• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.148-156
• /
• 1976

Acute respiratory failure has become an increasingly frequent cause of death following shock or trauma. Interstitial or diffuse alveolar edema, as chief pathophysiologic change of acute respiratory insufficiency, can be the result of sepsis, fat embolism, cardiac failure, lung congestion, and oxygen toxicity. These pulmonary problems are extremely difficult to treat without early recognition of their development and aggressive management. If the treatment is delayed, the progressive respiratory failure is almost uniformly fatal. Authors have experienced two cases of acute respiratory insufficiency following the blunt chest trauma, which were healed uneventfully. Literatures were briefly reviewed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.67 no.1
• /
• pp.47-51
• /
• 2009

Loss of appetite is an important factor in the quality of life for advanced cancer patients. Megestrol acetate is used to stimulate appetite, but it can cause suppression of the pituitary adrenal axis due to the affinity of the glucocorticoid receptor. Adrenal insufficiency is a life threatening disorder if left, untreated, but the initial clinical symptoms of the patients are vague. Awareness of the glucocorticoid-like activity of megestrol acetate and its side effects are important for the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. We present a case of secondary adrenal insufficiency associated with megestrol acetate in a patient with lung cancer.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.53 no.10
• /
• pp.909-912
• /
• 2010

Familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis is an autosomal-dominant channelopathy characterized by episodic muscle weakness with hypokalemia. The respiratory and cardiac muscles typically remain unaffected, but we report an atypical case of a family with hypokalemic periodic paralysis in which the affected members presented with frequent respiratory insufficiency during severe attacks. Molecular analysis revealed a heterozygous c.664 C>T transition in the sodium channel gene $SCN4A$, leading to an Arg222Trp mutation in the channel protein. The patients described here presented unusual clinical characteristics that included a severe respiratory phenotype, an incomplete penetrance in female carriers, and a different response to medications.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2023

Breathing is controlled by complex interactions between the central and peripheral nervous systems in conjunction with the respiratory system. Neurological diseases predispose patients to nocturnal desaturation and pneumonia due to respiratory dysfunction, which increases mortality, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, and reduces the quality of life. Respiratory function tests are required to identify respiratory function decline and to consider compensatory management. This review summarizes the characteristics of several respiratory function tests and their applications to neurological diseases.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.30-33
• /
• 2011

Trichloroethylene (TCE, $C_2HCl_3$), which was introduced as a gas for general anesthesia and analgesia in early 1900's has been widely used in industry as an organic solvent. Occupational exposure to TCE is an important medical problem. Manifestations of acute exposure to TCE include mucocutaneous irritation, hepatotoxicity, cognitive impairment, sleep, headache, respiratory insufficiency and death. We report a 38-year-old man who was admitted to a department of emergency medicine after occupational inhalation exposure to TCE. He rapidly developed semicoma and respiratory depression. After mechanical ventilation, hypercapnea and hypoxemia disappeared and his mental state again became alert. Careful evaluation and proper respiratory support are important for respiratory failure after occupational TCE inhalation.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.41-43
• /
• 2018

ntermediate syndrome (IMS) typically occurs at 24-96 hours following organophosphate (OP) poisoning, after an acute cholinergic crisis, but before OP-induced delayed polyneuropathy. It is characterized by proximal muscle weakness and respiratory insufficiency, which is a major contributing factor of OP-related morbidity and mortality. We report an atypical IMS case showing rapid-onset ascending paralysis and respiratory disturbance with an acute cholinergic crisis occurring 4-5 days after skin exposure to OP.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.353-357
• /
• 1987

We recently experienced a case of bronchogenic cyst associated with situs inversus and partial pericardial defect. The patient was 26-day-old-male who showed severe respiratory difficulty. Left upper lobectomy and direct suture of partial pericardial defect were undergone successfully, but his postoperative course was unfortunate because of respiratory insufficiency.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.407-411
• /
• 1986

Between March 1978 and December 1985, 39 patients were admitted to our hospital & surgery was performed to 27 patients. Among 39 patients, male patients were 31 cases, female 8 cases and the age ranged from 42 years old to 69 yrs old with the average of 55 years old. Main symptoms of esophageal cancer were dysphagia [6%], weight loss [20%], retrosternal and epicardial discomfort [18%], hoarseness [13%], and hiccup [5%]. The anatomical locations of esophageal cancer were followed as; 51% in lower esophagus & cardia, 44% in middle, and 5% in upper esophagus. Among 27 cases, 5 cases were managed by feeding gastrostomy and jejunostomy due to inoperability, 19 cases by esophagogastrostomy, and 3 cases by colon bypass with the resection of esophageal cancer. Postoperative complications were noticed in 7 cases, such as anastomotic leakage in 2 cases [7%], respiratory insufficiency in 2 cases [7%], intussusception in 1 case [4%], wound dehiscence in 1 case [4%], and hepatitis in 1 case [4%]. Among 2 respiratory insufficiency, 2 patients die as a result of that complication and operative mortality was 7%.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.97-102
• /
• 2007

Objective : The authors attempted to evaluate the pattern of the airway narrowing due to prevertebral soft tissue swelling after surgery of the anterior cervical spine and their clinical significances using plain cervical X-ray images. Methods : Twenty-four patients undergoing anterior cervical spine surgery were reviewed from January 2004 to December 2005. Postoperatively, in daily basis, lateral radiograph of the neck was obtained in neutral position. We measured the upper airway diameter above and below the epiglottis level and prevertebral soft tissue diameter every day for a week and finally 2 weeks after surgery using their simple lateral cervical X-ray films. Results : Both airway narrowing and prevertebral soft tissue swelling were maximum in postoperative 2 days, and decreased rapidly in postoperative 7 days. Airway narrowing was aggravated postoperatively but slowly decreased as prevertebral soft tissue swelling diminished. But, the severity of airway narrowing showed no clinical correlations with clinical symptom and radiologic severity. Conclusion : Not all patients who show severe airway narrowing and prevertebral soft tissue swelling on their plain cervical X-ray film complain respiratory insufficiency. But, the patients with undergoing anterior cervical spine surgery should be monitored carefully for respiratory insufficiency, especially during several days following operation because both airway narrowing and prevertebral soft tissue swelling become peak at postoperative 2-3 days.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.74 no.2
• /
• pp.79-81
• /
• 2013

Few recent reports have indicated that Mycobacterium massiliense causes various infections including respiratory infection. However, there is scarce information on the clinical significance, natural history of the infection, and therapeutic strategy. This report describes a case of an immunocompetent old man infected by M. massiliense that causes acute respiratory failure. In light of the general courses of non-tuberculous mycobacterium infections, rapid progression and fatality are very rare and odd. In addition, we discuss the biological and pathological properties of M. massiliense with the review of cases reported previously including our fatal one.