• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.98-104
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of the trauma care system of our hospital, in which emergency physicians care for major trauma patients in the emergency intensive care unit (ICU) in consultation with intervention radiologists and surgeons. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted in an emergency ICU of a tertiary referral hospital. We enrolled consecutive patients who had been admitted to our emergency ICU with major trauma from March 2007 to September 2010. We collected data with respect to demographic findings, mechanisms of injury, the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS), emergency surgery, angiographic intervention, and 6-month mortality. Then, we compared the observed and predicted survivals of the patients. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration plots by using 10 groups, one for each decile, of predicted mortality were used to evaluate the fitness of TRISS. P-values of greater than 0.05 represent a fair calibration. Results: Among 116 patients, 12 (10.34%) were dead within 6 months after admission to the ICU, and 29 (25.00%) and 38 (32.80%) patients received emergency surgery and angiographic intervention, respectively. The mean injury severity score and revised trauma score were $36.97{\pm}17.73$ and $7.84{\pm}6.75$, respectively. The observed survival and the predicted survival of the TRISS were 89.66% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 84.03~95.28%) and 69.85% (95% CI: 63.80~75.91%), respectively. The calibration plots showed that the observed survival of our patients was consistently higher than the predicted survival of the TRISS ($p$ <0.001). Conclusion: The observed survival for the trauma care system of our hospital, in which emergency physicians care for major trauma patients in the emergency ICU in consultation with intervention radiologists and surgeons, was higher than the predicted survival of the TRISS.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.96-100
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• 2007

Purpose: Trauma is the 5th most common leading cause of death in Korea, but there has been no appropriate management system for patients until now. We analyzed the main causes of death in trauma patients by comparing the characteristics of those patients with the characteristics of patients who survived. We feel this analysis should have a positive effect on the development of an appropriate trauma management system in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed trauma patients who had been admitted to the Department of General Surgery from February 2002 to February 2007. We compared several expected risk factors between the mortality and the survival group. Data on the transportation, arrival time at the emergency center, amount of transfusion, initial shock index, cause of death, and initial physical condition according to RTS (Revised trauma score), ISS (Injury severity score) and TRISS (Trauma and Injury Severity Score) were collected. Patients with ISS lower than 12 were excluded. Results: Three hundred sixty-six(366) patients with multiple injuries were included. There were 40 patients in the mortality group and 326 patients in the survival group. The mean arrival time (minutes) to emergency center was longer in the mortality group (137.6 vs 93.6 p 0.04). The total amount of transfusion (ml) was larger in the mortality group (7139 vs 2470 p 0.01). The initial shock index was higher in the mortality group (1.45 vs 1.17 p<0.01). The RTS, ISS, and TRISS were not statistically different between the groups. In the multivariate analysis, mean arrival time and initial shock index were important factors for survival. Conclusion: If the mortality rate of trauma patients is to be reduced, the arrival time at the emergency center should be minimized. Improvement of the emergency medical transfer service system is very important for achieving that.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.180-187
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• 2010

Purpose: The "golden hour" concept in trauma is pervasive despite little evidence to support it. This study addressed the association between prehospital time and in-hospital mortality in seriously injured abdominal trauma victims. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted over a three-year period from 2006 to 2008. We analyzed trauma victims with abdominal injuries who underwent an emergency laparotomy in a local emergency center located in a city with a population of 2,500,000. According to the 'golden hour' oncept, we separated the trauma victims into two groups (Gourp 1: prehospital time ${\leq}$ 1 hour, Group 2: prehospital time > 1hour) and investigated several factors, such as time, process, and outcome. Results: During the period from January 2006 to December 2008 139 trauma victims underwent an emergency laparotomy, and 89 of them were enrolled in this study. Between the two groups, emergency department (ED) access, transportation, and injury mechanism showed statistically meaningful differences, but no statistically meaningful differences were observed in various measures of the outcome, such as length of hospital stay, length of Intensive Care Unit stay, and mortality. In a univariate logistic regression study, age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.101; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.026 to 1.182), Revised Trauma Score (RTS) (OR: 0.444; 95% CI 0.278 to 0.710), hemoglobin (OR: 0.749; 95% CI: 0.585 to 0.960), and creatinine (OR: 24.584; 95% CI: 2.019 to 299.364) were significant prognostic factors, but prehospital time was not. In a multivariate logistic regression study, age and RTS were significant associated with mortality. Conclusion: In this study, we found no association between prehospital time and mortality among abdominal trauma patient who underwent an emergency laparotomy. We suggest that in our current out-of-hospital and emergency care system, until arrival at the hospital time may be less crucial for trauma victims than once thought.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.102-106
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• 2010

