• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.116-133
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• 2002

Background : It is very common in Korea to take care of non-acute patients in an acute setting, due to the lack of long-term facilities. Long term hospitalization increase medical expenses and decreases the bed utilization, which can affect the urgent and emergent admissions, and eventually jeopardize the hospital financially. In this study, strategies for effective transfers to the lower levels of care, and to decrease the length of stay were presented by surveying and analyzing the patient's knowledge of the transfer needs, and the willingness to transfer those whose hospital length of stay was more than 30days. Method : The survey is subject to a group of 251 patients who have been hospitalized over 30 days in a general hospital in Seoul. Excluding those that were in the Intensive Care Unit and psychiatric ward, 214 in-patients were used as participants. They were surveyed from April 9, 2002 to April 17, 2002. One hundred and thirty seven out of 214 were responded which made the response rate 64%. Data were analyzed by SAS and SPSS. Result : Multi-variable Logistic Regression Analysis showed a significant effect in medical expenses, knowledge of referral system and the information of the receiving hospital. The financial burden in medical expenses made the patient 10.7 times more willing to be transferred, knowledge of the referral system made them 5 times more willing to be transferred, and the information of receiving hospital makes 6.5 times more willing to be transferred. Reasons for willing to be transferred to a lower level of care were the phase of physical therapy, the distance from home, the attending physician's advice and being unable to be treated as an out patient. Reasons for refusing to be transferred were the following. The attending physician's competency, not being ready to be discharged, not trusting the receiving hospital's competency due to the lack of information, or never hearing about the referring system by the attending physician. Conclusion : Based on this, strategies for the effective transfer to the lower levels of care were suggested. It is desirable for the attending physician to be actively involved by making an effort to explain the transfer need, and referring to the Healthcare Coordinating Center, which can help the patient make the right decision. Nationwide networking for the referral system is the another key factor that may need to be suggested as an alternative to decrease the medical expenses. Collaborating with the Home Health Agency for the early discharge planning and the Social Service Department for financial aid are also needed. It is recommended that the hospital should expedite the transfer process by prioritizing the cost and the information as medical expenses, knowledge of referring system and the information of the receiving hospital, are the most important factors to the willingness to transfer to a lower level of care.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.19-29
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• 2001

Nutrients are key environmental factors in marine ecosystem. They limit algal growth when at low concentrations and cause algal bloom when at high contents. They also control the growth and succession of many other biota including bacteria and zooplankton, either directly or indirectly. Nutrient contents therefore affect both the structure and functions of marine ecosystem. To study the contents and distribution of nutrients in Chinese Bohai Sea, two cruise surveys were undertaken in August 2000 (summer) and January 2001 (winter), respectively. A total of 595 water samples were collected from 91 sites. After collection the samples were transported to the laboratory and five nutrients, i.e., nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate and silicate, were analyzed. The results showed that tile average concentration of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in Bohai Sea in winter (6.5293.717 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) was significantly higher than that in summer (3.717 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/). The phosphorus concentration in winter (0.660 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) was also significantly higher than that in summer (0.329 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/). Mean silicate concentration in winter (7.858 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) was not significantly different from that in summer (7.200 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/). Nutrients also varied considerable among different areas within Bohai Sea. TIN concentration in Laizhou Bay (4.444 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/), for example, was significantly higher than those in Bohai Bay (2.270 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) and Bohai Straight (2.431 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/), which probably reflects tile discharge of large amounts of nitrogen into Laizhou Bay via Yellow River. The nutrients also showed vertical distribution pattern. In summer, nutrients in bottom layer were generally higher than those in surface and medium layers. In winter, however. nutrients in different layers were not significantly different Compared with historic data, TIN contents increased continuously since early 1980s, phosphorus arid silicone contents, nevertheless, fell down to some degree. Based on atomic ratios of different nutrients, nitrogen is still the main limiting factor for algal growth in Bohai Sea.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.9
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• pp.229-238
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• 2013

