• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2011

Purpose: The study was conducted to find out clinical characteristics for coronary artery disease patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records which included the data of 6,792 patients, who had been diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD) such as angina or acute myocardial infarction and admitted to a university hospital in Seoul from January, 2005 to November, 2010. Results: Of the 6,792 patients, 43% had been diagnosed diabetes as comorbidity. The CAD patients with diabetes had lower left ventricular ejection fraction, stayed longer at hospital, and spent on more time from the first symptom to hospital visit than those without diabetes. In addition, they were more likely to have multi vessel coronary artery disease. Conclusion: The CAD patients with diabetes lay on the various factors which can make more worsen condition. Hence, we need to pay attention to specialized nursing care and patient education for the CAD patients with diabetes.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2001

The occurrence of muscle weakness in patients with sepsis or multiple organ failure managed in the intensive care unit has been recognized with increasing frequency in the last two decades. The difficulty in examining critically ill patients may explain why this complication has been only recently recognized. This weakness is due to an axonal polyneuropathy which is called critical illness polyneuropathy(CIP). It must be differentiated from myopathy or neuromuscular junction disturbance that can also occur in the intensive care setting. Neither the cause nor the exact mechanism of CIP has been elucidated. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated an acute axonal damage of the peripheral nerves. Before the recognition of CIP, these cases were usually misdiagnosed as Guillain-$Barr{\acute{e}}$ syndrome. Clinical recovery from the neuropathy is rapid and nearly complete in those patients who survive. Thus, neuropathy acquired during critical illness, although causing a delayed in weaning from ventilatory support and hospital discharge, does not worsen long-term prognosis.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.362-368
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• 2023

Purpose: Clinical reports on treatment outcomes of sternal fractures are lacking. This study details the clinical features, treatment approaches, and outcomes related to traumatic sternal fractures over a 10-year period at a single institution. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients admitted to a regional trauma center between January 2012 and December 2021. Among 7,918 patients with chest injuries, 266 were diagnosed with traumatic sternal fractures. Patient data were collected, including demographics, injury mechanisms, severity, associated injuries, sternal fracture characteristics, hospital stay duration, mortality, respiratory complications, and surgical details. Surgical indications encompassed emergency cases involving intrathoracic injuries, unstable fractures, severe dislocations, flail chest, malunion, and persistent high-grade pain. Results: Of 266 patients with traumatic sternal fractures, 260 were included; 98 underwent surgical treatment for sternal fractures, while 162 were managed conservatively. Surgical indications ranged from intrathoracic organ or blood vessel injuries necessitating thoracotomy to unstable fractures with severe dislocations. Factors influencing surgical treatment included flail motion and rib fracture. The median length of intensive care unit stay was 5.4 days (interquartile range [IQR], 1.5-18.0 days) for the nonsurgery group and 8.6 days (IQR, 3.3-23.6 days) for the surgery group. The median length of hospital stay was 20.9 days (IQR, 9.3-48.3 days) for the nonsurgery group and 27.5 days (IQR, 17.0 to 58.0 days) for the surgery group. The between-group differences were not statistically significant. Surgical interventions were successful, with stable bone union and minimal complications. Flail motion in the presence of rib fracture was a crucial consideration for surgical intervention. Conclusions: Surgical treatment recommendations for sternal fractures vary based on flail chest presence, displacement degree, and rib fracture. Surgery is recommended for patients with offset-type sternal fractures with rib and segmental sternal fractures. Surgical intervention led to stable bone union and minimal complications.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.395-403
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• 2005

Purpose: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major nosocomial pathogen in the intensive care units (ICUS). The purpose of this case-control study is to identify risk factors for acquisition of MRSA during ICU stays in patients with and without MRSA. Method: The study was conducted in a 16 beds-neurosurgical intensive care unit of a 2200-bed tertiary care university hospital in Seoul, Korea. Medical record and Critical Classification Scoring System were reviewed retrospectively in patients who were admitted more than 3 days from August 1, 2003 to May 30, 2004. Cases and controls were matched for age and gender. The obtained specimens were nasal swab and sputum. Result: There were 950 patients' admissions during the period. Among them, MRSA was isolated from twenty-three patients who were considered as hospital acquired. Artificial airway (p=.045), frequency of suction (p=.002), nasogastric tube (p=.004), wound drain (p=.045), and vancomycin (p=.019) were risk factors for MRSA acquisition in univariate analysis. Frequency of suction (p=.012, OR 3.5) was revealed as the only risk factor in multivariate conditional logistic regression. Conclusion: Our findings give support to recent studies that suggest that frequent physical contact maγ increase the nosocomial acquisition of MRSA in a neurosurgical ICU.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.153-163
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• 2018

Purpose: This study is know the home care nursing specialists' copying method for life-threatening emergency situation occurred while changing the tracheotomy tube in the patient's home through case-based learning. Methods: Two cases were analyzed using structured critical reflection while changing the tracheal tube. In the first case, the patient presented with dyspnea, cyanosis, and low oxygen saturation when connected to home mechanical ventilator after replacement of the tracheotomy tube. In the second case, replacement of the tracheal tube was difficult due to a narrowed airway from proliferated granulation tissue. Results: From the case-based learning. using a critical reflection instrument, home care nursing specialists indicated that it was important to explain the possibility of danger to the client and that nurses must check the operation of the ambu-bag to prepare for an emergency when replacing a tracheotomy tube. Moreover, they stated a need for two nurses during client visits when there is the possibility of an emergency. Conclusion: Case-based learning through critical reflection provides actual practice-focused knowledge that is helpful to home care nurse specialists who face emergency situations in a restricted environment. Therefore, we hope that home care nursing specialists will use this method to strengthen their professional knowledge.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2021

