Convergence of COVID-19 and recurrent stroke:In-hospital mortality risks explored

This editorial comments on the article by Desai et al,which investigates the impact of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)on in-hospital mortality among patients with recurrent stroke using data from the 2020 National Inpatient Sample.The findings reveal significantly higher mortality rates in COVID-19-positive patients compared to non-COVID-19 patients,particularly among middle-aged individuals,males,and ethnic minorities.This editorial explores the underlying mechanisms contributing to these outcomes and discusses the clinical implications for targeted management strategies in high-risk groups.The results emphasize the need for comprehensive approaches to mitigate the heightened risks faced by recurrent stroke patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Predictors and in-hospital prognosis of recurrent acute myocardial infarction

Objective To investigate the contributing factors and in-hospital prognosis of patients with or without recurrent acute myocardial infarction （AMI）. Methods A total of 1686 consecutive AMI patients admitted to Peking University People＇s Hospital from January 2010 to December 2015 were recruited. Their clinical characteristics were retrospectively compared between patients with or without a recurrent AMI. Then multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the predictors of recurrent myocardial infarction. Results Recurrent AMI patients were older （69.3 ± 11.5 vs. 64.7 ± 12.8 years, P 〈 0.001） and had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus （DM） （52.2% vs. 35.0%, P 〈 0.001） compared with incident AMI patients, they also had worse heart function at admission, more severe coronary disease and lower reperfusion therapy. Age （OR = 1.03, 95% CI： 1.02-1.05; P 〈 0.001）, DM （OR = 1.86, 95% CI： 1.37-2.52; P 〈 0.001） and reperfusion therapy （OR = 0.74; 95% CI： 0.52-0.89; P 〈 0.001） were independent risk factors for recurrent AMI Recurrent AMI patients had a higher in-hospital death rate （12.1% vs. 7.8%, P = 0.039） than incident AMI patients. Conclusions Recurrent AMI patients presented with more severe coronary artery conditions. Age, DM and reperfusion therapy were independent risk factors for recurrent AMI, and recurrent AM1 was related with a high risk of in-hospital death.

Prognostic Value of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio for In-hospital Mortality in Elderly Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Coronary artery disease （CAD） is a multifactorial disease in which inflammation plays a central role. This study aimed to investigate the association of inflammatory markers such as the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio （NLR）, the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events （GRACE） score with in-hospital mortality of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction （AMI） in an attempt to explore the prognostic value of these indices for elderly AMI patients. One thousand consecutive CAD patients were divided into two groups based on age 60. The laboratory and clinical characteristics were assessed retrospectively by reviewing the medical records. The NLR and GRACE score were calculated. In the elderly （〉60 years）, patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction （NSTEMI） and ST-elevation myocardial infarction （STEMI） had significantly higher NLR than did those with unstable angina （UA） and stable angina pectoris （SAP） （P〈0.01）. The NLR was considerably elevated in older AMI patients compared with their younger counterparts （〈60 years） （P〈0.05）. In elderly AMI patients, the NLR was considerably higher in the high-risk group than in both the low-risk and mediumrisk groups based on the GRACE score （P〈0.05 and P〈0.01, respectively）, and the NLR was positively correlated with the GRACE score （r=0.322, P〈0.001）. Either the NLR level or the GRACE score was significantly higher in the death group than in the surviving group （P〈0.05）. By curve receiver operator characteristic curve （ROC） analysis, the optimal cut-off levels of 9.41 for NLR and 174 for GRACE score predicted in-hospital death [ROC area under the curve （AUC） 0.771 and 0.787, respectively, P〈0.001]. It was concluded that an elevated NLR is a potential predictor of in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with AMI.

