• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.430-439
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• 1998

This study was performed to investigate the nutritional status of neurosurgical tube-fed patients. The objective of this study was to improve the nutrition management of tube-fed patients. The current practices of tube feeding and enteral nutrition formula as for 95 patients in the hospital were examined by reviewing patients charts, and interviewing patients, nurses and their family members. The results are summarized as follows ; 57.9% of patients that received the formula showed a decrease in mental status. Among the subjects, 55.7% had nervous system diseases due to old age. Most of the tube-fed patients were hospitalized in the emergency room and while hospitalized, the status of their respiratory organ was abnormal. The method of tube-feeding was by Bolus injection and the type of the tube was a 16Fr size silicone tube. The amount of the injection per day while tube-feeding was on average 1424kcal for men and 1322kcal for women and the calories per day ranged from 1000-1500kcal(50.5%). The injection volume averaged 332.7ml and 45% of patients received more than 300ml per injection. The tube feeding intake rate was 127.9ml/min with 50% of subjects in the range of 50-100ml/min and 10% at 20ml/min. The longer the hospitalization, the older age, coma status, and the higher tube feeding rate, the more decreased were the biochemical parameters.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.188-192
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• 2023

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy (AHEI) is a rare, benign, vascular condition that primarily affects infants, and is possibly associated with respiratory viral infections. A case involving a 47-day-old male infant, who was admitted with a 1-day history of fever, is presented. Initially, the patient developed an erythematous macular rash and patches on the hands and feet, along with swelling. The fever subsided after the first day of hospitalization, and the patient remained in generally good condition with normal oral intake. Timely recognition of AHEI is crucial to avoid unnecessary medical investigations or therapies, and to promptly identify any rare but potentially severe complications that may arise.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.532-539
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• 1993

Background: Physician's estimates of patient survival often influence clinical decisions, especially those near the end of life. In addition. clinical decisions frequently reflect trade-offs between morbidity and length of survival. As a result, accurate estimates of survival can be extremely useful in clinical decision. When the episode of acute respiratory failure in chronic obstructive lung disease, evaluation of the severity of the condition and short term prognosis is difficulit based on the available clinical or paraclinical data at the time of admission. Method: In this study, we performed a retrospective study in Chung Ang University Hospital, 74 patients (51 males, 23 females), who were hospitalized with chronic obstructive lung disease with acute respiratory failure from 1980 to 1992. We evaluated these patients to determine lung prognostic factors at time of admission in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that predict short term survival, and to determine the possible application of the Simplified Acute Phsiology Score (SAPS) to this population, All patients were treated with similar regimen during the hospitalization. Results: The results were as follows: 1) Hospital mortality was 34%(25/74 patients) and surival rate was 66%(49/74 patients) in COPD with acute respiratory failure. The prognosis of the older age was much poorer than those of the young age. 2) There was no difference in mortality according to the results of basal pulmonary test and arterial blood gas analysis. 3) The SAPS at admission was higher in those patients who expired(10.8) than the survived(6.5), and there was positive correlation between SAPS and mortality (r=0.91, p<0.05). 4) Prognostic factors in acute respiratory failure complicating COPD which were identifiable at time of admission to the ICU were as follows: cachexia, encephalopathy, serum creatinine and phosphate. Conclusion: In conclusion, the SAPS might have a good prognostic value for determination of short term survival among chronic obstructive lung disease with acute respiratory failure.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2007

