• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• 제37권3호
• /
• pp.176-184
• /
• 2019

Purpose: It is unclear whether adding concurrent chemotherapy (CT) to definitive radiotherapy (RT) following induction CT is a tolerable and cost effective treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients aged 70 years or older with comorbidities. This study evaluated the actual clinical outcomes between concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and RT alone following induction CT or not in patients (≥70 years) in a single institution's clinical practice. Materials and Methods: A total of 82 patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC between 2004 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Their treatment tolerance and clinical outcomes such as overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence (LRR), treatment toxicities and distant metastasis (DM) were evaluated. Early mortality rates were also evaluated as 4-month mortality after RT. Results: Fifty-four patients received CCRT and 28 patients received RT alone. Induction CT before RT was performed for 68.5% and 50.0% in CCRT and RT alone groups. Treatment tolerance was significantly worse in CCRT (p = 0.046). The median survival was 21.1 and 18.1 months for CCRT and RT alone, which was not statistically significant. LRR and DM were also not different. Most early deaths after CCRT were attributed to non-cancer-related mortality. Acute esophagitis of grade ≥2 occurred more following CCRT (p = 0.017). In multivariate analysis, a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) of ≥5 and a weight loss of ≥5% after RT were associated with poor OS. The factors adversely affecting 4-month survival were a CCI of ≥5 and CCRT. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in OS, LRR, and DM between CCRT and RT alone treatment in elderly patients. However, there was a poorer tolerance and higher incidence of acute esophagitis in the CCRT group. Specifically, when the patients had a CCI of ≥5, RT alone seems to be reasonable with a low probability of early death.

• 디지털융복합연구
• /
• 제13권2호
• /
• pp.215-225
• /
• 2015

본 연구는 무릎관절치환술의 효율적 재원일수 관리를 위해 퇴원손상심층조사 자료를 이용하여 무릎관절치환술에 대한 중증도 보정 재원일수 모형을 개발하고, 이를 기반으로 무릎관절치환술의 재원일수 변이요인을 파악하고자 하였다. 수집된 퇴원손상심층조사 자료 중 무릎관절치환술 환자 4,102명을 대상으로 동반상병 보정 방법 및 데이터마이닝 기법을 이용하여 무릎관절치환술 환자에 대한 중증도 보정 재원일수 모형을 개발한 결과 CCS 동반상병 보정 방법을 이용한 의사결정나무 모형이 가장 우수하였으며, 무릎관절치환술 환자의 재원일수에 영향을 미치는 요인은 관절염 동반유무, 성, 입원경로 등으로 나타났다. 개발된 중증도 보정 모형을 기반으로 무릎관절치환술 환자의 적정 재원일수와 실제 재원일수의 차이를 파악한 결과 진료비지불방법, 병상규모, 의료기관 소재지 모두 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 있었다. 따라서 무릎관절치환술 환자의 재원일수 변이를 줄이고 효율적으로 관리하기 위해서는 과잉 진료에 대한 모니터링 등에 정책적 방안 마련이 필요하다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제86권2호
• /
• pp.142-149
• /
• 2023

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global public health threat and different variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been identified. This study aimed to analyse the factors associated with negative conversion of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and prognosis in critically ill patients according to the SARS-CoV-2 variant. Methods: This study retrospectively analysed 259 critically ill patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary medical center between January 2020 and May 2022. The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was used to evaluate comorbidity, and a negative PCR test result within 2 weeks was used to define negative PCR conversion. The cases were divided into the following three variant groups, according to the documented variant of SARS-CoV-2 at the time of diagnosis: non-Delta (January 20, 2020-July 6, 2021), Delta (July 7, 2021- January 1, 2022), and Omicron (January 30, 2022-April 24, 2022). Results: The mean age of the 259 patients was 67.1 years and 93 (35.9%) patients were female. Fifty (19.3%) patients were smokers, and 50 (19.3%) patients were vaccinated. The CCI (hazard ratio [HR], 1.555; p<0.001), vaccination (HR, 0.492; p=0.033), and Delta variant (HR, 2.469; p=0.002) were significant factors for in-hospital mortality. The Delta variant (odds ratio, 0.288; p=0.003) was associated with fewer negative PCR conversion; however, vaccination (p=0.163) and remdesivir (p=0.124) treatments did not. Conclusion: The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with lower survival and negative PCR conversion. Contrary to expectations, vaccination and remdesivir may not affect negative PCR conversion in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• 제47권4호
• /
• pp.206-215
• /
• 2014