Patterns of in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications following PCI for very elderly patients： insights from the Dartmouth Dynamic Registry

Background Very elderly patients （age 〉 85 years） are a rapidly increasing segment of the population. As a group, they experience high rates of in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications following percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. However, the relationship between bleeding and mortality in the very elderly is unknown. Methods Retrospective review was performed on 17,378 consecutive PCI procedures from 2000 to 2015 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Incidence of bleeding during the index PCI admission （bleeding requiring transfusion, access site hematoma 〉 5 cm, pseudoaneurysm, and retroperitoneal bleed） and in-hospital mortality were reported for four age groups （〈 65 years, 65-74 years, 75-84 years, and ≥ 85 years）. The mortality of patients who suffered bleeding complications and those who did not was calculated and multivariate analysis was performed for in-hospital mortality. Lastly, known predictors of bleeding were compared between patients age 〈 85 years and age ≥85 years. Results Of 17,378 patients studied, 1019 （5.9%） experienced bleeding and 369 （2.1%） died in-hospital following PCI. Incidence of bleeding and in-hospital mortality increased monotonically with increasing age （mortality： 0.94%, 2.27%, 4.24% and 4.58%; bleeding： 3.96%, 6.62%, 10.68% and 13.99% for ages 〈 65, 65-4, 75-84 and ≥ 85 years, respectively）. On multivariate analysis, bleeding was associated with increased mortality for all age groups except patients age ≥85 years [odds ratio （95% CI）： age 〈 65 years, 3.65 （1.99-6.74）; age 65-74 years, 2.83 （1.62-4.94）; age 75-84 years, 3.86 （2.56-5.82）, age ≥ 85 years 1.39 （0.49-3.95）]. Conclusions Bleeding and mortality following PCI increase with increasing age. For the very elderly, despite high rates of bleeding, bleeding is no longer predictive of in-hospital mortality following PCI.

Comparison of different versions of the quick sequential organ failure assessment for predicting in-hospital mortality of sepsis patients:A retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND:The quick sequential organ failure assessment(qSOFA)is recommended to identify sepsis and predict sepsis mortality.However,some studies have recently shown its poor performance in sepsis mortality prediction.To enhance its effectiveness,researchers have developed various revised versions of the qSOFA by adding other parameters,such as the lactate-enhanced qSOFA(LqSOFA),the procalcitonin-enhanced qSOFA(PqSOFA),and the modified qSOFA(MqSOFA).This study aimed to compare the performance of these versions of the qSOFA in predicting sepsis mortality in the emergency department(ED).METHODS:This retrospective study analyzed data obtained from an electronic register system of adult patients with sepsis between January 1 and December 31,2019.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analyses were performed to determine the area under the curve(AUC),with sensitivity,specificity,and positive and negative predictive values calculated for the various scores.RESULTS:Among the 936 enrolled cases,there were 835 survivors and 101 deaths.The AUCs of the LqSOFA,MqSOFA,PqSOFA,and qSOFA were 0.740,0.731,0.712,and 0.705,respectively.The sensitivity of the LqSOFA,MqSOFA,PqSOFA,and qSOFA were 64.36%,51.40%,71.29%,and 39.60%,respectively.The specificity of the four scores were 70.78%,80.96%,61.68%,and 91.62%,respectively.The LqSOFA and MqSOFA were superior to the qSOFA in predicting in-hospital mortality.CONCLUSIONS:Among patients with sepsis in the ED,the performance of the PqSOFA was similar to that of the qSOFA and the values of the LqSOFA and MqSOFA in predicting in-hospital mortality were greater compared to qSOFA.As the added parameter of the MqSOFA was more convenient compared to the LqSOFA,the MqSOFA could be used as a candidate for the revised qSOFA to increase the performance of the early prediction of sepsis mortality.

Development and validation of an emergency bloodstream infection score for predicting in-hospital mortality in patients with community-acquired bloodstream infections

BACKGROUND:Community-acquired bloodstream infections(CABSIs)are common in the emergency departments,and some progress to sepsis and even lead to death.However,limited information is available regarding the prediction of patients with high risk of death.METHODS:The Emergency Bloodstream Infection Score(EBS)for CABSIs was developed to visualize the output of a logistic regression model and was validated by the area under the curve(AUC).The Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis(MEDS),Pitt Bacteremia Score(PBS),Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA),quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(qSOFA),Charlson Comorbidity Index(CCI),and McCabe–Jackson Comorbid Classification(MJCC)for patients with CABSIs were computed to compare them with EBS in terms of the AUC and decision curve analysis(DCA).The net reclassification improvement(NRI)index and integrated discrimination improvement(IDI)index were compared between the SOFA and EBS.RESULTS:A total of 547 patients with CABSIs were included.The AUC(0.853)of the EBS was larger than those of the MEDS,PBS,SOFA,and qSOFA(all P<0.001).The NRI index of EBS in predicting the in-hospital mortality of CABSIs patients was 0.368(P=0.04),and the IDI index was 0.079(P=0.03).DCA showed that when the threshold probability was<0.1,the net benefit of the EBS model was higher than those of the other models.CONCLUSION:The EBS prognostic models were better than the SOFA,qSOFA,MEDS,and PBS models in predicting the in-hospital mortality of patients with CABSIs.