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health problem in Korea. The survival rate to discharge remains at approximately 3.5% and only 1% have good neurological function. To increase the survival rate, prehospital care should restore spontaneous circulation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors associated with return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Data used for this study were collected from KCDC Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Surveillance 2009. As for the results of decision tree analysis, it is clear that prehospital CPR, cardiac arrest witness, activity, past history(cancer/heart disease/stroke), place, bystander CPR, response time, age, etc are significant contributing factors in ROSC. Among 16 cardiac arrest types from decision tree classification, the ROSC rate of type 1 is the highest(29.6%). Also notable is the fact that bystander CPR was strongly correlated with ROSC of patents with cardiac arrest occurring in non-public places. Community resources should be concentrated on increasing bystander CPR and early prehospital emergency care.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.2
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• pp.62-66
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• 2010

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) during severe acute respiratory failure helps to recover the pulmonary function. This study evaluated our experience with veno-venous ECMO in adult patients with acute respiratory failure. Methods: From January 2007 to July 2009, ECMO was used on 54 patients. Of these 54 patients, 7 were placed on veno-venous ECMO for acute respiratory failure. The indications of ECMO were based on the lung dysfunction measured as a $PaO_2/FiO_2$ ratio <100 mm Hg on $FiO_2$ of 1.0, or an arterial blood gas pH <7.25 due to hypercapnia despite the optimal treatment. $EBS^{(R)}$, $Bio-pump^{(R)}$, and Centrifugal Rotaflow $pump^{(R)}$ were used and all cannulations were performed percutaneously via both femoral veins. When the lung function was improved, an attempt was made to wean on ECMO at moderate ventilator settings followed by decannulation. Results: Five of the 7 patients were male and the mean age was $46.3{\pm}18.3$. The causes of acute respiratory failure were 3 cases of pneumonia, 2 near-drownings, 1 pulmonary hemorrhage due to acute hepatic failure and 1 mercury vapor poisoning. The mean support time of ECMO was $17.3{\pm}13.7$ days. Of the 7 patients implanted with ECMO, 5 patients (71%) were weaned off ECMO and 3 patients (43%) survived to hospital discharge after a mean 89.6 hospital days. Conclusion: The early use of ECMO for acute respiratory failure in adults due to any cause is a good therapeutic option for those unresponsive to the optimal conventional treatments.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.216-223
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• 2015

The conservation project to protect an endangered fish, Gobiobotia naktongensis was executed against declining the gene diversity of the fish after the construction of Youngju Dam in a sand-bed stream (Naeseongcheon Stream). We tried to move the populations of G. naktongensis from submerged planned sites to alternative habitats, bred artificially and augmented the juveniles to optimal habitat, and monitored the results of the restoration implementation. No entity of G. naktongensis was confirmed at the planned submerged sites despite attempting to capture more than 8 times and eventually the movement to alternative habitat could not be implemented. About 40 individuals of G. naktongensis were captured in the Naeseongcheon Stream and a total of 5,000 individuals were artificially spawned up. The population of juvenile inherited the genetic diversity from the brood stock. The bred juveniles were discharged at the selected optimal site that had a habit condition what was similar to their natural habitat. The micro-dispersion around the discharging area was found at the early stages of the augmentation. The re-capturing rate of discharged juveniles was reduced as time passed. The discharged juveniles seemed to adapt to the natural environment of Naeseongcheon Stream. The observation of their high abdominal distension and excrement demonstrated that the juveniles fed successfully in the discharging area. Therefore, securement of genetic homogeneity and enhancement of restoration population of G. naktongensis in upstream and downstream of Youngju Dam site from the artificial seed producing seemed to be primarily successful and long-term monitoring and analysis of the effect was expected to be necessary.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.611-616
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• 2009

Purpose: The rate of fistulas occuring followed by resection of oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer are reported to be 9 ~ 23% according to various documents. Neglected treatment of the fistula can result in a setback in proper treatment with restrictions in oral intake leading to delayed return to daily life. Furthurmore, in severe cases, it may injure important vessels and adjacent structures of the neck area. The author reviewed previously reported cases of treatment methods for fistulas recurring after diverse head and neck operations and with sharing the treatment experiments of our patients, we tried to present a treatment algorism for different fistula types. Methods: Our study was based on retrograde analysis of 64 patients who were clinically diagnosed with fistula after operation for cancer of the head and neck from 1997 to 2008 at Severance Hospital. Their primary sites of cancer were 8 oral cavity, 22 oropharynx, 25 hypopharynx, and 9 larynx. The patients were aged 45 to 75 years and the male to female ratio was 11 to 1. The patient's operation records and progress notes were evaluated for determination of degree of fistula and treatment methods. Results: Most fistulas were clinically suspected after postoperative 5 days and symptoms noted for detection of the fistula were erythema, purulent discharge, edema, tenderness, and fluctuation. The fistula was definitely diagnosed at postoperative 2 weeks with barium test and treatment method ranging from conservative management to operative procedure were applied to each patients. Total 21 patients were managed with conservative protocol. In 15 cases, direct repair of the fistula was done and more stable repair of the fistula was possible with using of TachoComb$^{(R)}$. Pharyngostoma was performed in 14 patients. Among them, 4 patients healed spontaneously, 5 patients were taken direct closure, 4 patients were taken pectoralis major musculocutaneous flap, and one patient was taken esophageal transfer. The other 14 patients were taken 11 pectoralis major musculocutaneous flaps and 3 free flaps without pharyngostoma formation. Conclusion: Fistula is a troublesome complication resulting after resection of head and neck cancer. Early detection and adequate treatment according to the period and condition of the fistula may prevent further complications and reduce the pain of the patient.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.49-69
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• 1997

