• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2017

Objectives: The accurate measurement of geographic patterns of health care utilization is a prerequisite for the study of geographic variations in health care utilization. While several measures have been developed to measure how accurately geographic units reflect the health care utilization patterns of residents, they have been only applied to hospitalization and need further evaluation. This study aimed to evaluate geographic indices describing health care utilization. Methods: We measured the utilization rate and four health care utilization indices (localization index, outflow index, inflow index, and net patient flow) for eight major procedures (coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, surgery after hip fracture, knee replacement surgery, caesarean sections, hysterectomy, computed tomography scans, and magnetic resonance imaging scans) according to three levels of geographic units in Korea. Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance database in Korea. We evaluated the associations among the health care utilization indices and the utilization rates. Results: In higher-level geographic units, the localization index tended to be high, while the inflow index and outflow index were lower. The indices showed different patterns depending on the procedure. A strong negative correlation between the localization index and the outflow index was observed for all procedures. Net patient flow showed a moderate positive correlation with the localization index and the inflow index. Conclusions: Health care utilization indices can be used as a proxy to describe the utilization pattern of a procedure in a geographic unit.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 1979

This 3-year-old girl was observed frequent exertional dyspnea and cyanosis at crying since birth. She was not premature baby and delivered at full term normally. On physical examination, she was underdeveloped-body weight 13.5 kg, height 99 cm.- and cyanotic. There was severe clubbing on fingers. There was grade II/VI ejection systolic murmur on left lateral border of the sternum. The preoperative examinations [EKG, echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization and biventriculogram] showed that complicated T.G.A. combined vena cava[S.D.D.]. Preoperatively, we decided the corrective surgery of Rastelli operation using a. pulmonary valved conduit. The operation was performed under total circulatory arrest using deep profound hypothermia combining with extracorporeal circulation. On operation, the anatomy of the heart showed that, 1. The subaortic conus was seen and subaortic muscles were hypertrophied. 2. The VSD[type II], behind the subaortic conus-about 1 cm. in diameter, was visible only through LV cavity and, 3. The pulmonary valve ring was hypoplastic and pulmonary valvular stenosis was seen also. The subpulmonic area [LV outflow tract] was obstructed with hypertrophied muscle and mitral valve. 4. Left superior vena cava was drained to RA via coronary sinus. 5. LAD coronary artery was originated from right coronary artery and ran anterior to the pulmonary artery. According to above anatomy, we performed the VSD closure with Teflon patch, and Mustard operation combined with LV-to-pulmonary artery bypass graft using the valve contained [Hancock 16 mm] conduit. Postoperatively, adequate blood pressure could be maintained under the state of using inotropic agent [epinephrine]. On the second postoperative day, the patient died of cardiac arrest due to low cardiac output syndrome, acute renal failure and pulmonary edema.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.989-994
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• 1994

Between January 1986 and August 1993, 11 patients underwent surgical repair of ventricular septal defect [VSD] complicated with myocardial infarction. The ages of patients were ranged from 22 years to 83 years with a mean of 64 years. There were 8 male and 3 female patients. The preoperative cineangiograms of all patients were reviewed to measure both ventricular function and to evaluate coronary artery disease. The mean time interval between occurance of VSD and operation was 13 days. The operations were performed as soon as possible if there were hemodynamic derangement. Postmyocardial infarction VSD were repaired simultaneuously with coronary artery bypass graft in 3 patients, repaired with left ventricular aneurysmectomy in 6 patients, with left ventricular thrombectomy in 1 patient and with mitral valve chordae repair in 1 patient. There was no early death [within 30 days]. There were 6 postoperative complications; one with perioperative myocardial infarction, two with recurred VSD on postoperative 1 and 6 days respectively, two with lower leg embolism associated with intraaortic balloon pump insertion, one with wound infection. Of the complicated patients, 1 patient with lower leg embolism performed left above ankle amputation. Among two patients with recurred ventricular septal defect, one patient is doing well without problem. On follow up echocardiogram, the residual VSD was occluded completely. However another patient was with recurred VSD died 3 months after the operation because of congestive heart failure. Of the long term survivors, all patients are in NEW YORK Heart Association functional Class I or II. Although number of patients were small, our results of surgical closure of postmyocardial infarction VSD were favored to the others. Moreover, seven patients with preoperative cardiogenic shock among 11 were performed early operation after diagnosis of ventricular septal rupture. All of the patients were survived and doing well during the follow up period. Therefore early diagnosis with aggressive preoperative care with intraaortic balloon pumping and early operation seems to be very important for prevention of deterioration of vital organ.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.770-779
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• 1997