Incidence and in-hospital mortality of acute aortic dissection in China： analysis of China Health Insurance Research （CHIRA） Data 2011

Objective Acute aortic dissection （AAD） is a catastrophic event with high early mortality rate, but to date, no data on the incidence of AAD in China's Mainland is available. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of AAD in China and characterize the clinical profile, management and in-hospital outcomes of this vascular event. Methods We used the China Health Insurance Research Data （the CHIRA Data） 2011 which comprises all inpatient hospital records （300,886） during the period of Jan. 1st 2011 to Dec. 31 2011 of 3,335,000 randomly sampled beneficiaries （1,718,500 men and 1,616,500 women） from 25 cities and counties in different economic-geographic regions of China's Mainland. Patients with acute aortic dissection were identified according to International Classification of Disease 10m Revision （ICD-10） of I71.0, The estimated incidence of AAD was calculated using the equation： estimated incidence = 2.0 × （40% × hospital admission rate） ＋ 60% × hospital admission rate. Results The hospital admission rate was 2.0/100,000 （65/3,325,000, 95% CI： 1.2-2.8）. The estimated annual incidence of AAD was 2.8/100,000 （95% CI： 1.9-3.6） and was higher in male than in female （3.7 vs. 1.5, P 〈 0.001）. The mean age was 58.9 ± 13.4 years. During the mean hospital stay of 23 ±6 days, the overall in-hospital mortality was 13.9% （9/65）. Conclusions Our study showed relatively lower but not negligible incidence and in-hospital mortality of AAD in the mainland of China. The mean age of patients with AAD in Chinese was younger than that reported by researches from west countries, while the male to female incidence ratio is similar to those reported by other studies.

Comprehensive Level One Trauma Center Could Lower In-hospital Mortality of Severe Trauma in China

Trauma is a major health and social problem in the US and China, It constitutes the main cause of death in people aged 45 or under in both countries112]. There is clear evidence from clinical studies that a large percentage of these deaths are needless and preventable if better treatment and prevention programs are available12-3].

Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) & In-Hospital Neutron Irradiator (IHNI)——a new technology on binary targeting radiation therapy of cancer

BNCT is finally becoming ＂a new option against cancer＂. The difficulties for its development progress of that firstly is to improve the performance of boron compounds, secondly, it is the requirements of quantification and accuracy upon radiation dosimetry evaluation in clinical trials. Furthermore, that is long anticipation on hospital base neutron sources. It includes dedicated new NCT reactor, accelerator based neutron sources, and isotope source facilities. In ad- dition to reactors, so far, the technology of other types of sources for clinical trials is not yet completely proven. The In- Hospital Neutron lrradiator specially designed for NCT, based on the MNSR successfully developed by China, can be installed inside or near the hospital and operated directly by doctors. The Irradiator has two neutron beams for respective treatment of the shallow and deep tumors. It is expected to initiate operation in the end of this year. It would provide a safe, low cost, and effective treatment tool for the NCT routine application in near future.

High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and In-hospital Mortality in Patients with Acute Aortic Dissection

The association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol（HDL-C） and mortality in patients with acute aortic dissection（AAD） is unclear. From January 2007 to January 2014, a total of 928 consecutive AAD patients who were admitted within 48 h after the onset of symptoms were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether serum HDL-C level was below the normal lower limit or not. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify the predictive value of HDL-C for in-hospital mortality in patients with AAD. As compared with normal HDL-C group（n=585）, low HDL-C group（n=343） had lower levels of systolic blood pressure and hemoglobin and higher levels of leukocyte, alanine aminotransferase, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and urea acid. Low HDL-C group had significantly higher in-hospital mortality than normal HDL-C group（21.6% vs. 12.6%, log-rank=10.869, P=0.001）. After adjustment for baseline variables including demographics and biologic data, the increased risk of in-hospital mortality in low HDL-C group was substantially attenuated and showed no significant difference（adjusted hazard ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.86–1.77; P=0.259）. Low HDL-C is strongly but not independently associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with AAD.