The urgent needs to establish hospice care systems in Korea arise from the following reasons: 0) a drastic increase in chronically ill patients with the increase of aged population: (2) rapid changes in living environment from the traditional habitation (e. g., Many Koreans living in apartment complexes, which is the most popular form of modern residence in recent years, prefer to die in the hospital.): the overall increase in patients with advanced cancer: (4) recent trends in early discharge of terminally ill patients from the limited hospital facilities to accomodate other medical insurance beneficiaries; (5) easy acceptance of euthanasia owing to the recent social atmosphere that belittles the dignity of human life; (6) medical and nursing care of AIDS patient in terminal stage; (7) and the problem associated with inhumane medical care system, overtreatment, and groundless fears against narcotics. Terminally ill patients were used to be treated in the hospital in the past. In these days, however, they are forced to have home cares with little assistance from the qualified medical personnel because of insufficient hospital facilities, which are even short for the need of emergency patients and provide priority cares to medical insurance beneficiaries with other acute problems. And yet, neither are there any administrative organizations nor systematic medical studies that deal with the level of terminally ill patient's need, their family's problems and resources of hospice care systems in Korea. Thus, most patients are not able to get appropriate medical care at the terminal stage of their lives. The objective of this study is to make comprehensive database for various hospice care organization currently in operation, link them through medical information system, and develop an easily accessible hospice care model that meets the need of most Korean people. Our survey results may be summarized as follows: Nationally there are 40 organizations that provide partial or full hospice care. However, these organizations are not linked to any formal medical service network. Furthermore, the objective of hospice care, care principles, personnel with appropriate training, educational programs, standard for care, costs, consulting service to patients' family members, the extent of medical care from professional staff members, status of hospice facility, and management of those institutions are neither clearly defined nor organized compared to the international hospice care standards. The surveys on patients of terminal stage. grouped in hospice and non-hospice care patients. reveal what they want visiting nursing care to help their pain control. psychological. social and spiritual demands. While the more than 90% of hospice care patients want to reduce their pains. the non-hospice care patients. in addition to their desire for pain control. demanded more psychological. social and spiritual helps as well. The results of this research could be utilized to 0) define the standard of hospice care. (2) provide the guidance for hospice medical care costs. (3) establish the database of hospice care systems. (4) develop softwares. (5) build communication network through Medinet. and (6) provide an organized visiting home nursing care system. These information should be a valuable resource to many medical staffs who are involved in cancer therapy. nursing care. and social welfare programs.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.891-895
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• 2001

Objective : Although surgical clipping of intracranial aneurysm is the definite method of treatment, there remains a small number of patients in whom surgical clipping is not technically possible. In such difficult cases, surgeon has to consider other therapeutic alternatives. In this report, we analyze our aneurysmal cases treated by wrapping and coating method and evaluate their surgical outcome and follow-up results. Method : Among the total of 877 patients operated from 1990 to 1999 for intracranial aneurysms at our hospital, 40 cases(4.6%) were treated by wrapping and coating method. They included 24 cases of single ruptured aneurysms and 16 with unruptured ones in multiple aneurysms. Wrapping with temporalis muscle and/or muslin gauze and coating with bioadhesive agent such as fibrin glue were performed. Result : Wrapping and coating method was performed mostly to the anterior communicating artery aneurysm (35%), and mostly because of the broad-based neck of an aneurysm(43%). At the time of discharge, 30 out of 40 patients(80%) showed favourable outcome and three cases died. The patients were monitored for average of 37 months(3-75 months). Among 24 cases with single ruptured aneurysm, 4 cases(17%) had early rebleeding within 6 months from the initial hemorrhage, and such rebleeding occurred within the first postoperative month in 3 cases. However, there was no rebleeding after the 6 months. Among 16 patients whose aneurysms were unruptured ones, none of them showed bleeding episode. Conclusion : It seems likely that the wrapping and coating method would be some help to prevent the rebleeding of an intracranial aneurysm. In order to obtain more accurate results regarding the efficacy of such method, it will be necessary to perform a multi-center study for longer follow-up periods and various wrapping and coating materials.