From Feb. 1985 to Aug. 1996, 450 patients underwent open heart surgery with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. In 450 cases of open heart surgery, 222 cases(49.3%) were congenital heart diseases and 228 cases(5 .7%) were acquired heart diseases. In 222 cases of congenital heart diseases, there were 201 cases of acyanotic heart disease and 21 cases of cyanotic heart diseases. Among the 228 cases of acquired heart diseases, most cases were valvular heart diseases in which 206 valves were implanted. There were 32 cases of ischemic heart disease and the average graft anastomoses were 2.37 sites per operation. The operative mortality of congenital and acquired disease was 9.0% and 10.l% respectively and then overall mortality rate was 9.6% .

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2011

Background: Homograft cardiac valves and valved-conduits have been available in our institute since 1992. We sought to determine the long-term outcome after right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction using homografts, and risk factors for reoperation were analyzed. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 112 patients who had undergone repair using 116 homografts between 1992 and 2008. Median age and body weight at operation were 31.2 months and 12.2 kg, respectively. The diagnoses were pulmonary atresia or stenosis with ventricular septal defect (n=93), congenital aortic valve diseases (n=15), and truncus arteriosus (N=8). Mean follow-up duration was $79.2{\pm}14.8$ months. Results: There were 10 early and 4 late deaths. Overall survival rate was 89.6%, 88.7%, 86.1% at postoperative 1 year, 5 years and 10 years, respectively. Body weight at operation, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and aortic cross-clamping (ACC) time were identified as risk factors for death. Forty-three reoperations were performed in thirty-nine patients. Freedom from reoperation was 97.0%, 77.8%, 35.0% at postoperative 1 year, 5 years and 10 years respectively. Small-sized graft was identified as a risk factor for reoperation. Conclusion: Although long-term survival after RVOT reconstruction with homografts was excellent, freedom from reoperation was unsatisfactory, especially in patients who had small grafts upon initial repair. Thus, alternative surgical strategies not using small grafts may need to be considered in this subset.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.511-517
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• 1992

From January 1988 to December 1990, 18 adult patients with aortic disease underwent surgical repair using hypothermia and total circulatory arrest. The age at operation ranged from 17 years to 64 years[mean 45.2$\pm$10.7 years]. We disease entities included aortic dissection in 12, aortoannuloectasia in 3 and thoracic aortic aneurysm in 3 cases. Partial cardiopulmonary bypass via femoral vessels along with surface cooling was used upon the induction of deep hypothermia[18~20oC]. Modified Bentall operation was performed in 7 cases, ascending aorta replacement in 6, graft interposition in descending thoracic aorta in 3 and others in 2 cases. The circulatory arrest was maintained for periods of 2 minutes to 86 mimutes[mean 34.7$\pm$5.0 minutes]. Overall hospital mortality was 27.8%[5/18]: brain damage was responsible for the death of 2 patients. 4 patients out of 13 survivors experienced postoperative neurologic dysfunction, which was proved to be self-limited except one case showing left hemiparesis. 12 patients were followed up postoperatively with the mean follow-up period 22.7$\pm$10.1 months. There was no death. No new neurologic problems were observed during follow-up period. All but one patient showing recurrent dissection and aortic regurgitation are in exellent clinical condition. These clinical data suggests that the principle of deep hypothermia and total circulatory arrest can be applied rather safely in adult patients, especially in the treatment of patients with aortic disease, it can be a valuable adjunct with better clinical results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.6 s.251
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• pp.434-437
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• 2005