Impact of gout on in-hospital outcomes of acute coronary syndrome-related hospitalizations and revascularizations: Insights from the national inpatient sample

BACKGROUND Previous studies have established a role of gout in predicting risk and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. However, large-scale data on the impact of gout on inpatient outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-related hospitalizations and post-revascularization is inadequate. AIM To evaluate the impact of gout on in-hospital outcomes of ACS hospitalizations, subsequent healthcare burden and predictors of post-revascularization inpatient mortality. METHODS We used the national inpatient sample (2010-2014) to identify the ACS and goutrelated hospitalizations, relevant comorbidities, revascularization and postrevascularization outcomes using the ICD-9 CM codes. A multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate the predictors of post-revascularization in-hospital mortality. RESULTS We identified 3144744 ACS-related hospitalizations, of which 105198 (3.35%) also had gout. The ACS-gout cohort were more often older white males with a higher prevalence of comorbidities. Coronary artery bypass grafting was required more often in the ACS-gout cohort. Post-revascularization complications including cardiac (3.2% vs 2.9%), respiratory (3.5% vs 2.9%), and hemorrhage (3.1% vs 2.7%) were higher whereas all-cause mortality was lower (2.2% vs 3.0%) in the ACSgout cohort (P < 0.001). An older age (OR 15.63, CI: 5.51-44.39), non-elective admissions (OR 2.00, CI: 1.44-2.79), lower household income (OR 1.44, CI: 1.17- 1.78), and comorbid conditions predicted higher mortality in ACS-gout cohort undergoing revascularization (P < 0.001). Odds of post-revascularization inhospital mortality were lower in Hispanics (OR 0.45, CI: 0.31-0.67) and Asians (OR 0.65, CI: 0.45-0.94) as compared to white (P < 0.001). However, postoperative complications significantly raised mortality odds. Mean length of stay, transfer to other facilities, and hospital charges were higher in the ACS-gout cohort. CONCLUSION Although gout was not independently associated with an increased risk of postrevascularization in-hospital mortality in ACS, it did increase postrevascularization complications.

Effect of internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care on colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy

BACKGROUND Patients with colorectal cancer may need postoperative nursing to improve prognosis,and conventional nursing is not effective.Clinical research is needed to explore nursing methods that can more effectively improve postoperative conditions on colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy.AIM To explore the effect of internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care on colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy.METHODS Data from 187 patients with colostomy treated in our hospital from May 2019 to March 2022 were collected and divided into three groups,A(n=62),B(n=62)and C(n=63),according to different intervention methods.Group A received internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care.Group B received internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care.Group C received usual care intervention.Complications were compared among the three groups.The stoma self-efficacy scale,Hamilton Anxiety Scale,RESULTS The complication rate of group A,B and C(16.13%,20.97%and 60.32%,respectively)was significantly different(all P<0.05).The incidence of complications in groups A and B was lower than that in group C,and there was no significant difference between groups A and B(P>0.05).After intervention,the scores of ostomy care,social contact,diet choice,confidence in maintaining vitality,confidence in self-care of ostomy,confidence in sexual life,confidence in sexual satisfaction and confidence in physical labor in the three groups were all higher than before intervention,and the scores of groups A and B were higher than those of group C,with statistical significance(P<0.05).The Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale scores of the three groups after intervention were lower than those before intervention.The scores of groups A and B were lower than those of group C,and the score of group A was lower than that of group B,all with statistical significance(all P<0.05).There was a statist-ically significant difference in cancer-induced fatigue among the three groups(P<0.05).After intervention,the scores of physical health,psychological health,social health and mental health of the three groups were lower than before the intervention.The scores of group A and B were lower than that of group C;and the score of group A was lower than that of group B,all with statistical significance(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION Internet multiple linkage mode-based extended care combined with in-hospital comfort care can effectively improve self-efficacy,bad mood,cancer-related fatigue and life quality of colorectal cancer patients undergoing colostomy.

