ObjectiveTo evaluate clinical outcomes of diaphragm plication for the treatment of diaphragmatic paralysis (DP) in infants after surgical correction for congenital heart diseases. MethodsClinical data of 13 infants who had DP after surgical correction for congenital heart diseases from December 2009 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 5 male and 8 female patients with their age of 35 days-11 months (6.6±3.2 months) and body weight of 3.5-9.6 (6.2±1.8) kg. Diaphragm plication was performed 19.08±4.29 days after open heart surgery. All the patients were not able to wean from mechanical ventilation,or were repeatedly reintubated because of severe respiratory failure after extubation. All the 13 patients received diaphragm plication for singleor double-sided DP. ResultsTwo patients had ventilator associated pneumonia (15.4%) including 1 patient with positive sputum cultures for Acinetobacter baumannii but negative blood culture. Another patient who had double-sided DP after surgical correction for tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia underwent double-sided diaphragm plication and later died of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome,whose sputum and blood cultures were both positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the 11th day after double-sided diaphragm plication. Chest X-ray of all the patients showed plicated diaphragm in normal position after diaphragm plication. The average time from diaphragm plication to extubation was 5.38±3.09 days. After diaphragm plication,arterial partial pressures of oxygen (PaO2) significantly increased (90.22±8.47 mm Hg vs. 80.69±6.72 mm Hg,P<0.05) and arterial partial pressures of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) significantly decreased (39.87±6.31 mm Hg vs. 56.38±7.19 mm Hg,P<0.05). Twelve patients were followed up for 24 months after discharge. During follow-up,1 patient who received double-sided diaphragm plication had 2 episodes of pneumonia within 6 months after discharge. Respiratory function of all the other patients was normal. All the patients were in NYHA class Ⅰ-Ⅱ. ConclusionDiaphragm plication is a safe,easy and effective treatment to increase survival rate and decrease the incidence of hospital-acquired infection for infants who have DP and are unable to wean from mechanical ventilation after surgical correction for congenital heart diseases.
ObjectiveTo observe the effect of preoperative hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) pretreatment on systemic inflammatory response after extracorporeal circulation. MethodsA total of 30 patients who were going to receive mitral or aortic valve replacement were randomly allocated into a control group (group C, n=15) and a pretreatment group (group P, n=15).Three sessions of HBO pretreatments were given to the patients in the group P before operation. The changes of serum concentration of inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, heat shock protein (HSP)-70 between the two groups were compared at four time points:before incision of skin (T1), 30 min after ECC(T2), 1 h (T3) and 24 h (T4) after the end of ECC. ResultsThere was no statistical difference in the serum concentration of IL-6,TNF-α, P-selectin, ICAM-1, IL-10, and HSP-70 at T1 between the two groups (P>0.05). The level of all inflammatory factors ascended in first and descended at last in both groups, which reached a peak at T3 and descended at T4. But the serum concentration at T4 was still higher than the level at T1 (P<0.05). There was a statistical difference in serum level of HSP-70 between T4 and T1 (373.3±96.7 pg/ml vs. 316.3±55.5 pg/ml, P<0.05). There were statistical differences in serum concentration of IL-6 (141.5±25.9 pg/ml vs. 119.2±31.8 pg/ml), HSP-70 (449.8±48.3 pg/ml vs. 373.3±96.7 pg/ml), and IL-10 (64.2±8.2 pg/ml vs. 90.3±14.2 pg/ml) between the group C and the group P at T4 (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in postoperative ICU stay time and thoracic drainage. While time of postoperative ventilation in the group P was shorter than that in the group C with a statistical difference (11.4±5.6 days vs. 15.8±5.1 days, P<0.05). ConclusionHyperbaric oxygen pretreatment before operation can abate the bad inflammatory response after heart valve replacement surgery to some extent and strengthen the anti-inflammatory protection, thereby favoring the reduction in postoperative complications.