• 대한임상독성학회지
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.66-74
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigates the characteristics and prognosis of acute poisoning patients visiting nationwide emergency departments before and after the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Data were obtained from the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS). Methods: This nationwide retrospective observational study included acute poisoning patients who visited the emergency departments between February 1 to December 31, 2020, which has been determined as the pandemic period. The same periods in 2018 and 2019 were designated as the control periods. The primary outcome assessed was the length of stay in emergency departments (EDLOS). The secondary outcomes examined were intensive care unit admission rate and in-hospital mortality rate before and after the pandemic. A subgroup analysis was performed for inpatients and intentional poisoning patients. Results: A total of 163,560 patients were included in the study. During the pandemic, the proportion of women increased from 50.0% in 2018 and 50.3% in 2019 to 52.5% in 2020. Patients aged 20-29 years increased from 13.4% in 2018 and 13.9% in 2019 to 16.6% in 2020. A rise in cases of intentional poisoning was also noted - from 33.9% in 2018 and 34.0% in 2019 to 38.4% in 2020. Evaluating the hospitalized poisoned patients revealed that the EDLOS increased from 3.8 hours in 2018 and 3.7 hours in 2019 to 4.2 hours in 2020. ICU admissions were also markedly increased (2018, 48.2%; 2019, 51.8%; 2020, 53.2%) among hospitalized patients. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of acute poisoning patients visiting nationwide emergency departments in Korea. The proportion of young adults, women, and intentional poisoning patients has increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Prolonged length of stay at the emergency department and an increased rate of intensive care unit admissions were determined in hospitalized acute poisoning patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제58권10호
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• pp.380-385
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• 2015

Purpose: Croup is a common pediatric respiratory illness with symptoms of varying severity. Moreover, epiglottitis is a rare disease that can rapidly progress to life-threatening airway obstruction. Although the clinical course and treatments differ between croup and epiglottitis, they are difficult to differentiate on presentation. We aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of croup and epiglottitis in Emergency Department patients. Methods: The 2012 National Emergency Department Information System database of 146 Korean Emergency Departments was used to investigate patients aged ${\leq}18years$ presenting with croup or epiglottitis. Results: We analyzed 19,374 croup patients and 236 epiglottitis patients. The male:female sex ratios were 1.9:1 and 2.3:1 and mean ages were $2.2{\pm}2.0$ and $5.6{\pm}5.8years$, respectively. The peak incidence of croup was observed in July and that of epiglottitis was observed in May. The hospitalization rate was lower in croup than in epiglottitis patients, and the proportion of patients treated in the intensive care unit was lower among croup patients. The 3 most common chief complaints in both croup and epiglottitis patients were cough, fever, and dyspnea. Epiglottitis patients experienced dyspnea, sore throat, and vomiting more often than croup patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both groups had similar sex ratios, arrival times, 3 most common chief complaints, and 5 most common comorbidities. Epiglottitis patients had a lower incidence rate, higher mean age of onset, and higher hospitalization rate and experienced dyspnea, sore throat, and vomiting more often than croup patients. Our results may help in the differential diagnosis of croup and epiglottitis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제63권6호
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• pp.219-225
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• 2020

Background: There is increasing concern that moderate preterm (32-33 weeks' gestation) and late preterm (34-36 weeks' gestation) birth may be associated with minor neurodevelopmental problems affecting poor school performance. Purpose: We explored the cognitive function, cognitive visual function, executive function, and behavioral problems at school age in moderate to late preterm infants. Methods: Children aged 7-10 years who were born at 32⁺⁰ to 36⁺⁶ weeks of gestation and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from August 2006 to July 2011 at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital were included. We excluded children with severe neurologic impairments, congenital malformations, or chromosomal abnormalities. Neuropsychological assessments consisted of 5 neuropsychological tests and 3 questionnaires. Results: A total of 37 children (mean age, 9.1±1.2 years) participated. The mean gestational age at birth was 34.6±7.5 weeks, while the mean birth weight was 2,229.2±472.8 g. The mean full-scale intelligence quotient was 92.89±11.90; 24.3% scored between 70 and 85 (borderline intelligence functioning). An abnormal score was noted for at least one of the variables on the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnostic system for 65% of the children. Scores below borderline function for executive quotient and memory quotient were 32.4% and 24.3%, respectively. Borderline or clinically relevant internalizing problems were noted in 13.5% on the Child Behavior Check List. There were no significant associations between perinatal factors or socioeconomic status and cognitive, visual perception, executive function, or behavior outcomes. Conclusion: Moderate to late preterm infants are at risk of developing borderline intelligence functioning and attention problems at early school age. Cognitive and executive functions that are important for academic performance must be carefully monitored and continuously followed up in moderate to late preterm infants.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제59권3호
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• pp.132-138
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• 2016