The Relationship Between Mean Platelet Volume and In-Hospital Mortality in Geriatric Patients with ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Who Underwent Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective:We planned to investigate the effect of mean platelet volume(MPV)on in-hospital mortality and coronary risk factors in geriatric patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Methods:We enrolled 194 consecutive STEMI patients.The study population was divided into two groups on the basis of admission MPVs.The high-MPV group(n=49)included patients in the highest tertile(>8.9 fL),and the low-MPV group(n=145)included patients with a value in the lower two tertiles(≤8.9 fL).Clinical characteristics,in-hospital mortality,cardiovascular risk factors,and outcomes of primary PCI were analyzed.Results:The patients in the high-MPV group were older,more of them had three-vessel disease,and they had higher in-hospital mortality.Patients with in-hospital death were older,had higher Gensini score,creatinine concentration,and MPV,and had lower HDL cholesterol concentration.MPV,age,HDL cholesterol concentration,creatinine concentration,and Gensini score were found to be independent predictors of in-hospital death.Conclusion:These results suggest that high admission MPV levels are associated with increased in-hospital mortality in geriatric patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI.

Risk factors for adverse in-hospital outcomes in acute colonic diverticular hemorrhage

AIM: To investigate the factors associated with transfusion, further bleeding, and prolonged length of stay.METHODS: In total, 153 patients emergently hospitalized for diverticular bleeding who were examined by colonoscopy were prospectively enrolled. Patients in whom the bleeding source was identified received endoscopic treatment such as clipping or endoscopic ligation. After spontaneous cessation of bleeding withconservative treatment or hemostasis with endoscopic treatment, all patients were started on a liquid food diet and gradually progressed to a solid diet over 3d, and were discharged. At enrollment, we assessed smoking, alcohol, medications [non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)], low-dose aspirin, and other antiplatelets, warfarin, acetaminophen, and oral corticosteroids), and co-morbidities [hypertension,diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, cerebro-cardiovascular disease, chronic liver disease, and chronic kidney disease(CKD)]. The in-hospital outcomes were need for transfusion, further bleeding after spontaneous cessation of hemorrhage, and length of hospital stay.The odds ratio(OR) for transfusion need, further bleeding, and prolonged length of stay were estimated by logistic regression analysis.RESULTS: No patients required angiographic embolization or surgery. Stigmata of bleeding occurred in 18% of patients(27/153) and was treated by endoscopic procedures. During hospitalization, 40patients(26%) received a median of 6 units of packed red blood cells. Multivariate analysis revealed that female sex(OR = 2.5, P = 0.02), warfarin use(OR= 9.3, P < 0.01), and CKD(OR = 5.9, P < 0.01)were independent risk factors for transfusion need.During hospitalization, 6 patients(3.9%) experienced further bleeding, and NSAID use(OR = 5.9, P = 0.04)and stigmata of bleeding(OR = 11, P < 0.01) were significant risk factors. Median length of hospital stay was 8 d. Multivariate analysis revealed that age > 70years(OR = 2.1, P = 0.04) and NSAID use(OR = 2.7,P = 0.03) were independent risk factors for prolonged hospitalization(≥ 8 d).CONCLUSION: In colonic diverticular bleeding, female sex, warfarin, and CKD increased the risk of transfusion requirement, while advanced age and NSAID increased the risk of prolonged hospitalization.