Purpose: With the increasing numbers of foreign residents in Korea, the need for an emergency medical care system for foreign patients seems to be growing. Sometimes, a foreigner admitted to an emergency room is not treated sufficiently due to the absence of insurance, facility in the Korean language, and a guardian. The management of a foreigner with trauma in the ER is difficult due to various problems such as social and economic status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current management status of foreigners with penetrating wounds in the emergency room. Methods: This study is an analysis of 580 patients that were diagnosed with penetrating wounds in one teaching Hospital from Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2008. We analyzed results according to nationality, alcohol ingestion, intentional or accidental trauma, trauma mechanism, injury severity, management time in the ER, and outcome in the ER. Results: Of the total 580 patients, 486 patients (83.8%) were native Koreans and 94 patients (16.2%) were foreigners. According to the Revised Trauma Score, the average score of native Korean patients was 7.808, and the average score of foreign patients was 7.638. Of native Korean patients, 22.6% had knife wounds while 38.3% of foreign patients did. Of native Korean patients, 17.3% experienced intentional trauma while 33.0% of the foreign patients did. Of native Korean patients, 22.5% had ingested alcohol while 49.4% of the foreigners had. Of native Korean patients, 10.5% were admitted while 7.6% of the foreign patients were. Of native Korean patients, 14.2% were discharged against medical advice (DAMA), while 18.5% of foreign patients were. Of native Korean patients, 1.2% ran away while 8.7% of the foreign patients did. Conclusion: Stabbing was the most common cause of penetrating wounds in foreigner patients in this study. Intentional trauma was more common in foreigners with penetrating wounds than in native Koreans. The severity was higher in foreigners with penetrating wounds than it was in native Koreans, and patients who ran away or were discharged against medical advice were more commonly foreigners with penetrating wounds. Social insurance or policy is needed for the management of foreigners with penetrating wounds.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2019

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate into the effects of physical therapy intervention with local vibration on pain, ROM (range of motion) and psychological status in multiple trauma patients caused by traffic accident. Methods: A patient with multiple trauma were recruited. Before treatment, he was evaluated using numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), Korean-version impact of event scale-revised (IES-R-K), Beck Depression inventory (BDI), passive and active range of motion, and were reevaluated after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Results: As a result of comparing the participant before and after the experiment, the score of the IES-R-K and BDI decreased. And the passive and active ROM increased. Conclusion: According to the results above, physical intervention with local vibration by Blackroll Releazer can help improve pain, physical function and psychological status. Also, physical intervention with Blackroll's Releazer technique was able to select interventions depending on the patient's conditional and the desired goal.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.74-80
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• 2006

Purpose: For prevention and suitable administration, the effect of age on the severity of injuries in traffic accidents should be considered when evaluating a patient, but there have not been enough epidemiological studies that evaluate the age factor in traffic accidents. For that reason, we investigated old-aged patients who were involved in traffic accidents (65 years old or more) and who were admitted to the emergency department of a college hospital in an urban city of Korea. Methods: We collected data from traffic-accident patients who came to the emergency room of a university hospital in Seoul from Jan.1, 2004 to Dec.31, 2005. We compared their abilities to ambulate and the RTSs (Revised trauma scores) by using a LSD (least significant difference), linear regression. Results: A total of 1460 patients were included. The mean RTS of all traffic-accident patients was $7.77{\pm}0.280$. The scores for drivers and passengers, motor-cycle drivers and passengers, bicycle drivers and passengers, and pedestrians were $7.79{\pm}0.21$, $7.78{\pm}0.22$, $7.54{\pm}0.25$, $7.77{\pm}0.20$, and $7.80{\pm}0.21$ respectively (p=0.000). There was no statistically significant difference between the RTS of patients over 65 years and that of other patients. In a regression analysis, the number of patients over 45 ages who were able to ambulate was lower than that of younger people, independently of other influencing factors (B=-0.330, R-square = 0.243, p=0.000). Conclusion: We expected that RTS of old age group more than 65 years old will significantly lower than that of others, but there was no statistically significant difference.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.248-253
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• 2009

Purpose: Hemodynamically unstable pelvic fractures represent therapeutic challenges for the trauma team. The authors of this article have studied the clinical profiles of the angiographic intervention population at the emergency department during four years (2005~2009) to develop clinical guidelines for preventing deaths due to multiple trauma and for predicting the prognosis during initial evaluation. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 34 patients who had undergone angiographic interventions at the emergency department and compared the differences in clinical variables between survivors and non-survivors. Results: Representative values were compared between survivors and non-survivors : RTS (revised trauma score) 7.006 (6.376~7.841) vs. 6.128 (4.298~6.494), PRC (packed red cell) units 5.5 (2.0~11.0) vs. 15 (8.0~18.5), and lactate (mmol/L) 3.0 (1.0~7.0) vs. 8.5 (3.5~10.5). RTS (p<0.01) and PRC units before angiographic interventions (p=0.01) and lactate (p=0.02) had correlations to the final outcomes. Conclusion: The availability of an angiographic suite and persistent hypotension after adequate fluid resuscitation for pelvic trauma are good indications of angiographic intervention for pelvic hemorrhage.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.193-198
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• 2009