Purpose: Acute respiratory infection, particularly pneumonia, is the most common cause of hospitalization and death among children in developing nations. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of children and adolescents with pneumonia who visited Emergency Department (ED) in South Korea in 2012. Methods: We analyzed National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) records from 146 EDs in South Korea for all pediatric patients aged ${\leq}18years$ who were diagnosed with pneumonia between January and December 2012. Results: Among 38,415 subjects, the male-to-female ratio was 1:0.8. Patients aged <12 months comprised 18.0% of the study population; those aged 1 to 3 years, 54.4%; those aged 4 to 6 years, 16.8%; those aged 7 to 12 years, 7.4%; and those aged 13 to 18 years, 3.4%. Presentation rates were highest in April, followed by January, March, and May. The hospital admission rate was 43.5%, of which 2.6% were in intensive care units. The mortality rate was 0.02%. Based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, diagnostic codes, the types of pneumonia according to cause were viral pneumonia (29.0%), bacterial pneumonia (5.3%), Mycoplasmal pneumonia (4.5%), aspiration pneumonia (1.3%), and pneumonia of unknown origin (59.3%). Conclusion: Despite the limited data due to the ED data from the NEDIS lacking laboratory results and treatment information, this study reflects well the outbreak patterns among children and adolescents with pneumonia. Our results provide a basis for future studies regarding ED treatment for children and adolescents with pneumonia.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.76-82
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: Noise levels and room acoustic parameters at a tertiary referral hospital, Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) in Korea, are investigated. Materials and Methods: Through a questionnaire, acoustically problematic rooms are identified. Noise levels in emergency rooms (ERs) and intensive care units (ICUs) are measured over about three days. Acoustically critical and problematic rooms in the otolaryngology department are measured including examination rooms, operating rooms, nurse stations, receptions, and patient rooms. Results: The A-weighted equivalent noise level, L_Aeq, ranges from 54 to 56 dBA, which is at least 10 dB lower than the noise levels of 65 to 73 dBA measured in American ERs. In an ICU, the noise level for the first night was 66 dBA, which came down to 56 dBA for the next day. The noise levels during three different ear surgeries vary from 57 to 62 dBA, depending on the use of surgical drills and suctions. The noise levels in a patient room is found to be 47 dBA, while the nurse stations and the receptions have high noise levels up to 64 dBA. The reverberation times in an operation room, examination room, and single patient room are found to be below 0.6 s. Conclusions: At SNUH, the nurse stations and receptions were found to be quite noisy. The ERs were quieter than in the previous studies. The measured reverberation times seemed low enough but some other nurse stations and examination rooms were not satisfactory according to the questionnaire.

• 대한청각학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.76-82
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: Noise levels and room acoustic parameters at a tertiary referral hospital, Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) in Korea, are investigated. Materials and Methods: Through a questionnaire, acoustically problematic rooms are identified. Noise levels in emergency rooms (ERs) and intensive care units (ICUs) are measured over about three days. Acoustically critical and problematic rooms in the otolaryngology department are measured including examination rooms, operating rooms, nurse stations, receptions, and patient rooms. Results: The A-weighted equivalent noise level, L_Aeq, ranges from 54 to 56 dBA, which is at least 10 dB lower than the noise levels of 65 to 73 dBA measured in American ERs. In an ICU, the noise level for the first night was 66 dBA, which came down to 56 dBA for the next day. The noise levels during three different ear surgeries vary from 57 to 62 dBA, depending on the use of surgical drills and suctions. The noise levels in a patient room is found to be 47 dBA, while the nurse stations and the receptions have high noise levels up to 64 dBA. The reverberation times in an operation room, examination room, and single patient room are found to be below 0.6 s. Conclusions: At SNUH, the nurse stations and receptions were found to be quite noisy. The ERs were quieter than in the previous studies. The measured reverberation times seemed low enough but some other nurse stations and examination rooms were not satisfactory according to the questionnaire.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.224-230
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• 2023

Purpose: Patients with penetrating injuries are at a high risk of mortality, and many of them require emergency surgery. Proper triage and transfer of the patient to the emergency department (ED), where immediate definitive treatment is available, is key to improving survival. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and outcomes of patients with penetrating torso injuries in Incheon Metropolitan City. Methods: Data from trauma patients between 2014 and 2018 (5 years) were extracted from the National Emergency Department Information System. In this study, patients with penetrating injuries to the torso (chest and abdomen) were selected, while those with superficial injuries were excluded. Results: Of 66,285 patients with penetrating trauma, 752 with injuries to the torso were enrolled in this study. In the study population, 345 patients (45.9%) were admitted to the ward or intensive care unit (ICU), 20 (2.7%) were transferred to other hospitals, and 10 (1.3%) died in the ED. Among the admitted patients, 173 (50.1%) underwent nonoperative management and 172 (49.9%) underwent operative management. There were no deaths in the nonoperative management group, but 10 patients (5.8%) died after operative management. The transferred patients showed a significantly longer time from injury to ED arrival, percentage of ICU admissions, and mortality. There were also significant differences in the percentage of operative management, ICU admissions, ED stay time, and mortality between hospitals. Conclusions: Proper triage guidelines need to be implemented so that patients with torso penetrating trauma in Incheon can be transferred directly to the regional trauma center for definitive treatment.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.7-15
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• 2020