Survival to discharge after in-hospital cardiac arrest at emergency department and its associated factors: a prospective observational study

Objectives:To study the rate of survival to discharge after in-hospital cardiac arrest and its associated factors in an emergency department of a tertiary care hospital,South India.Methods:This prospective observational study was conducted between December 2016 and May 2017 among all patients above 12 years old,who suffered witnessed cardiac arrest,after arrival in the emergency department.A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data (socio demographic details,chief complaints,comorbidities).Initial documented rhythm,duration of CPR,use of defibrillator,and presumed cause of cardiac arrest and others were collected from the case records.Results:The study cohort contained 252 participants.The age was (50.0+17.2) years and male patients accounted for 54.4%.The most common complaint was breathlessness (29%),followed by chest pain (20.2%) and trauma (17.5%).The proportion of non-shockable rhythm (77.4 %) was higher than shockable rhythm (22.6%).Pulseless electrical activity (53.9%) was the most common initially documented rhythm.The predominant presumed cause of arrest was cardiac origin (29.7%).The overall rate of survival to discharge was 17.5%.Logistic regression analysis showed age >60 years [odds ratio (OR):3.4,95% confidence interval (CI):1.03-11.22,P=0.04],males (OR:3.45,95% CI:1.00-11.44;P=0.04),presumed respiratory cause (OR:11.8,95% CI:1.0-160.0,P=0.05),initial rhythm ventricular fibrillation (OR:9.1,95% CI:1.0-92.0,P=0.05) as individual predictors of survival rate to discharge after in-hospital cardiac arrest.Conclusions:Our study shows that less than one-fifth of patients survive to discharge after inhospital cardiac arrest.This signifies the need to identify and to make the necessary changes at all levels of organization,service delivery and patient care,so as to improve the overall survival rate following cardiac arrest.

Factors influencing survival of patient with in-hospital ventricular fibrillation： experience of a single center

Objective To evaluate the factors influencing the outcome of patients who suffered in-hospital ventricular fibrillation （IHVF）. Methods Data of patients with IHVF in a single center were collected. Clinical characteristics of patients were compared between those survived （n=112） and those died （n=94）, and those with IHVF occurred in inpatient ward and in emergency center. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with survival. Results There were 206 events in the analysis. The most common underlying disease was coronary artery disease （CAD）, especially acute myocardial infarction （AMI）. On multiple logistic regression analysis, independent predictors for failure to survive were higher NYHA class （odds ratio 1.7, 95% CI, 1.3-2.2, P〈 0.001）, lower serum potassium concentration （ [K＋] ） （odds ratio, 2.9, 95% CI, 1.9-4.3, P--0.007） and adrenaline usage （odds ratio, 25, 95% CI 11.5-55.1, P〈 0.001）. Emergency group have better NYHA class （P = 0.012）, lower [K-] （P 〈 0.001） than in inpatient ward group. Hypokalemia （serum potassium level 〈4.5 mmol/L） was found in all patients with AMI in emergency group. In AMI sub-group, 56.9% of IHVF events occurred within the first day after AMI, and decreasing within 2 weeks. Patients with fight coronary artery as infarction related artery （IRA） oRen （8/9, 88.9~,5） had bmdycardia （R-R interval 〉 ls） before the occurrence of IHVF, while those with left anterior descending artery as IRA often showed tachycardia （R-R interval 〈 0.6s） （8/12, 66.7%）. Conclusion The most common disease causing IHVF is CAD. Keeping [K＋] above 4.5mmol/1 could prevent on-setting IHVF, especially to AMI patients. The worse heart function is associated with higher rate of IHVF and worse pmgnosis （J Geriatr Cardio12010; 7：21-24）.

Nurse Documentation in Deteriorating Patients Prior to In-hospital Cardiac Arrest--A Pilot Study in A Swedish University Hospital

Presence of abnormal vital signs prior to IHCA and consequently higher mortality has been found in numerous studies. It is unknown whether abnormal vital signs are acted upon or not and how this affects the outcome of the IHCA. Aim： Compare differences in journal notes regarding abnormal vital signs or worry by nurses up until 24 h between survivors and non-survivors after an in-hospital cardiac arrest （IHCA）. Design： Pragmatic retrospective case-control study in a Swedish university hospital. Methods： All IHCA during 2007-2011 was reviewed （n = 720）. Out of them, 20 （3%） fulfilled the inclusion criteria; survived 30 d, had their IHCA at a general ward, were aged 〉 18 years and had documented abnormal vital signs or nurse worries. Out of the non-survivors, two controls were after matching for age, sex and number of diseases randomly drawn for each case. Pearson＇s chi test was used to assess significance on the level of 0.05 in differences between survivors and non-survivors. Results： Of 20 survivors with preceding abnormal vital signs prior to IHCA, 15 patients （75%） had documented worries or action taken by a nurse compared to 23 patients （58%） among non-survivors （p-value： 0.258）. Conclusion： The journal documentation 24 h prior to a 1HCA was fairly equal in numbers between patients surviving at least 30 d afterwards compared to those not surviving, but the content of the journal notes had a slightly higher, but not statistical significant, frequency of worry or action taken by attending nurses in survivors.