Purpose : Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a newly identified paramyxovirus that causes a variety of clinical syndromes in children, including upper and lower respiratory tract illnesses. hMPV is considered an ubiquitous virus causing respiratory tract diseases among children especially during late winter and spring seasons. We report clinical features of human metapneumovirus infection in Korean children. Methods : hMPV infection was diagnosed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in respiratory specimens obtained from patients with acute respiratory tract infections from October, 2004 to May, 2005. Medical records of all hMPV-positive patients were reviewed, retrospectively. Results : A total of 15 hMPV were identified from 443 nasopharyngeal aspirations by RT-PCR (3.4%). The range of age of the patients with hMPV infection was from 1 month to 62 months (median age, 31.5 months), with similar numbers of females (8/15) and males (7/15). Among hMPV-positive children, 53.3% (8/15) were aged less than 24 months. Fever, cough, rhinorrhea, vomiting, diarrhea, tachypnea, and chest wall retractions were common findings. Most common clinical diagnosis was pneumonia (60%). Two of the 15 hMPV-positive patients were also positive for adenovirus. Fever persisted from 0 to 10 days (mean 4.9 days). The duration of hospitalization ranged from 4 to 7 days (mean 5.6 days). Conclusion : hMPV accounted for a small but significant proportion of respiratory tract infection in infants and children. Future development and application of diagnostic tools will determine the burden of disease caused by this newly discovered pathogen.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.20-32
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the etiology and risk factors of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospitalization in Korean children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Clinical information of children admitted with CAP to Seoul National University Children's Hospital (SNUCH) between January 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022, was retrospectively collected and analyzed. In addition, the etiologic diagnosis and demographic data of children with CAP who were discharged at the other seven hospitals between January and February 2022 were collected. Pneumonia was diagnosed using strict criteria comprising clinical symptoms, physical examination findings, and chest radiographic findings. Results: Among 91 children hospitalized with CAP at SNUCH during the 14-month period, 68.4% were aged <5 years and 79.1% had underlying diseases. Among the 95 CAP cases, respiratory assistance was required in 70.5%, and the use of a ventilator was required in 20.0%. A total of five patients expired, all of whom were either immunocompromised or had underlying neurological diseases. Neurological diseases and immunosuppression were significantly correlated with respiratory assistance (P=0.003) and death (P=0.014). A total of 55% of the detected respiratory pathogens were viruses, the most common of which was rhinovirus at 35.9%. Among the 169 children hospitalized for CAP at the eight institutions, ≥1 respiratory virus was detected in 92.3%, among which respiratory syncytial virus (79.8%) was the most prevalent. Conclusions: Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean children were hospitalized with CAP caused by seasonal respiratory viral pathogens. Although atypical and pyogenic bacteria were not detected, continuous clinical monitoring and further prospective studies should be conducted.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.607-613
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• 2005

Background : Early death is an important problem associated with the management of community-acquired pneumonia. However, there is little information on the risk factors associated with it. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with early death in community-acquired pneumonia patients. Methods : From January 1999 to July 2004, 1,487 adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were admitted to the pulmonary department via emergency center were examined. Early death was defined as those who died within 2 days of hospitalization. The clinical and laboratory aspects of the patients who died early (n = 30) were compared with those of an age and gender matched control population (n = 60). Results : In the early death group, respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significant higher (p < 0.05 for all), while the arterial pH, systolic pressure, and $PaO_2$ were significant lower (p < 0.05 for all) than the control. The independent factor significantly associated with early death was tachypnea (OR, 7.049). Conclusion : The importance of an early clinical assessment in emergency center with community-acquired pneumonia needs to be emphasized in order to recognize patients at risk of early death.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2012

Background: The prevalence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is steadily decreasing in South Korea. However, PTB is a disease with relatively high mortality and morbidity rates throughout Korea. Although there are many studies and statistics about the risk factors of PTB mortality in many countries, there are only a limited number of domestic papers on this topic. The aim of this study is to determine predictive factors for mortality among in-hospital patients associated with PTB. Methods: From December 2006 to January 2011, we reviewed medical records of 2,122 adult patients diagnosed with tuberculosis at a single tertiary hospital in a suburban area. In this study period, 960 patients were diagnosed with PTB by positive Acid fast bacilli smear and/or mycobacterial culture of the respiratory specimen. We compared the groups of patients deceased and patients discharged alive with PTB. The number of dead patients was 82 (47 males, 35 females). Results: Mortality was significantly associated with increased values of white blood cells (WBC), blood urine nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), numbers of involved lung field, and length of hospitalization. Also, it was associated with the decreased values of hemoglobin, lymphocyte, sodium, albumin, and cholesterol. Furthermore, admission through the emergency department, initial intensive care unit admission, and drug resistant PTB affected mortality in PTB patients. Independent predictors associated with PTB mortality are BUN, initial intensive care unit care, and admission during treatment of tuberculosis. Conclusion: In our study, mortality of pulmonary tuberculosis was related with parameters associated with nutritional status, disease severity at the time of admission, and drug resistance.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.4
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• pp.317-325
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• 2021