The field triage guidelines have been widely implemented in the Korean trauma system. This study aimed to evaluate and validate whether it is reliable to use the field triage guidelines for predicting severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and traumatic spinal injury (TSI) patients. This study retrospectively analyzed in-hospital cohort registries of all TBI and TSI patients, who visited the emergency department (ED) of the Jeju National University Hospital from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015. The primary outcome was defined as TBI and TSI patients with an injury severity score (ISS)>15. Secondary outcomes were defined as cases in which one or more of the following conditions: in-hospital death, ISS>15, admission to the intensive care unit, emergency surgery. We enrolled 14,889 TBI and TSI patients who visited ED, of which 7,966 (53.5%) were triage positive. The overall sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of the full cumulative field triage guidelines step's model (Step 1+3+4 criteria) for primary outcome were 82.8%, 47.0%, and 0.646, respectively. In the results for secondary outcomes, the specificity did not show a significant difference, but the sensitivity decreased to 66.5% and AUC to 0.568. The results of this study suggest that further optimization of the field triage guidelines is needed to identify high-risk TBI and TSI patients.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.167-172
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• 1984

In the present study, we developed a nuclear stethoscope interfaced with a personal computer (APPLE- II) and evaluated it's performances as compared with the gamma camera. This single-probe, ECG-gated system has been used for displaying the left ventricular time-activity curves, the peak ejection time and its rate, the peak filling time and its rate, and the R-R interval distribution. The radioactivity was measured at every 10msec around the ventricular region, where the activity curves shows the maximal peak to peak variations. The background activity was measured around the lung area showing its counts approximately 50% of the end-diastolic count with minimal variations. The average time-activity curves of 100 beats were used for analysis in the equilibrium study after intravenous injection of 15-20mCi of Tc. The ejection fractions measured by the nuclear stethoscope(Y) were compared with those measured by gamma camera(X) in 47 patients with various heart diseases. The correlation coefficient between two measurements was 0.766 with a relation of Y=1.04 x-8.48. Also, the high reproducibility was obtained for the same patient. Also, the high reproducibility was obtained for the same patient. From this study, we conclude that this device is useful for continuous monitoring in the intensive care unit, as it is portable, compact, and inexpensive.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제57권4호
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• pp.329-335
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• 2004

연구 배경 : 중환자의 예후를 예측할 수 있는 지표로 현재까지 APACHE II, III 점수체계와 SAPS 등이 임상에 응용되고 있다. 1996년 유럽에서 SOFA 점수체계가 제안되었고 1998년 다기관 전향적 연구를 통하여 장기부전을 평가하고 경과를 감시하는 간편하고 효과적인 점수체계임을 입증하였다. 이 연구는 춘천성심병원에서 내과계 중환자만을 대상으로 SOFA 점수체계의 유용성을 조사하였다. 방 법 : 2000년 5월 1일부터 6월 30일까지 춘천성심병원 내과계 중환자실에 입원한 154명을 대상으로 하였고, 이중 타과환자, 타병원으로 전원된 경우, ECG 관찰만을 위하여 입원한 경우, 처치 후 관찰을 위해 48시간 이내만 체류한 환자를 제외한 105명을 연구에 포함시켰으며, 91명에서 평가가 가능하였다. SOFA 점수와 APACHE III 점수는 입원 시부터 매일 24시간 간격으로 중환자실에서 퇴실할 때까지 하였다. 결 과 : 1) 사망률은 20%였고 중환자실 체류기간의 중앙값은 3일이었다. 2) 사망군과 생존군 간의 24시간 내 SOFA 점수는 각각 $8.17{\pm}4.05$, $3.85{\pm}3.24$로 유의한 차이가 있었다. 3) 장기부전이 없는 경우의 사망률은 6.5%, 5개의 다발성 장기부전이 있는 경우 사망률은 100%였다. 4) 48시간 이상 체류했던 74명을 분석한 결과 사망군에서는 최대 SOFA 점수가 81%에서 증가하였고 생존군에서는 21%에서 증가하여 유의한 차이를 보였다. 5) 24시간 내 SOFA 점수와 APACHE III 점수와의 관련성을 평가한 결과 r=0.85 (p<0.01)로 유의한 상관관계가 있었다. 결 론 : SOFA 점수체계는 다발성 장기부전이 있는 환자에서 장기부전을 평가하고 예후를 예측하며 임상경과를 관찰하는데 이용할 수 있는 간편하고 임상적 효용성이 있는 지표로서 임상적으로 많은 도움이 될 것으로 생각한다.