• Journal of the Korean Child Neurology Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.240-245
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• 2018

Purpose: Early prediction of prognosis of children resuscitated from cardiac arrest is a major challenge. We investigated the utility of electroencephalography (EEG) and laboratory studies for predicting of neurologic outcome in children resuscitated from cardiac arrest. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients who were resuscitated from cardiac arrest from 2006 to 2015 at the Gil Medical Center. Patients aged one month to 18 years were included. EEG analysis included background scoring, reactivity and seizure burden. EEG background was classified score 0 (normal/organized), score 1 (slow and disorganized), score 2 (discontinuous or burst suppression), and score 3 (suppressed and featureless). Neurologic outcome was evaluated by Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) at least 6 months after cardiac arrest. Results: Total 26 patients were evaluated. Nine patients showed good neurologic outcome (PCPC 1, 2, 3) and 17 patients showed poor neurologic outcome (PCPC 4, 5, 6). Patients of poor neurologic outcome group showed EEG background score 3 in 88.2%, whereas 44.4% in patients of good neurologic outcome group (P=0.028). Electrographic ictal discharges except non-convulsive status epilepticus were presented in 44.4% of good neurologic outcome group and 5.9% of poor neurologic outcome group (P=0.034). Ammonia and lactate levels were higher and pH levels were lower in poor outcome group than good neurologic outcome group. Conclusion: Suppressed and featureless EEG background is associated with poor neurologic outcome and electrographic seizures are associated with good neurologic outcome.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.791-798
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• 2021

Objective : The period of mechanical ventilator (MV)-dependent respiratory failure after cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) varies from patient to patient. This study aimed to identify predictors of MV at hospital discharge (MVDC) due to prolonged respiratory failure among patients with MV after CSCI. Methods : Two hundred forty-three patients with CSCI were admitted to our institution between May 2006 and April 2018. Their medical records and radiographic data were retrospectively reviewed. Level and completeness of injury were defined according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) standards. Respiratory failure was defined as the requirement for definitive airway and assistance of MV. We also evaluated magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of the cervical spine. These characteristics included : maximum canal compromise (MCC); intramedullary hematoma or cord transection; and integrity of the disco-ligamentous complex for assessment of the Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification (SLIC) scoring. The inclusion criteria were patients with CSCI who underwent decompression surgery within 48 hours after trauma with respiratory failure during hospital stay. Patients with Glasgow coma scale 12 or lower, major fatal trauma of vital organs, or stroke caused by vertebral artery injury were excluded from the study. Results : Out of 243 patients with CSCI, 30 required MV during their hospital stay, and 27 met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 48.1% (13/27) of patients had MVDC with greater than 30 days MV or death caused by aspiration pneumonia. In total, 51.9% (14/27) of patients could be weaned from MV during 30 days or less of hospital stay (MV days : MVDC 38.23±20.79 vs. MV weaning, 13.57±8.40; p<0.001). Vital signs at hospital arrival, smoking, the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, Associated injury with Injury Severity Score, SLIC score, and length of cord edema did not differ between the MVDC and MV weaning groups. The ASIA impairment scale, level of injury within C3 to C6, and MCC significantly affected MVDC. The MCC significantly correlated with MVDC, and the optimal cutoff value was 51.40%, with 76.9% sensitivity and 78.6% specificity. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, MCC >51.4% was a significant risk factor for MVDC (odds ratio, 7.574; p=0.039). Conclusion : As a method of predicting which patients would be able to undergo weaning from MV early, the MCC is a valid factor. If the MCC exceeds 51.4%, prognosis of respiratory function becomes poor and the probability of MVDC is increased.