms in the emergency department

Adults presenting to an emergency department with acute respiratory illness were studied prospectively in an effort to identify sensitive clinical criteria for the diagnosis of pneumonia. Of 308 patients studied, 118 (38%) had definite or equivocal infiltrates and were considered to have pneumonia. No single symptom or sign was reliably predictive of pneumonia. Cough was the most common symptom in patients with pneumonia (86%), but was equally common in those with other respiratory illness. Fever was absent in 36 patients with pneumonia (31%). Abnormal findings on lung examination, that is, rales, rhonchi, decreased breath sounds, wheezes, altered fremitus, egophony, and percussion dullness, were each found in fewer than half of the patients with pneumonia. Twenty-six patients (22%) with a completely normal chest examination had pneumonia. Abnormal vital signs (temperature greater than 37.8 degrees C (100 degrees F), pulse greater than 100/min, or respirations greater than 20/min) were 97% sensitive for the detection of pneumonia. These criteria retained their sensitivity when films were subjected to a second, blinded interpretation by a senior radiologist. We conclude that restricting chest roentgenograms to patients with at least one abnormal vital sign will detect almost all radiographically demonstrable pneumonia in adult emergency department patients.     

Diagnosis of Pneumonia in Adults in General Practice Relative Importance of Typical Symptoms and Abnormal Chest Signs Evaluated Against a Radiographic Reference Standard

The diagnostic value of typical symptoms and abnormal chest signs for pneumonia have been evaluated against a radiographic reference standard in 402 adult patients with respiratory tract infection in general practice. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 20 patients by a positive chest radiograph. The doctors diagnosed pneumonia in seven of these on the basis of history and physical examination alone, and in addition in 22 patients with normal radiographs. The diagnostic value of the typical symptoms cough, chest pain, and dyspnoea, reported by the patients on a questionnaire, increased with increasing intensity of the symptoms, and both “very annoying lateral chest pain” and “very annoying dyspnoea” had likelihood ratios (LR) between 4 and 5. The LR of crackles was 3.7. When evaluated against the doctor's clinical diagnosis of pneumonia as reference standard, crackles achieved an LR of 14.8, while the typical symptoms achieved lower LRs than when evaluated against the radiographic reference standard. These discrepancies, which were confirmed by logistic regression, indicate that crackles and other abnormal chest findings are intepreted too frequently as features of pneumonia and that the importance of typical symptoms is underestimated in the diagnosis of pneumonia.     

Using lung ultrasound to differentiate patients in acute dyspnea in the prehospital emergency setting

The diagnosis and treatment of dyspnea in the emergency department and in the prehospital setting is a challenge faced by the emergency physician and other prehospital care providers. While the use of lung ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in dyspneic patients has been well researched, there has been limited evaluation of its use in the prehospital setting. In the previous issue of Critical Care, Prosen and colleagues study the accuracy of lung ultrasound compared with both N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and the clinical examination for differentiating between acute decompensated congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations for patients in the prehospital setting. Their article adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the diagnostic efficacy of lung ultrasound in differentiating between these two disease processes in the acutely dyspneic patient.     

脑钠肽对急诊呼吸困难的鉴别诊断价值

目的 评价快速测定脑钠肽(BNP)对充血性心力衰竭(CHF)所致呼吸困难的诊断价值。方法 测定152例以呼吸困难为主诉在急诊科就诊和急诊入院患者血浆BNP水平，以两位不知道BNP结果的心血管专家根据患者的临床资料作出的诊断为标准，来评价BNP水平在以呼吸困难为主诉的患者中诊断CHF的敏感性和特异性。结果 BNP≥100pg／mL诊断CHF的敏感性为96．3％，特异性为94．3％，阳性预测值为95．2％，阴性预测值为95．7％，阳性似然率和阴性似然率分别为16．9和0．038。BNP水平与心力衰竭的严重程度相关。结论 急诊快速测定BNP有助于鉴别心源性呼吸困难与非心源性呼吸困难。     

Characteristics and outcome for patients with acute chest pain in relation to whether or not they were transported by ambulance.

The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and long-term outcome for patients suffering from acute chest pain in relation to whether or not they were transported to hospital by ambulance. All patients with acute chest pain who were admitted over a 21-month period to the emergency department at Sahlgrenska Hospital in G?teborg with symptoms of acute chest pain were included in the study. Consecutive patients were prospectively registered and followed with regard to mortality and morbidity over 5 years. In all, 4270 patients took part in the evaluation, of whom 1445 (34%) were transported by ambulance. Patients transported by ambulance were older (p < 0.0001) and had a higher prevalence of previous myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and congestive heart failure (p < 0.0001 for all) than the others. They more frequently developed acute myocardial infarction (28% vs. 11%; p < 0.0001) and there was a final diagnosis of either confirmed or possible myocardial infarction/ischaemia in 69% compared with 38% for patients not transported by ambulance (p < 0.0001). The 5-year mortality among ambulance-transported patients was 41% vs. 16% among those who were not (p < 0.0001). When correcting for dissimilarities at baseline including final diagnosis the adjusted risk ratio for death among ambulance transported patients was 1.44 (95% confidence limit 1.26-1.65). However, we did not correct for severe non-cardiac diseases. It is concluded that among patients admitted to the emergency department with acute chest pain, those transported by ambulance had a much higher mortality during the subsequent 5 years than those who were not transported by ambulance. This was not entirely explained by observed differences at baseline. This information should be considered when ambulance organizations are being constructed.     

Impact of a nurse-managed heart failure clinic: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: One approach to optimize clinical and economic management of congestive heart failure is the use of multidisciplinary outpatient clinics in which advanced practice nurses coordinate care. One such clinic was developed in 1995 at a southeastern university hospital to enhance management of patients with chronic congestive heart failure. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary outpatient heart failure clinic on the clinical and economic management of patients with congestive heart failure. METHODS: Data on hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, length of stay, charges, and reimbursement from the 6 months before 15 patients joined a heart failure clinic were compared with data from the 6 months after the patients joined the clinic. RESULTS: The patients had a total of 38 hospital admissions (151 hospital days) in the 6 months before joining the clinic and 19 admissions (72 hospital days) in the 6 months afterward. The mean length of stay decreased from 4.3 days in the 6 months before joining to 3.8 days in the 6 months afterward, and the number of emergency department visits also decreased, although neither decrease was statistically significant. Mean inpatient hospital charges decreased from $10,624 per patient admission to $5893. Reimbursements were $7751 (73% collection rate) and $5138 (87% collection rate), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients seemed to benefit from participation in the heart failure clinic. If a healthcare provider is available to manage early signs and symptoms of worsening heart failure, hospital readmissions may be decreased and patients' outcomes may be improved.     

An unusual cause of dyspnea

Dyspnea is an alarming symptom for both the patient and the emergency physician. There are many causes of dyspnea, some of which are life-threatening, especially in the elderly patient. In addition to the usual cardiac and pulmonary causes such as congestive heart failure, asthma exacerbation, COPD, pneumonia, and pulmonary embolism, there are less common causes of dyspnea, which if not diagnosed and managed expeditiously may have dire consequences for both the patient and physician. We present a case of an elderly patient with a life-threatening unusual cause of acute shortness of breath, a diaphragmatic hernia with sepsis.