Monitoring evoked potentials for precise diagnosis and treatment;

Traditional Chinese medicine research ushers in a new chapter in the diagnosis and treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Balloon dilation addresses dysphagia following stroke, ushering rehabilitation into the “interventional era.”

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　　The implementation of new technologies and projects is a key indicator of a hospital’s research and clinical capabilities. Recently, Nanjing Zijin Hospital launched the application process for new technologies, new projects, and in‑house research initiatives. A total of 23 projects were submitted, marking the highest number of applications in the hospital’s history.

　　At the meeting, the principal investigators of each project presented detailed explanations covering the project’s background, key content, critical challenges and technical hurdles encountered during implementation, the level of technological advancement, as well as indications and contraindications. They also reported on and demonstrated the problems that could be addressed, the number of cases planned for completion within the year, clinical outcomes, and the long-term clinical utility of the interventions.

Director Wang Changbao, Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Qinhuai Campus

Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Neurocritical Illnesses Complicated by Pulmonary Infections with Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Using Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes holistic syndrome differentiation and the principles of reinforcing the body’s vital energy while expelling pathogenic factors, focusing on comprehensive regulation. In addition to directly killing bacteria, it enhances the body’s immune defenses, enabling the body to counter pathogenic influences and restore a state of yin-yang equilibrium and health. Moreover, herbal medicines exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, characterized by multi‑target effects, difficulty in inducing bacterial resistance, and the ability to reverse existing antibiotic resistance.

Our hospital will collaborate with Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to conduct this research, with the aim of reducing antibiotic use and lowering the incidence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

Director Pan Xingming, Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Jiangning Campus

Clinical Applications of Event-Related Potentials (P300) and Mismatch Negativity (MMN) in the Assessment of Brain Function

The 2020 Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Disorders of Consciousness states that visual evoked potentials (VEP), auditory brainstem responses (ABR), and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) can help assess the integrity of consciousness‑related neural pathways, but their utility in evaluating higher‑order cognitive functions is limited. Within event‑related potentials (ERPs), the P300 component can reflect the level of consciousness in patients with a minimally conscious state (mCS); the mismatch negativity (MMN) reflects the brain’s processing of auditory stimuli and provides quantitative guidance for diagnostic support.

However, the latter two are rarely used in clinical practice due to their technical complexity. Event-related potentials, as a subset of evoked potentials, can be employed to identify neural activity associated with cognitive processes in the human brain, thereby enabling precise assessment and targeted treatment.

Rehabilitation Treatment Center, Director Qi Yuliang and Physician Jing Peng

Acupuncture for Awakening the Mind and Opening the Orifices in a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber

Observation of Therapeutic Efficacy in Patients with Chronic Disorders of Consciousness and Post-Stroke Aphasia

According to available data, China currently has 500,000 individuals with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC), commonly referred to as “vegetative state,” and this number is increasing by 50,000 to 80,000 each year. To date, pDoC remains poorly understood, with a lack of systematic research and insufficient evidence‑based medical support.

Similarly, aphasia is one of the most disabling symptoms among the various functional impairments following stroke; more than one-third of stroke survivors experience aphasia, with an incidence as high as 32% after a first-ever stroke, and 30% to 43% continue to be affected long-term.

Our hospital has long been committed to exploring integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine approaches for promoting arousal. We have studied the “Xingnao Kaiqiao” acupuncture technique under the guidance of Academician Shi Xuemin and integrated this method with our hospital’s distinctive diagnostic and therapeutic practices, striving to offer a novel approach to awakening patients with chronic disorders of consciousness and aphasia following stroke through the synergy of TCM and Western medicine.

Dr. Duan Lei, Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Qinhuai Campus

The Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Sleep Spindle Waves in Patients with Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

Our hospital primarily employs hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat consciousness disorders resulting from severe traumatic brain injury. However, does hyperbaric oxygen therapy exert any effect on sleep spindles in patients with such disorders?

Sleep spindles are a hallmark of non‑rapid eye movement sleep and reflect the reciprocal interactions between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. By monitoring electroencephalographic changes in patients with minimally conscious state and persistent vegetative state, we can continuously enhance therapeutic outcomes.

At the meeting, Executive Vice President Gao Zhiqiang outlined several requirements for the submission of new technologies, new projects, and new research topics, urging all participants to adhere to ethical standards and scientifically define their research subjects, so as to collaboratively advance their research endeavors.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Dean Ge Jiangping delivered a summarizing address, commending the newly introduced technologies and projects as well as the submitted research proposals. He fully recognized the efforts made by all colleagues in recent years in innovating, implementing, and disseminating these new technologies and initiatives. He also emphasized that each department should attach great importance to these new technologies and projects, carry out this work diligently, see it through from start to finish, ensure that the projects yield tangible results, and thereby advance the hospital’s high-quality development.