Objectives: The hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) has been widely used because it allows for robust risk adjustment using administrative data and is important for improving the quality of patient care. Methods: All inpatients discharged from hospitals with more than 700 beds (66 hospitals) in 2008 were eligible for inclusion. Using the claims data, 29 most responsible diagnosis (MRDx), accounting for 80% of all inpatient deaths among these hospitals, were identified, and inpatients with those MRDx were selected. The final study population included 703 571 inpatients including 27 718 (3.9% of all inpatients) in-hospital deaths. Using logistic regression, risk-adjusted models for predicting in-hospital mortality were created for each MRDx. The HSMR of individual hospitals was calculated for each MRDx using the model coefficients. The models included age, gender, income level, urgency of admission, diagnosis codes, disease-specific risk factors, and comorbidities. The Elixhauser comorbidity index was used to adjust for comorbidities. Results: For 26 out of 29 MRDx, the c-statistics of these mortality prediction models were higher than 0.8 indicating excellent discriminative power. The HSMR greatly varied across hospitals and disease groups. The academic status of the hospital was the only factor significantly associated with the HSMR. Conclusions: We found a large variation in HSMR among hospitals; therefore, efforts to reduce these variations including continuous monitoring and regular disclosure of the HSMR are required.

• 정신신체의학
• /
• 제25권1호
• /
• pp.56-62
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological distress and pain in cancer patients. Methods : 249 patients with cancer who visited National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital between April 2013 and March 2014 were evaluated with National Cancer Center Psychological Symptom Inventory(NCC-PSI) which consisted of Modified Distress Thermometer(MDT) and Modified Impact Thermometer(MIT). Each scale was divided into 3 subscales targeting separate symptoms: insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Psychological distress was defined as positive for those who scored above the cutoff values in at least one of all six subscales. The Numeric Rating Scale for Pain(NRS-Pain) was used to assess the subjective severity of pain. Logistic regression was performed to investigate the association between psychological distress and pain. Results : Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that pain, gender, compliance, and two subscale scores of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS) were significantly associated with psychological distress. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pain and HADS anxiety subscale score maintained a statistically significant association with psychological distress adjusted for variables including age, gender, years of education, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, cancer stage, Charlson Comorbidity Index, compliance, and HADS depression subscale score. One point increase in pain was 1.31 times more likely to cause psychological distress. In secondary analysis, pain was significantly associated with all subscales of NCC-PSI, except MIT-anxiety subscale. Conclusions : This study suggests that NCC-PSI, a screening tool for psychological distress, reflects pain. We recommend that physicians who treat cancer patients consider the examination of psychological distress which provides comprehensive evaluation of various factors regarding quality of life.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제69권5호
• /
• pp.361-367
• /
• 2010

Background: Difficult-to-treat asthma afflicts a small percentage of the asthma population. However, these patients remain refractory to treat, and account for 40% to 50% of the health costs of asthma treatment, incurring significant morbidity. We conducted a multi-center cross-sectional study to characterize difficult-to-treat asthma in Korea. Methods: Subjects with difficult-to-treat asthma and subjects with controlled asthma were recruited from 5 outpatient clinics of referral hospitals. We reviewed medical records of previous 6 months and obtained patient-reported questionnaires composed of treatment compliance, asthma control, and instruments for stress, anxiety, and depression. Results: We recruited 21 subjects with difficult-to-treat asthma and 110 subjects with controlled asthma into the study. The subjects with difficult-to-treat asthma were associated with longer treatment periods, more increased health care utilization, more medication (oral corticosteroids, number of medication), and more anxiety disorder compared to those of well-controlled asthmatics. There was no difference in age, gender, history of allergy, serum IgE, blood eosinophil count, or body mass index between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Difficult-to-treat asthma is characterized by increased health care utilization and more co-morbidity of anxiety.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• 제28권3호
• /
• pp.183-189
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The study aimed to identify the characteristics of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that was not diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, but only in adulthood. Methods: The characteristics of patients diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood were compared with those of patients diagnosed in childhood were assessed via a retrospective review of the medical records at one university hospital from 2005 to 2013. If the age at which they were confirmed as having ADHD was less than 19 years old, they were grouped as childhood-diagnosed group (CD); if they were 19 years old or more, they were grouped as adulthood-diagnosed group (AD). Results: The CD and AD included 50 (46.3%) and 58 (53.7%) patients, respectively. Inattention was the most common symptom in both groups. Behavioral and emotional problems were the second most frequent symptoms in the CD and AD, respectively. The intelligent quotient was significantly higher in the AD than in the CD. The most common comorbidity was depression in the CD and personality disorder in the AD. The most common reason for visiting the hospital was referral by acquaintances in the CD and media coverage in the AD. Conclusion: Clinicians should put ADHD on the index of suspicion when they examine adults with various psychiatric symptoms, because the diagnosis of ADHD might have been missed in childhood and the symptoms of ADHD might have changed as they grew up.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.38-47
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between airflow obstruction and subjective health status reported by stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) residing in the community. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 78 stable COPD patients aged 69.7 years old on average and selected by a convenient sampling from an outpatient department of pulmonology in tertiary hospitals. They completed a constructed questionnaire including general characteristics, smoking history, dyspnea by modified medical research council (mMRC) scale, and health status by COPD assessment test (CAT). Anthropometric measurements were performed for body mass index (BMI) and pulse oxymetry for $O_2$ saturation (Sat $O_2$). Medical records were reviewed to obtain disease-related characteristics including duration of the disease, cardiovascular comorbidity, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$). Data were analyzed using PASW statistics 20.0. Results: Mean $FEV_1%$ and CAT scores were 55.11% and 17.73, respectively. Those in the lower stage of mMRC showed significantly higher $FEV_1$ and lower CAT. $FEV_1$ and CAT showed significant negative correlations; age and BMI with $FEV_1$, and Sat $O_2$ with CAT. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the less airway obstruction was, the better health status was, and provide the support for using subjective measures in clinical practices for COPD patients.

