Objective To investigate the potential effect of glucocorticoids (referred to as 'hormones' here) on decreasing case fatality rate in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). Methods The clinical data of a cohort of 93 patients that were diagnosed with HIV-negative PJP at Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital between April 2019 and April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were classified into two groups based on the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2), specifically PaO2 ≥70 mm Hg and PaO2 <70 mm Hg. The association between case fatality rate and various factors such as underlying diseases, hormone use, mechanical ventilation, and others was examined. Results Over a period of three years, 93 cases of HIV-negative PJP were identified. The most prevalent underlying diseases were solid organ transplantation (n=34, 36.6%), rheumatic system diseases (n=26, 28.0%), and malignant tumors (n=15, 16.1%). 51 cases had arterial PaO2 levels ≥70 mm Hg, while 42 cases had levels <70 mm Hg. Moreover, 19 patients required invasive ventilation, 39 patients were treated with non-invasive ventilation, while 50 patients received oxygenation using a nasal cannula. Out of the 93 patients, 31 died from the disease, resulting in an overall case fatality rate of 33.3%. Meanwhile, 62 patients survived. In patients with arterial PaO2 levels ≥70 mm Hg, the administration of hormones did not significantly affect the case fatality rate (P > 0.05); In patients with arterial PaO2 level <70 mm Hg, the administration of hormones did not significantly affect the case fatality rate (P > 0.05). Conclusion Hormone use did not contribute to improved survival rates in HIV-negative PJP patients, regardless of arterial PaO2 level.
Objective To investigate the predictive value of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) pre-computer multiple scoring systems in the mortality of patients with cardiogenic shock. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 100 patients with cardiogenic shock due to various reasons who were treated with veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) from July 2020 to July 2022. The patients were followed up for 30 days and divided into a survival group (35 cases) and a death group (65 cases) according to whether they survived 30 days after withdrawal. General clinical data, blood biochemistry data within 24 hours before ECMO, ventilator parameters, past medical history and other data were collected, and sequential organ failure score (SOFA) before VA-ECMO, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ), survival after veno-arterial ECMO (SAVE) score and modified SAVE score were calculated. Blood biochemical indicators and clinical scores related to patient prognosis were screened using two-independent sample t test or Man-Whitney U test. The predictive efficacy of each score on short-term prognosis (30-day post-discharge mortality) was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve and area under curve (AUC). Results There were significant differences in APACHEⅡ score, SAVE score and modified SAVE score between two groups (P<0.05). The AUC and its 95%CI of APACHEⅡ score was 0.696 (95%CI 0.592 - 0.801), of SAVE score was 0.617 (95%CI 0.498 - 0.736), and of post SAVE score was 0.664 (95%CI 0.545 - 0.782), respectively. All AUCs were relatively low (<0.75). Conclusion SOFA, APACHEⅡ, SAVE score and modified SAVE score have limited clinical value in the prognosis assessment of ECMO patients, and do not show obvious advantages.