Ionized calcium level predicts in-hospital mortality of severe sepsis patients:A retrospective cross-sectional study

Objective:To evaluate the effect of serum ionized calcium levels on the prognosis of severe sepsis patients.Methods:This retrospective cross-sectional study included sepsis patients who were hospitalized in an intensive care unit between January 2011 and December 2014.The demographic and baseline data of the patients who died and survived were compared.The cutoff value of ionized calcium for in-hospital mortality was determined by the receiver operating characteristics curve(ROC).In-hospital mortalities and the survival rates were compared between patients with different ionized calcium levels.Besides,the risk factor of in-hospital mortality was determined.Results:This study included 145 patients with 113 patients who died in the hospital.The patients who died had significantly lower ionized calcium levels(U=2.25,P=0.034).A cut-off value of 0.93 mmol/L of ionized calcium was determined by the ROC curve.The patients with ionized calcium>0.93 mmol/L showed a significantly lower morality(χ2=9.90,P=0.002)and higher survival rate than with≤0.93 mmol/L(log rank=6.20,P=0.010).Multivariate Cox regression revealed that ionized calcium≤0.93 mmol/L was a risk factor of in-hospital mortality.Conclusions:Ionized calcium level≤0.93 mmol/L was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality of severe sepsis.

Prediction model for corrosion rate of low-alloy steels under atmospheric conditions using machine learning algorithms

This work constructed a machine learning(ML)model to predict the atmospheric corrosion rate of low-alloy steels(LAS).The material properties of LAS,environmental factors,and exposure time were used as the input,while the corrosion rate as the output.6 dif-ferent ML algorithms were used to construct the proposed model.Through optimization and filtering,the eXtreme gradient boosting(XG-Boost)model exhibited good corrosion rate prediction accuracy.The features of material properties were then transformed into atomic and physical features using the proposed property transformation approach,and the dominant descriptors that affected the corrosion rate were filtered using the recursive feature elimination(RFE)as well as XGBoost methods.The established ML models exhibited better predic-tion performance and generalization ability via property transformation descriptors.In addition,the SHapley additive exPlanations(SHAP)method was applied to analyze the relationship between the descriptors and corrosion rate.The results showed that the property transformation model could effectively help with analyzing the corrosion behavior,thereby significantly improving the generalization ability of corrosion rate prediction models.

Pulse rate estimation based on facial videos:an evaluation and optimization of the classical methods using both self-constructed and public datasets

Pulse rate is one of the important characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis,and it is of great significance for determining the nature of cold and heat in diseases.The prediction of pulse rate based on facial video is an exciting research field for getting palpation information by observation diagnosis.However,most studies focus on optimizing the algorithm based on a small sample of participants without systematically investigating multiple influencing factors.A total of 209 participants and 2,435 facial videos,based on our self-constructed Multi-Scene Sign Dataset and the public datasets,were used to perform a multi-level and multi-factor comprehensive comparison.The effects of different datasets,blood volume pulse signal extraction algorithms,region of interests,time windows,color spaces,pulse rate calculation methods,and video recording scenes were analyzed.Furthermore,we proposed a blood volume pulse signal quality optimization strategy based on the inverse Fourier transform and an improvement strategy for pulse rate estimation based on signal-to-noise ratio threshold sliding.We found that the effects of video estimation of pulse rate in the Multi-Scene Sign Dataset and Pulse Rate Detection Dataset were better than in other datasets.Compared with Fast independent component analysis and Single Channel algorithms,chrominance-based method and plane-orthogonal-to-skin algorithms have a more vital anti-interference ability and higher robustness.The performances of the five-organs fusion area and the full-face area were better than that of single sub-regions,and the fewer motion artifacts and better lighting can improve the precision of pulse rate estimation.