Since the operative mortality rate of the Acute aortic dissection has been reducing, a more extensive primary repair of the dissected aorta is preferred for acute aortic dissection to reduce the needs of secondary procedures. We performed a total aortic arch replacement with distal stent-grafting in acute type A aortic dissection. The patient was a 50-years old man. He recovered from the operation and was followed up for 7 months. The pseudolumen in the descending aorta was obliterated with the stent.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.816-822
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• 1989

Aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta can be caused by various etiologies. So, its abrupt rupture leads life-threatening state, it must be operated as soon as possible. Surgical treatment of the descending thoracic aortic aneurysm requires temporary cross-clamping of major artery. The obligatory occlusion of the descending thoracic aorta during management causes proximal arterial hypertension and distal arterial hypotension. The former may leads to left ventricular failure, or cerebrovascular accident, whereas the latter may leads to spinal cord ischemia or renal injury. Some have recommended insertion of temporary shunt around the occluded descending aorta to prevent above problems. Still others would favor expeditious operation employing simple aortic occlusion during the repair of the descending aorta. Recently we had experienced two cases of dissecting aneurysms of descending thoracic aorta which performed aortoplasty with Gore-Tex conduit under simple aortic occlusion. The one was 34-year-old female patient with traumatic dissecting aortic aneurysm [5 em X 5 cm] on the descending thoracic aorta distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery and the other was 58-year-old female patient with atherosclerotic dissecting descending thoracic aortic aneurysm [6 cmX7 cm] and diffuse abdominal aortic aneurysms [3X5 cm]. Both patients performed standard left posterolateral thoracotomy. After the aneurysmal sac was mobilized, occluding vascular clamps were placed on the transverse aorta proximal to the origin of the left subclavian artery, and on the distal descending aorta without adjuvant bypass procedures for 31 and 32 minutes, respectively, and the aneurysmal sac was repaired with 18 mm ringed Gore-Tex conduit graft. Both patients postoperative courses were uneventful.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1270-1275
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• 1996

Pulmonary artery aneurysms are extremely rare conditions usually associated with congenital cardiac defects that cause increased pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary hypertension. The prognosis of pulmonary artery aneurysms is fatal due to the potential for rupture of the aneurysm and the underlying severe pulmonary hypertension. A 40-year old woman was admitted to our hospital with headache following traffic accident. On admission a continuous murmur was heard over the 2nd to 3rd intercostal space along left sternal border and a calcified cystic mass at left hilar portion was incidentally discoverd on chest reontgenogram. Cardiac catherization was diagnostic of a left to right shunt at main pulmoanry artery level and pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary angiogram demonstrated a large aneurysm of main pulmonary artery extending into proximal left pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery aneurysm associated with patent ductus arteriosus was diagnosed definitively and the patient was underwent resection of pulmonary artery aneurysm, closure of PDA and Dacron prosthetic graft replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged without any problem.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.201-209
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• 2013

Objectives: The goal of this study was to perform an economic analysis of a primary stenting with drug-eluting stents (DES) compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admitted through an emergency room (ER) visit in Korea using population-based data. Methods: We employed a cost-minimization method using a decision analytic model with a two-year time period. Model probabilities and costs were obtained from a published systematic review and population-based data from which a retrospective database analysis of the national reimbursement database of Health Insurance Review and Assessment covering 2006 through 2010 was performed. Uncertainty was evaluated using one-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results: Among 513 979 cases with AMI during 2007 and 2008, 24 742 cases underwent stenting procedures and 20 320 patients admitted through an ER visit with primary stenting were identified in the base model. The transition probabilities of DES-to-DES, DES-to-BMS, DES-to-coronary artery bypass graft, and DES-to-balloon were 59.7%, 0.6%, 4.3%, and 35.3%, respectively, among these patients. The average two-year costs of DES and BMS in 2011 Korean won were 11 065 528 won/person and 9 647 647 won/person, respectively. DES resulted in higher costs than BMS by 1 417 882 won/person. The model was highly sensitive to the probability and costs of having no revascularization. Conclusions: Primary stenting with BMS for AMI with an ER visit was shown to be a cost-saving procedure compared with DES in Korea. Caution is needed when applying this finding to patients with a higher level of severity in health status.