ObjectiveTo summarize clinical outcomes of different end-to-end anastomotic methods for surgical treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (AD). MethodsBetween January 2012 and May 2013, 95 patients with acute Stanford type A AD received surgical treatment in Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University. According to different end-to-end anastomotic methods, 72 patients were divided into 3 groups (23 patients undergoing Bentall procedure were excluded from this study). In group A, there were 23 patients including 18 males and 5 females with their age of 48.67±9.23 years, who received 'sandwich' anastomotic technique strengthening both the inner and outer layers of the aortic wall. In group B, there were 11 patients including 8 males and 3 females with their age of 48.00±9.17 years, who received pericardium strengthening only inner layer of the aortic wall. In group C, there were 38 patients including 29 males and 9 females with their age of 49.20±8.57 years, who received artificial graft that was anastomosed directly to the aortic wall without any reinforcement. Postoperative outcomes were compared among the 3 groups. ResultsEight patients (11.11%)died postoperatively including 1 patient in group A (1/23, 4.35%)and 7 patients in group C (7/38, 18.42%). One patient in group A died of persistent wound errhysis and later disseminated intravascular coagulation. Three patients in group C died of persistent anastomotic incision errhysis and circulatory failure. Four patients in group C died of postopera-tive severe tricuspid regurgitation, secondary severe low cardiac output syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Severe postoperative complications included renal failure in 5 patients, respiratory failure in 7 patients, severe cerebral infarction and paralysis in 1 patient, paresis in 3 patients, delayed recovery of consciousness in 2 patients, and ischemic necrosis of the lower limb in 1 patient. Postoperative thoracic drainage amount in group C was significantly larger than that of the other 2 groups, and there was no statistical difference in thoracic drainage amount between group A and group B. Sixty-four patients were followed up for 1 to 6 months, and there was no late death during follow-up. Among the 5 patients with postoperative renal failure, only 1 patient needed regular hemodialysis, and renal function of the other 4 patients returned to normal. One patient with cerebral infarction recovered partial limb function and was able to walk with crutches. All the 3 patients with paresis recovered their limb function. ConclusionsAnastomotic quality of end-to-end anastomosis is of crucial importance for surgical treatment of acute Stanford type A AD. Appropriate reinforcement methods can be chosen according to individual intraoperative findings. 'sandwich' anastomotic technique can significantly reduce incision errhysis, prevent acute myocardial infarction caused by aortic anastomotic tear, and decrease postoperative mortality. If coronary ostia are involved in AD, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting is needed.
ObjectiveTo summarize clinical experience and outcomes of modified Bentall procedure for the treatment of Stanford type A3 aortic dissection (AD). MethodsFifty-four patients with Stanford type A3 AD underwent aortic root replacement in Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 2004 to June 2013. There were 41 male and 13 female patients with their age of 21-73 years. According to different surgical methods, all the 54 patients were divided into 2 groups. In group A, there were 36 patients who received conventional Bentall procedure. In group B, there were 18 patients who received modified Bentall procedure ('gate' anastomosis of the coronary ostia for patients with aortic root less than 45 mm and nonsignificant displacement of the coronary ostia). Postoperative outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. ResultsThere was no statistical difference in age or gender between the 2 groups. Mean diameter of the aortic root of group A was significantly larger than that of group B (52.11±3.62 mm vs. 40.72±2.67 mm, P=0.000). There was no statistical difference in operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraoperative circulation arrest time, postoperative thoracic drainage or length of ICU stay between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Four patients died postoperatively including 2 patients with uncontrollable bleeding, 1 patient with abdominal AD rupture and 1 patient with acute pulmonary embolism. There was no statistical difference in in-hospital mortality between group A and group B[5.56% (2/36)vs. 11.11% (2/18), P=0.462]. Forty-eight patients were followed up for 3 months, and 2 patients were lost during follow-up. Forty-eight patients received computed tomography angiography without false aneurysm formation in the aortic root, coronary ostial aneurysm or stenosis. ConclusionModified Bentall procedure ('gate' anastomosis of the coronary ostia)is simple and effective for patients with aortic root less than 45 mm and nonsignificant displacement of the coronary ostia.
ObjectiveTo compare the recent and mid-term results of two different treatments in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients with dilated ascending aorta. MethodsFrom march 2007 to April 2014, there were totally 70 BAV patients received surgical treatment in Nanjing Cardiovascular Disease Hospital. According to the procedure of the ascending aorta, they were divided into two groups. As for group A which repaired the ascending aorta, there were 28 males and 9 females with an average age of 58.68±8.01 years. As for group B which replaced the ascending aorta, there were 25 males and 8 females with an average age of 54.18±11.97 years. And we compared perioperative clinical data and follow-up results of these two groups. ResultsThere were statistical differences between the two groups in cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross clamping time, and ICU stay time (105.19±11.17 min vs. 180.94±32.10 min, P=0.000; 78.65±13.18 min vs. 110.24±29.64 min, P=0.000; 1.62±1.09 d vs. 3.58±2.89 d, P=0.001). And the time of the group A is shorter than that in the group B. Two patients in the group B died postoperatively, and the other 68 patients discharged. There was no significant difference in cumulative survival rate between the two groups (P=0.582). Postoperative following-up results showed that the ascending aortic diameter of both groups was smaller than that during the preoperative period. And at the latest time of the following-up, ascending aortic diameter was increased compared with pre-discharge in the group A (38.50±1.77 mm vs. 34.85±1.53 mm, P=0.007). But there was no increase in the group B. ConclusionWe suggests simultaneous treatment to dilated ascending aorta for BAV patients. Both the repair and replacement procedure could achieve satisfactory recent and mid-term results.
