• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제53권3호
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• pp.127-131
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• 2020

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of left atrial appendage (LAA) excision using a vascular stapler. Methods: Fifty consecutive patients (mean age, 68±9 years) who underwent LAA excision using a vascular stapler during concomitant cardiac surgery were enrolled. In all patients, the excision site was evaluated using computed tomography at a median of 7 days (interquartile range, 5-13.3 days) postoperatively. The safety endpoint of this study was the occurrence of LAA excision-related events, which were defined as bleeding from the excision site that required reinforcement sutures or reoperation due to excision site bleeding. The efficacy endpoint was LAA excision failure, which was defined as a remnant LAA (a stump >1 cm in maximum length) or extravasation of radiocontrast dye. Results: LAAs were excised using 60- and 45-mm vascular staplers in 49 patients and 1 patient, respectively. Reinforcement sutures were needed in 4 patients due to staple-line bleeding and in 4 patients due to bleeding of the surrounding tissues. No patient underwent reoperation due to staple-related bleeding. A remnant LAA was observed in 2 patients, while extravasation of radiocontrast dye was not observed in any patients. Conclusion: LAA excision using a vascular stapler may be an effective technique for LAA exclusion. Delicate handling of the stapler device and LA tissue is required to prevent procedure-related complications.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.95-100
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• 2005

목적: Critical pathway (CP)는 특정질환 표준화를 통해 적정한 진료 및 최소한의 표준진료를 행하여 진료의 질을 높이고 비용을 감소시켜 환자 및 의료진의 만족도를 높이기 위해 시도되고 있다. 본 연구는 위암수술 환자에서 CP를 개발 및 적용하고 이를 통해 치료결과의 향상을 이룰 수 있는지 알아보고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법: 2003년 10월부터 2004년 8월까지 가톨릭대학교 의과대학 강남성모병원에서 위암으로 수술 받은 185명의 환자 중 타장기 원발암이 없고, 근치적절제술을 시행 받은 환자 117예에서, CP를 적용한 26예와 동기간 동안 CP를 적용하지 않은 환자 91예의 임상적 특성, 수술 후 경과, 진료비용, 입원기간 및 환자 91예의 임상적 특성, 수술 후 경과, 진료비용, 임원기간 및 환자 만족도 등을 비교하여 위암수술에서 CP의 유용성을 알아보았다. CP를 개발하기 위하여 진료, 간호, 원무, 영양과 등이 참여하는 팀을 구성하여 외래검사 흐름도, 수술 전, 후 처방지, 경과기록 등을 표준화한 프로토콜을 작성하였다. 결과: CP환자 26명 중 1명은 십이지장 단단부 누출로, 1명은 술 후 위정체로 인한 장기 입원 및 재수술이 불가피 하여 제외되어 최종 분석된 환자는 24명이었다. 24명의 환자 중 8명에서 재원기간의 지연으로 인한 변이가 발생하였는데 6명은 환자가 자의적으로 퇴원을 거부하여 수술후 $1\∼2$일이 지연되었으며, 1명은 술 후 위정체로 2일 지연되었고, 1명은 수술 후 중환자실 입원 및 관찰기간이 필요하여 4일간 지연되어 변이율(variance rate)은 8/26 ($30.8\%$)였다. 평균 재원기간은 CPrns은 11.3일($10\∼15$일)이었고, Non-CP군은 17.5일($9\∼68$일)로 CPrns이 약 6일 짧았다(P<0.05), 술 후 평균 재원기간의 경우 CP군과 Non-CP군 각각 8.3일($7\∼12$일), 10.3일($7\~68$일)로 차이가 있으나 통계적으로 유의하지는 않았다(P>0.05). 양 군에서의 재원기간 중 총 진료비는 CP군이 평균 4,863,685원, Non-CP군이 평균 6,292,200원으로 CP군의 진료비가 낮았으나, 일당 진료비는 CP군은 430,414원, Non-CP군에서 높았음을 알 수 있었다(P<0.05). 13가지 항목의 만족도 조사에서도 CP군이 Non-CP군에 비해 높았다(P<0.05). 결론: 저자들이 개발하여 위암수술 환자에 적용한 CP 프로그램은 재원기간을 줄이고 총 진료비를 감소시킨 반면 일일 진료비의 상승과 환자 및 의료진의 만족도를 높일 수 있었다. 향후 다기관이 참여하는 전향적인 연구를 통해 보다 적절한 표준진료지침을 개발하여 그 효용성을 객관화 시켜야 할 것으로 사료된다.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제64권5호
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• pp.791-798
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• 2021

