• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.839-846
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• 1987

The records of 10 patients with traumatic diaphragmatic hernia seen from November 1977 through July 1987 were reviewed. All the patients had a transdiaphragmatic evisceration of abdominal contents into the thorax. We treated 7 male and 3 female patients ranging in age from 3 to 62 years. In 8 patients, diaphragmatic hernia followed blunt trauma and in 2 patients, stab wounds to the chest. The herniation occurred on the right side in 3 patients and on the left side in 7. All the patients sustained additional injuries: rib fractures [7 patients], additional limb, pelvic and vertebral fractures [6], closed head injury [2], lung laceration [1], liver laceration [1], renal contusion [1], ureteral rupture [1], and splenic rupture [1]. Organs herniated through the diaphragmatic rent included the omentum [6 patients], stomach [4], liver [4], colon [3], small intestine [1], and spleen [1]. For right-sided injuries, the liver was herniated in all 3 patients and the colon, in 1. in the initial or latent phase, dyspnea, diminished breath sounds, bowel sounds in the chest were noted in 4 patients, and in the obstructive phase, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain were found in all 3 patients. Two patients had a diagnostic chest radiograph with findings of bowel gas patterns, and an additional 8 had abnormal but nondiagnostic studies. Hemothorax, pleural effusion or abnormal diaphragmatic contour were common abnormal findings. Three patients were operated on during the initial or acute phase [immediately after injury], 4 patients were operated on during the latent or intermediate phase [3 to 210 days], and 3 patients were operated on during the obstructive phase [10 to 290 days]. Six patients underwent thoracotomy, 2 required thoracoabdominal incision, and 2 had combined thoracotomy and laparotomy. Primary suture was used to repair the diaphragmatic hernia in 9 cases. One patient required plastic repair by a Teflon felt. Empyema was the main complication in 2 patients. In 1 patient, the empyema was treated by closed thoracostomy and in 1, by decortication and open drainage. There were no deaths.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 1996

A clinical evaluation was performed on 305 cases of chest trauma experienced at the department of the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Dae Jeon Eul Ji Hospital, during the period from March 1991 to November 1994. Age distribution was from 4 to 85 years, the mosts common age groups were 4-th, 5th and 6th decades. The ratio of male to female was 229:76(3:1), the ratio showed male predominance, the most common cause of trauma was traffic accidents in nonpenetrating trauma and stab wounds in penetrating trauma. Hemothorax, pneumothorax, and hemopneumothorax were observed in 159 cases (52.1 %) of total cases, Rib fracture was observed in 236 cases (77.4%) of total cases, location distribution was right : left : Both (102 : 142 : 45), with left predominant, rib fracture commonly involved from the 3th to 8th rib. Lag period from accident to admission was 155 cases (50.8%) under 6hr The principles of therapy for early complications of chest trauma were rapid r expansion of the lungs by thoracentesis 5 cases(1.6%) and closed thoracostomy 1-42 cases(46.6%), but open thoracotomy had to be done on 17 cases (5.6%) because of massive bleeding 13 cases or ruptured diaphragm, foreign body. Conservative nonoperative treatment was 140 cases (45.9%). Overall mortality rate was Bcases (2.6%) and common causes of the death were respiratory insufficiency and shock.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.217-222
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• 2012

Purpose: Diaphragmatic rupture following trauma is often an associated and missed injury. This report is about our experience with treating traumatic diaphragmatic rupture (TDR). Methods: From January 2007 to September 2012, 18 patients who had a diaphragmatic rupture due to blunt trauma or penetrating injury underwent an operation for diaphragmatic rupture at our hospital. We retrospectively reviewed their medical records, including demographic factors, initial vital signs, associated injuries, interval between trauma and diagnosis, injured side of the diaphragm, diagnostic tools, surgical method or approaches, operative time, herniated organs, complications, and mortality. Results: The average age of the patients was 43 years, and 16 patients were male. Causes of trauma included motor vehicle crashes (n=7), falls (n=7), and stab wounds (n=5). The TDR was right-sided in 6 patients and left-sided in 12. The diagnosis was made by using a chest X-ray (n=3), and thorax or upper abdominal computed tomography (n=15). Ten(10) patients were diagnosed within 12 hours. A thoracotomy was performed in 8 patients, a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in 4 patients, a laparotomy in 3 patients, and a sternotomy in one patient. Herniated organs were the omentum (n=11), stomach (n=8), spleen and colon (n=6), and liver (n=6). Eighteen diaphragmatic injuries were repaired primarily. Seven patients underwent ventilator care, and two of them had pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. There were no operative mortalities. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and surgical treatment determine the successful management of TDR with or without the herniation of abdominal organs. The surgical approach to TDR is chosen based on accompanying organ injuries and the injured side.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.121-125
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• 2010

Background: Penetrating neck injuries are potentially dangerous and require emergency management because of the presence of vital structures in the neck. The risk of airway, vascular, neurological, and pharyngoesophageal injuries leads to many difficult diagnostic decisions. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate our experience with management of penetrating neck injuries, and to assess treatment outcome. Material and Method: Forty-two consecutive patients were identified (26 patients from Korea university Ansan hospital, 16 patients from Guro hospital) as having penetrating neck injuries from 2003 to 2009. With review of medical records, variables were collected and evaluated including the location of injury, mechanism of injury, number of significant injuries, diagnostic modalities, duration of hospital stay and outcome. Results: The location of injury was zone I (lower neck) in 13 cases (31%), zone II (midportion of the neck) in 22 (52%), and zone III (upper neck) in 7 (17%). Injuries were caused by stab wounds in 23 patients, penetrating foreign bodies in 12. Among 35 patients who had deep injuries that violated the platysma, significant injuries, including major vascular (20), trachea (5) Pharyngoesophageal injuries (5) were identified in 24 patients. The mean hospital stay was 9.5 days. Conclusion: The penetrating trauma in the neck may show various degrees of severity. However, Cervical penetrating injury should not be underestimated in spite of the minimal width of the lesion.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2023

This study investigates the current situation of medical technologists for blood collection, which is considered the most important step for diagnosis. The survey enrolled 650 medical technologists working in hospitals and medical check centers in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. We found that each medical technologist performed blood collection for about 100 patients. There was more than one blood collection failure per day, with more than one case of pain and filing of civil complaints per year. Hence, there was a high work burden on the medical technologists. Cases where a medical technologist was stabbed with a used needle occurred more than once a year, and about 15% of them received infection control and treatment because of stab wounds. Additionally, more than half of the participants suffered from musculoskeletal disorders and mental stress due to blood collection work. Unlike administering intravenous and intramuscular injections using the same needle, no fee is charged for blood collection. Based on the results of this study, it will be possible to improve the safety and rights of medical technologists by calculating the actual fee for blood collection work and assigning a relative value score.