Objective To assess the value of procalcitonin ( PCT) in serum and percentage of infected cells ( PIC) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid ( BALF) for the diagnosis of early ventilator-associatedpneumonia ( VAP) .Methods A prospective observational study was conducted in a teaching hospital. The patients consecutively admitted to the intensive care unit from January 2011 to June 2012, who received mechanical ventilation for more than 48h and clinically suspected for VAP, were recruited in the study.Patients with infection outside the lungs and previous diagnosed infection were excluded. PCT was detected and bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in the day when VAP was diagnosed. BALF cells were stained by May-Grunwald Giemsa ( MGG) for counting 100 phagocytic cells and calculating infected cells ( ICs )percentage.Results 76 of all 421 patients were enrolled in this study, 64 of which were diagnosed, 12 were under-diagnosed. The PCT [ ( 3. 48 ±1. 46) ng/mL vs. ( 1. 53 ±0. 60) ng/mL] and PIC [ ( 3. 11 ±1. 47) % vs. ( 1. 08 ±0. 29) % ] were significant higher in the patients with VAP. The threshold of 2 ng/mL of PCT and 2% of PIC corresponded to sensitivity of 78. 12% and 78. 12% , and specificity of 75. 00% and 91. 67% , respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve was 0. 87 ( 95% CI 78. 9%-95. 9% ) and 0. 874 ( 95% CI 79. 2% -94. 9% ) , respectively. The area under ROC curve was 0. 979, and the sensitivity was 97. 36% , specificity was 97. 36% when the two cutoff values were both achieved. Conclusion PCT and PIC are useful markers to diagnose early VAP quickly and conveniently and allow early antibiotic treatment of patients with suspected VAP.
Objective To investigate the effects of mask BiPAP noninvasive positive ventilation (NIPPV) during treadmill exercise on dyspnea index and exercise endurance in stable patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Twenty inpatients with stable severe COPD between August 2015 and January 2016 were recruited in the study. The following parameters were measured before and after 8-week rehabilitation by NIPPV during treadmill exercises, including 12-minute walking distance (12MWD), Borg dyspnea score, mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), PaO 2 and PaCO 2, times of acute exacerbation in 1 year, adverse reactions, and adherence. Results After rehabilitation for 8 weeks, the following parameters were improved than those before treatment including 12MWD [(810±20) mvs. (680±15) m,P<0.01], Borg dyspnea score (2.4±0.1vs. 4.4±0.3,P<0.01), mPAP [(34.4±2.7) mm Hgvs. (43.5±3.8) mm Hg], PaCO 2 [(49.8±4.9) mm Hgvs. (64.3±5.2) mm Hg], PaO 2 [(64.4±4.1) mm Hgvs. (52.3±3.9) mm Hg] and the times of acute exacerbation (2.1±0.7vs. 4.3±2.1,P<0.01). Adverse reactions included oropharyngeal drying (2 cases) and gaseous distention (8 cases) which can be tolerated without special treatment. Conclusion Mask NIPPV during treadmill exercise is safe and effective for stable patients with severe COPD and worthy of clinical application.