ABSTRACT
Objective:To improve the differential diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) with hypertension and renal insufficiency.Methods:The clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of a SSc patient with hypertension and renal insufficiency were reported and discussed.Results:A middle-aged female patient with a history of SSc for 5 years, headache and gross hematuria for 10 days was admitted. Abrupt increase in blood pressure and creatinine, glomerular hematuria, proteinuria, low complement C3 and C4, positive antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-dsDNA antibody and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA) were presented. Renal pathology showed lupus nephritis (LN) (type Ⅳ). After glucocorticoid pulse therapy, followed by cyclophosphamide, belimumab, and symptomatic treatment, the symptoms were relievedand lupus disease activity were decreased.Conclusion:For SSc patients with increased blood pressure and creatinine, the presence of other diseases should be considered in addition to scleroderma renal crisis. Renal biopsy and pathological examination should be performed to confirm the diagnosis and avoid misdiagnosis.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of the combination of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) on cardiac function and the success rate of AF ablation.@*METHODS@#We retrospectively analyzed the data of 56 patients with AF undergoing a one-stop procedure for AF ablation and LAAC in our hospital between May, 2015 and May, 2019. Propensity score matching (PSM) at the ratio of 1:1 was used to select 56 control patients undergoing AF ablation at high risk of stroke, for matching with the hybrid procedure group. The perioperative complications, thromboembolic events, recurrence of atrial arrhythmia and cardiac function were compared between the groups.@*RESULTS@#The two groups of patients were comparable for age, gender, BMI, duration and type of AF, concomitant diseases, CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores (@*CONCLUSIONS@#The combination of AF ablation and LAAC is safe but does not improve the success rate of AF ablation. The one-stop procedure can improve cardiac function of the patients, but AF ablation alone can achieve better improvement of cardiac function.