Background: Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are significant public health issues in the world, but the epidemiological data pertaining to HAP/VAP is limited in Korea. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes of HAP/VAP in Korea. Methods: This study is a multicenter retrospective cohort study. In total, 206,372 adult patients, who were hospitalized at one of the 13 participating tertiary hospitals in Korea, were screened for eligibility during the six-month study period. Among them, we included patients who were diagnosed with HAP/VAP based on the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) definition for HAP/VAP. Results: Using the IDSA/ATS diagnostic criteria, 526 patients were identified as HAP/VAP patients. Among them, 27.9% were diagnosed at the intensive care unit (ICU). The cohort of patients had a median age of 71.0 (range from 62.0 to 79.0) years. Most of the patients had a high risk of aspiration (63.3%). The pathogen involved was identified in 211 patients (40.1%). Furthermore, multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens were isolated in 138 patients; the most common MDR pathogen was Acinetobacter baumannii. During hospitalization, 107 patients with HAP (28.2%) had to be admitted to the ICU for additional care. The hospital mortality rate was 28.1% in the cohort of this study. Among the 378 patients who survived, 54.2% were discharged and sent back home, while 45.8% were transferred to other hospitals or facilities. Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of HAP/VAP in adult hospitalized patients in Korea was 2.54/1,000 patients. In tertiary hospitals in Korea, patients with HAP/VAP were elderly and had a risk of aspiration, so they were often referred to step-down centers.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.142-151
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• 2008

Purpose : The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effects of modified porcine (Curosurf$^{(R)}$) and bovine (Newfactan$^{(R)}$) surfactants in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. Methods : Between April 2004 and December 2006, 65 neonates (birth weight ${\leq}$2,500 g and gestational age ${\leq}$35 weeks) with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome were treated in our neonatal intensive care unit with surfactant. Thirty-one neonates received Curosurf$^{(R)}$ and 34 neonates received Newfactan$^{(R)}$. The neonates were not enrolled if they had major congenital anomalies or meconium aspiration syndrome. We compared the changes in respiratory parameters after surfactant instillation, the incidences of acute and chronic complications, and the mortality between the two treatment groups. Results : Neonatal and maternal demographic characteristics were not different between the groups. The patterns of change in the respiratory parameters after surfactant instillation were not statistically different between the groups. The incidences of surfactant reinstillation and acute complications, such as pneumothorax, patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary hemorrhage, and grade 3-4 intraventricular hemorrhage, were not different between the neonates who received Curosurf$^{(R)}$ and the neonates who received Newfactan$^{(R)}$. There were no statistically significant differences in the duration of mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy, hospitalization, prevalence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and mortality between the groups. Conclusion : In the present comparative study, no significant differences in the clinical effects of Curosurf$^{(R)}$ and Newfactan$^{(R)}$ were observed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.258-264
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• 2015

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic results and safety of pectoralis major muscle turnover flaps in the treatment of mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures. Methods: Data regarding 33 patients with post-CABG deep sternal wound infections (DSWIs) who underwent pectoralis major muscle turnover flap procedures in the Emam Reza and Ghaem Hospitals of Mashhad, Iran were reviewed in this study. For each patient, age, sex, hospital stay duration, remission, recurrence, and associated morbidity and mortality were evaluated. Results: Of the 2,447 CABG procedures that were carried out during the time period encompassed by our study, DSWIs occurred in 61 patients (2.5%). Of these 61 patients, 33 patients (nine females [27.3%] and 24 males [72.7%]) with an average age of $63{\pm}4.54$ years underwent pectoralis major muscle turnover flap placement. Symptoms of infection mainly occurred within the first 10 days after surgery (mean, $10.24{\pm}13.62days$). The most common risk factor for DSWIs was obesity (n=16, 48.4%) followed by diabetes mellitus (n=13, 39.4%). Bilateral and unilateral pectoralis major muscle turnover flaps were performed in 20 patients (60.6%) and 13 patients (39.4%), respectively. Complete remission was achieved in 25 patients (75.7%), with no recurrence in the follow-up period. Four patients (12.1%) needed reoperation. The mean hospitalization time was $11.69{\pm}6.516days$. Four patients (12.1%) died during the course of the study: three due to the postoperative complication of respiratory failure and one due to pulmonary thromboembolism. Conclusion: Pectoralis major muscle turnover flaps are an optimal technique in the treatment of post-CABG mediastinitis. In addition to leading to favorable therapeutic results, this flap is associated with minimal morbidity and mortality, as well as a short hospitalization time.