• 한국임상약학회지
• /
• 제26권2호
• /
• pp.128-136
• /
• 2016

Objective: This study was to explore the association between having a usual source of care and adherence to medicines in patient with chronic diseases. Methods: The 2012 Korea Health Panel was used as a data source. We analyzed 4,418 respondents that were diagnosed with chronic diseases and utilized health care services. Non-adherence to medication, a dependent variable, was defined as "not taking the medicines that were prescribed for treating chronic disease" or "not following the direction for medication". Whether having a usual source of care or not was used as a key independent variable, which was defined as having a regular site or a regular doctor for medical test, treatment, and consultation. Sex, age, education level, marital status, income, the type of health insurance, the number of chronic disease and CCI (Charlson Comorbidity Index) were included as covariates in the analysis. We conducted a multivariate logistic regression. Results: Totally, 30 percent of respondents reported to experience non-adherence to medication. Having a usual source of care was significantly associated with lower non-adherence to medication regardless its type, which is a regular doctor (OR=0.61, 95% CI=0.53-0.70) or a regular site (OR=0.67, 95% CI=0.58-0.78). Furthermore, having a usual source of care was associated with both of medication persistence (OR=0.66, 95% CI=0.54-0.81) and compliance (OR=0.65, 95% CI=0.56-0.76). Conclusion: Our results showed the possibility that usual source of care is able to conduct a positive role in improving adherence to medication with better management of chronic disease.

• Investigative and Clinical Urology
• /
• 제59권6호
• /
• pp.371-375
• /
• 2018

Purpose: To compare patients with sepsis due to obstructive urolithiasis (Sep-OU) and underwent drainage by percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) or a double-J (DJ)-ureteral stent and to identify predictive risk factors of DJ stent failure in these patients. Materials and Methods: We reviewed our records from January 2013 to July 2018 and identified 286 adult patients with Sep-OU out of which 36 had bilateral involvement, thus total 322 renal units were studied. Urologic residents in training carried out both ureteral stenting and PCN tube placement. Demographic data and stone characteristics were recorded along with Charlson comorbidity index. For predicting risk factors of DJ stent failure, those variables that had a p-value <0.1 in univariate analysis were combined in a multinomial regression analysis model. Results: The patients with PCN placement were significantly older than those with DJ stent placement (p=0.001) and also had significant number of units with multiple calculi (p=0.018). PCN was also placed more frequently in those patients with a upper ureteric calculi (p<0.05). On multinomial regression analysis multiple calculi (p=0.014; odds ratio [OR], 4.878; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.377-17.276) and larger calculi size (p=0.040; OR, 0.974; 95% CI, 0.950-0.999) were the significant predictors of DJ stent failure. Conclusions: In patients with sepsis from obstructive urolithiasis due to larger and multiple calculi a PCN placement might be better suited although this data requires further prospective randomized studies to be extrapolated.