Purpose: This study evaluated the characteristics and the prognosis of multiple intraabdominal solid organ injuries, including those to the liver, spleen, and kidney, after blunt trauma. Methods: From January 2001 to March 2009, 39 patients with multiple intraabdominal solid organ injuries, which had been confirmed by contrast-enhanced computed tomography after blunt trauma, were included in this retrospective study. The injury severity score (ISS), abbreviated injury scale (AIS), revised trauma score (RTS), American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) injury grade of solid organs, initial hemodynamic status, blood gas analysis, blood transfusion, and the mortality were the main outcome measurements. Results: Injured groups were classified into liver/kidney (n=17), liver/spleen (n=4), spleen/kidney (n=13), and liver/kidney/spleen (n=5) groups. Patients were older in the liver/kidney group than in the liver/kidney/spleen group (43 vs 18 years, p=0.023). The initial systolic blood pressures tended to be lower in the liver/kidney group than in the other groups (84 vs 105, 112, and 114 mmHg, p=0.087). The amounts of 24-hour packed RBC transfusion were 32 units in the liver/kidney group and 4 units in the liver/kidney/spleen group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Differences were found in neither the RTS, ISS, and AIS for head, chest, abdominal, and pelvic injuries nor the AAST injury grade for solid organ, but injuries to the chest were more severe in the liver/spleen group than in the spleen/kidney group (AIS 4.0 vs 2.8, p=0.028). Conservative treatment was the most frequent applied treatment in all groups. There were 6 mortalities : 3 due to hypovolemia, 2 to sepsis, and 1 to brain injury. Mortalities occurred only in the liver/kidney group. Conclusion: Patients who had intraabdominal solid organ injuries of the liver and the kidney simultaneously, tended to be transfused more at an early time after trauma, to have lower initial systolic blood pressures, and to have a higher mortality.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.188-195
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• 2012

Purpose: An increase in the demand for specialized Trauma Centers led to a government-driven campaign, that began in 2009. Our hospital was selected as one of the Trauma Centers, and we reviewed data on trauma patients in order to correlate the mortality at a regional Trauma Center with its contributing factors, such as the severity of the injury, the means of arrival, and the time duration before arrival at our center. Methods: Data on the patients who visited our Trauma Center from January 2010 to November 2011 were retrospectively reviewed using electronic medical records. The patients who had revised trauma scores (RTSs) less than 7 or injury severity scores (ISSs) greater than 15 were included. The patients were categorized as survivors and non-survivors, and the means of arrival as transferred or visited directly. Time durations before arrival of less than one hour were also taken intoconsideration. Results: Two hundred(200) patients were enrolled, and the mortality rate was 36.5%. The most common cause of the accident was an automobile accident, and the most common cause of death was brain injury. The RTSs and the ISSs were significantly different in the non-survivor and the survivor groups. The mortality rate of the patients who were transferred was not statistically different from that of patients who visited directly. However, a time duration before arrival of less than one hour was statistically meaningful. Conclusion: The prognosis of the trauma patients were correlated with the severity of the trauma as can be expected, but the time between the incidence of accident and the arrival at hospital and whether the presence of transfer to trauma center were not statistically significant to the prognosis.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.218-226
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• 2009

Purpose: In multiple blunt trauma patients, transfusion may be a significant therapeutic adjunct to non-operative management. The blood products must be expedited and efficiently to patients in impending shock caused by hemorrhage or traumatic coagulopathy, but the decision to perform blood transfusion has been made empirically, based on the clinician' and has not been guided by objective parameters, but own opinion, that may result in an underestimate of or a failure to detect bleeding, in delayed transfusion, and in a reduced outcome. This article presents quickly assessable predictive factors for determining if a blood transfusion is required to improve outcomes in multiple blunt trauma patients admitted to the emergency room. Methods: In a retrospective review of 282 multiple blunt trauma patients who visited our emergency center by emergency rescuer during a 1-year period, possible factors predictive of the need for a blood transfusion were subjected to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Of blunt trauma patients, 9.2% (26/282), received red blood cells in the first 24 hours of care. Univariate analysis revealed significant associations between blood transfused and heart rate (HR) > 100 beats/min, respiratory rate (RR) > 20 breaths/min, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) < 14, Revised Trauma Score (RTS) < 11, white blood cell count (WBC) < 4000 or > 10000, and initial abnormal portable trauma series (Cspine lateral, chest AP, pelvis AP). A multiple regression analysis, with a correction for diagnosis, identified HR > 100 beats/min (EXP 3.2), GCS < 14 (EXP 4.1), and abnormal trauma series (EXP 2.9), as independent predictors. Conclusion: In our study, systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 90 mmHg, old age > 65 years, hemoglobin < 13g/dL, mechanism of injury were poor predictors of early blood transfusion. Initial abnormal portable trauma series, HR > 100 beats/min, and GCS < 14 were quickly assessable useful factors for predicting a need for early blood transfusion in blunt trauma patients visiting the emergency room.