ObjectiveTo introduce sensitivity and homogeneity tests in network meta-analysis and its implementation in R software. MethodsUsing an example, we performed sensitivity analysis by comparing the random effect model with the fixed effect model. Homogeneity analysis was performed using metaphor package and combinat package in R software. ResultsThe results of the two models were similar, and the data was steady. The results of homogeneity analysis showed that the confidential intervals in all loops were crossed over with blank value; and direct and indirect estimates of the effects in network meta-analysis were not significantly different, with good homogeneity. ConclusionNetwork meta-analysis is a kind of indirect comparison analysis method, and its sensitivity is especially important. The introduction of homogeneity makes network meta-analysis more accurate. Using R software for sensitivity and homogeneity analysis in network meta-analysis is a feasible method.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the association between H type hypertension and acute coronary syndromes in China. MethodsWe electronically searched databases including PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, VIP and WanFang Data databases to collect case-control studies about the association between H type hypertension and acute coronary syndromes among the Chinese population from inception to May, 2015. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total 6 studies involving 992 patients were included. Among these cases, 438 cases were in the acute coronary syndromes group (case group) and 554 were in the control group. The results of metaanalysis showed that: proportion of H type hypertension patients in the case group was significantly higher than that in the control group (OR=3.32, 95%CI 2.21 to 4.98, P<0.000 01). ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that, H type hypertension may be associated with acute coronary syndromes in the Chinese population. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
To introduce a method of estimating the mean and standard deviation based on the median, range and sample size. Therefore, the quantitative data without providing the mean and standard deviation can also be used in a meta-analysis. Examples were given to illustrate how to apply the estimation method.
ObjectiveTo explore the main risk factors related to the incidence of epilepsy and the cause of epilepsy, so as to provide basis for decision making on epilepsy prevention. MethodsSuch databases as PubMed (1980 to 2013.1.2), EMbase (1980 to 2013.1.2) and CNKI (1987 to 2013.1.2) were electronically searched to collect case-control studies on risk factors for epilepsy. Meanwhile, relevant studies were also manually retrieved. Two reviewers independently screened studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software. Results17 studies involving 6 641 participants (including 3 114 cases and 3 527 controls) were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, family history of epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, febrile seizures, neonatal disease, and risk factors during pregnancy were associated with the incidence of epilepsy, with pooled OR (95%CI) values of 5.11 (3.19, 8.20), 4.14 (3.63, 4.73), 5.10 (2.64, 9.87), 3.33 (1.84, 6.05), and 3.23 (1.80, 5.78), respectively. ConclusionCurrently evidence shows that the risk factors influencing the incidence of epilepsy are family history of epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, febrile seizures, neonatal disease, and risk factors during pregnancy.
ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) with antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) on cognitive function of patients undergoing surgical therapy for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (AD). MethodsBetween January 2009 and March 2012, 48 patients with acute Stanford type A AD underwent Sun's procedure (aortic arch replacement combined with stented elephant trunk implantation) under DHCA with ACP in Nanjing Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University. There were 40 males and 8 females with their age of 51.3±13.6 years. Circulatory arrest time and time for postoperative consciousness recovery were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative cognitive functions of each patient were evaluated by mini-mental status examination (MMSE). ResultsMean cardiopulmonary bypass time of the 48 patients was 237.3±58.5 minutes, and mean circulatory arrest time was 37.3 ±6.9 minutes. Four patients died postoperatively with the causes of death including lung infection, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, myocardial infarction and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Forty-one patients recovered their consciousness within 24 hours postoperatively, and the mean time for postoperative consciousness recovery was 15.3±6.5 hours. Preoperative MMSE score was 28.6±1.1 points, and MMSE score at 1 week postoperatively was 23.6±4.5 points. Thirty-one patients were followed up for 6 months with the follow-up rate of 70.45%. The average MMSE score of the 31 patients at 6 months after surgery was 27.6±2.1 points which was significantly higher than postoperative average MMSE score (P < 0.05), but not statistically different from preoperative average MMSE score (P > 0.05). ConclusionsDHCA with ACP can provide satisfactory cerebral protection for patients undergoing surgical therapy for acute Stanford type A AD, but patients' cognitive function may be adversely affected in the short term. As long as cerebral infarction or hemorrhage is excluded in CT scan of the brain, such adverse impact may generally disappear automatically within 6 months after surgery.
Many meta-analysis studies evaluate rates as parameter to assess the overall estimate of effects. However, none of these studies address systematic approaches for the meta-analysis of rates. This paper outlines the conditions, analysis and software operation procedures for the meta-analysis of rates. It also compares different operation procedures of three types of commonly-used R software (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, Stata and MetaAnalyst) through real application examples. The biggest challenge for the meta-analysis of rates is to determine whether rates can be pooled, and how to evaluate heterogeneity between studies' outcomes needs further discussion.
ObjectiveTo explore the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in island of China. MethodsLiteratures regarding the prevalence and treatment of hypertension in island of China were retrieved in PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 12, 2013), CNKI, WanFang Data and CBM from January 2000 to December 2012. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and extracted data. Then the pooled rates were conducted by Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software using inverse variance method. ResultsNine studies involving 926 836 samples were included. The results of meta-analysis showed the pooled rates of prevalence, awareness, treatment and control were 32.0% (95%CI 18.8% to 48.8%), 47.4% (95%CI 29.7% to 65.8%), 38.0% (95%CI 23.1% to 55.5%) and 10.0% (95%CI 4.3% to 21.7%), respectively. Whether in 60 or 65 as the threshold value, the prevalence of hypertension in old people was higher than that in young people. ConclusionThe prevalence of hypertension is about 32% and much higher in island regions of China, while the awareness, treatment and control rates are so lower in these regions. The relevant public health policy should pay more attention to improve primary health care in these regions.