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated a redistribution of resources to meet hospitals' service needs. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on a regional trauma center in South Korea. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of polytrauma at a single regional trauma center in South Korea between January 20 and September 30, 2020 (the COVID-19 period) and compared them to cases reported during the same time frame (January 20 to September 30) between 2016 and 2019 (the pre-COVID-19 period). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and secondary outcomes included the number of daily admissions, hospital length of stay (LOS), and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS. Results: The mean number of daily admissions decreased by 15% during the COVID-19 period (4.0±2.0 vs. 4.7±2.2, p=0.010). There was no difference in mechanisms of injury between the two periods. For patients admitted during the COVID-19 period, the hospital LOS was significantly shorter (10 days [interquartile range (IQR) 4-19 days] vs. 16 days [IQR 8-28 days], p<0.001); however, no significant differences in ICU LOS and mortality were found. Conclusions: The observations at Regional Trauma Center, Pusan National University Hospital corroborate anecdotal reports that there has been a decline in the number of patients admitted to hospitals during the COVID-19 period. In addition, patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significantly shorter hospital LOS than those admitted before the COVID-19 pandemic. These preliminary data warrant validation in larger, multi-center studies.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.234-241
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• 2019

Background: The utility of computed tomography (CT) in the differential diagnosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation remains uncertain. However, due to the low cost associated with CT scan along with the impact of Koreas' health insurance system, there has been a rise in the number of CT scans in the patients with initial diagnosis of COPD exacerbations. Therefore, the utility of CT in the differential diagnosis was investigated to determine whether performing CT scans affect the clinical outcomes of the patients with an initial diagnosis of COPD exacerbation. Methods: This study involved 202 COPD patients hospitalized with an initial diagnosis of COPD exacerbation. We evaluated the change in diagnosis or treatment after performing a CT scan, and compared the clinical outcomes of patient groups with vs. without performing CT (non-CT group vs. CT group). Results: After performing CT, the diagnosis was changed for two (3.0%) while additional diagnoses were made for 27 of the 64 patients (42.1%). However, the treatment changed for only one (1.5%), and six patients (9.3%) received supplementary medication. There were no difference in the median length of hospital stay (8 [6-13] days vs. 8 [6-12] days, p=0.786) and intensive care unit care (14 [10.1%] vs. 11 [16.7%], p=0.236) between the CT and non-CT groups, respectively. These findings remained consistent even after the propensity score matching. Conclusion: Utility of CT in patients with acute COPD exacerbation might not be helpful; therefore, we do not recommend chest CT scan as a routine initial diagnostic tool.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.13-23
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• 2019

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to determine whether appreciative inquiry (AI) is an effective intervention for increasing the positive psychological capital and organizational commitment of new nurses. Method : The study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 60 new nurses in a tertiary hospital in Seoul. The experimental group received 2 classes of AI education and in-unit AI activities. The control group received the existing education program. Results : There was no statistically significant difference in the positive psychological capital and organizational commitment between the experimental group and the control group over time. Satisfaction with the AI education scored 3.69, which was higher than the average. The reason why the experimental group members were satisfied with the program was that AI education helped them to adapt and the in-unit AI activities made staff more cooperative and the atmosphere of the unit more positive. Conclusion : When applying AI activities to new nurses to promote positive psychological capital and organizational commitment, it is necessary to provide a workshop in which the participants can fully concentrate on education and to extend the period of use to one year in order to maintain the effect of AI activities.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.787-798
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to assign weights for subscales and items of the Post-Intensive Care Syndrome questionnaire and suggest optimal cut-off values for screening unplanned hospital readmissions of critical care survivors. Methods: Seventeen experts participated in an analytic hierarchy process for weight assignment. Participants for cut-off analysis were 240 survivors who had been admitted to intensive care units for more than 48 hours in three cities in Korea. We assessed participants using the 18-item Post-Intensive Care Syndrome questionnaire, generated receiver operating characteristic curves, and analysed cut-off values for unplanned readmission based on sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratios. Results: Cognitive, physical, and mental subscale weights were 1.13, 0.95, and 0.92, respectively. Incidence of unplanned readmission was 25.4%. Optimal cut-off values were 23.00 for raw scores and 23.73 for weighted scores (total score 54.00), with an area of under the curve (AUC) of .933 and .929, respectively. There was no significant difference in accuracy for original and weighted scores. Conclusion: The optimal cut-off value accuracy is excellent for screening of unplanned readmissions. We recommend that nurses use the Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Questionnaire to screen for readmission risk or evaluating relevant interventions for critical care survivors.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.109-122
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• 2023

Purpose : This study aims to explore nursing activities after the decision to discontinue life-sustaining treatment, awareness of a good death, and perception of life-sustaining treatment decisions among nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) at tertiary general hospitals. Methods : Participants were 173 nurses working in two tertiary general hospitals. The data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using an independent t-test, paired t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé's test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results : Participants were 173 nurses working in two tertiary hospitals. The nursing activity increase was the greatest in the spiritual domain, and the physical domain was where the activities decreased the most. There were significant associations between Awareness of good death (Clinical) and Perception of life-sustaining treatment decision(r=.26, p <.001), Awareness of good death (Closure) and Perception of life-sustaining treatment decision(r=.36, p <.001), and Awareness of good death (Personal control) and Perception of life-sustaining treatment decision(r=.49, p <.001). Conclusion : Based on the results, systematic education programs and job training are required to improve the awareness regarding good death and perception of life-sustaining treatment decision for nurses in ICUs where discontinuing life-sustaining treatment decisions are made.