Effects of Xuanbai Chengqi decoction on lung compliance for patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome

Objective: To observe the effects of Xuanbai Chengqi decoction on lung compliance for patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome. Subjects and methods: A total of 53 patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome, who were admitted to the intensive care unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2009 to February 2013, were selected. They were randomly divided into the treatment group (25 cases) and the control group (28 cases). Both the groups were treated with conventional treatment and lung-protective ventilation strategy; apart from these, enema therapy with Xuanbai Chengqi decoction was given to the treatment group. Meanwhile, static lung compliance, dynamic lung compliance, peak airway pressure, plateau pressure, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) for patients in both the groups were observed and recorded at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the drug was used. Moreover, variations in the duration of parenteral nutrition, incidence rate of complications, and case fatality rate in patients after treatment were recorded. Results: For patients in the treatment group, at 48 and 72 hours after treatment, the static lung compliance and dynamic lung compliance were significantly higher than those in the control group, while plateau pressure, peak airway pressure, and PEEP were significantly lower than those before treatment. At the same time, PEEP for patients in the treatment group at 72 hours after treatment was remarkably lower than that in the control group, showing significant difference (P<0.05). The duration of parenteral nutrition in the treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). Both the incidence rate and the fatality rate of complications, such as abdominal distension and ventilator-associated pneumonia, for patients in the treatment group were distinctly smaller than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Xuanbai Chengqi decoction not only can improve the static lung compliance and dynamic compliance of patients with exogenous pulmonary distress syndrome but also can shorten the parenteral nutrition duration, as well as reducing the complication incidence rate and fatality rate.