Objective : The period of mechanical ventilator (MV)-dependent respiratory failure after cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) varies from patient to patient. This study aimed to identify predictors of MV at hospital discharge (MVDC) due to prolonged respiratory failure among patients with MV after CSCI. Methods : Two hundred forty-three patients with CSCI were admitted to our institution between May 2006 and April 2018. Their medical records and radiographic data were retrospectively reviewed. Level and completeness of injury were defined according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) standards. Respiratory failure was defined as the requirement for definitive airway and assistance of MV. We also evaluated magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of the cervical spine. These characteristics included : maximum canal compromise (MCC); intramedullary hematoma or cord transection; and integrity of the disco-ligamentous complex for assessment of the Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification (SLIC) scoring. The inclusion criteria were patients with CSCI who underwent decompression surgery within 48 hours after trauma with respiratory failure during hospital stay. Patients with Glasgow coma scale 12 or lower, major fatal trauma of vital organs, or stroke caused by vertebral artery injury were excluded from the study. Results : Out of 243 patients with CSCI, 30 required MV during their hospital stay, and 27 met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 48.1% (13/27) of patients had MVDC with greater than 30 days MV or death caused by aspiration pneumonia. In total, 51.9% (14/27) of patients could be weaned from MV during 30 days or less of hospital stay (MV days : MVDC 38.23±20.79 vs. MV weaning, 13.57±8.40; p<0.001). Vital signs at hospital arrival, smoking, the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, Associated injury with Injury Severity Score, SLIC score, and length of cord edema did not differ between the MVDC and MV weaning groups. The ASIA impairment scale, level of injury within C3 to C6, and MCC significantly affected MVDC. The MCC significantly correlated with MVDC, and the optimal cutoff value was 51.40%, with 76.9% sensitivity and 78.6% specificity. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, MCC >51.4% was a significant risk factor for MVDC (odds ratio, 7.574; p=0.039). Conclusion : As a method of predicting which patients would be able to undergo weaning from MV early, the MCC is a valid factor. If the MCC exceeds 51.4%, prognosis of respiratory function becomes poor and the probability of MVDC is increased.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.23-36
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• 2006

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of back muscle stretching on the flexibility of spinal column. Methods : The subjects were consisted of healthy adults (18 of females, 22 males ; mean aged 21.83) from 18 to 29. All subjects randomly assigned to the control group, back muscle stretching group. back muscle stretching group received back muscles stretching for 20 minutes per day and 3 times a week during 3 week period. Spine motion analyzer (Spinal Mouse) was used to measure the flexibility of spinal column. All measurement of each subjects were measured at pre-experiment, after 10 days, and after 21 days. Results : The results of this study were summarized below 1. The sacral tilt angle of the hip joint of control group, back muscle stretching group was no significantly differences at pre-experiment and after 10 days(p>0.5), but differency of each group occurred at after 21 days(p<0.5). the sacral tilt angle significantly increased at the back muscle stretching group rather than the control group. 2. The thoracic vertebral tilt angle of the control group, back muscle stretching group was no significantly differences at pre-experiment, after 10 days, after 21 days(p>0.5). 3. The lumbar vertebral tilt angle of the control group, back muscle stretching group was no significantly differences at pre-experiment, after 10 days, after 21 days(p>0.5). 4. The spinal tilt angle of control group, back muscle stretching group was no significantly differences at pre-experiment and after 10 days(p>0.5), but differency of each group occurred at after 21 days(p<0.5). the spinal tilt angle significantly increased at the back muscle stretching group rather than the control group(p>0.5). 5. The length of the spinal column of control group, back muscle stretching group was no significantly differences at pre-experiment and after 10 days (p>0.5), but differency of each group occurred at after 21 days(p<0.5). the length of the spinal column significantly increased at the back muscle stretching group rather than the control group(p<0.5). Conclusion : These data suggests that 3-week back muscle stretching improved the flexibility of sacrum, spinal column, and also improved spinal column lengthening. Additional randomized controlled trials to more fully investigate treatment effects and factors that may mediate these effects are needed.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.23-29
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• 2007

Tapering enteroplasty was first described by Thomas in 1969 as one method of intestinal anastomosis. The advantages of tapering enteroplasty in the intestinal atresia are: First, it makes end-to-end anastomosis possible between the atretic bowel ends with considerable differences in diameters. Second, it promotes the recover of the postoperative bowel function. Third, it prevents the possibility of the short bowel syndrome by eliminating the need of resecting the dilated bowel. A total of 22 patients with intestinal atresia who underwent tapering enteroplasty from January 1988 to December 2005 at our institute were reviewed. In 3 of 22 cases, tapering enteroplasty was the $2^{nd}$ operation after an initial end-to-oblique anastomosis. We reviewed the following items: age, sex, type and location of intestinal atresia, initial feeding and total enteral feeding start day, the length of hospital stay and complications. The average age of the patients was 7 days. Male to female ratio was 1 to 1.2 (10 cases: 12 cases). We performed the tapering enteroplasty on all types and locations of the intestinal atresia from the duodenum to the colon: type I (n=3), type II (n=4), type IIIA (n=7), type IIIB (n=5), type IIIB and IV (n=1), type IV (n=1) and type C (duodenum) and type IIIB and IV (jejunum). On the average, the oral feeds were started on the postoperative $8.8^{th}$ day, and full caloric intake via the enteric route was achieved on postoperative $13.3^{th}$ day. The average length of hospital stay was 19.6 days. There were 1 case (4.5 %) of anastomotic complication and 2 cases (9 %) of adhesive ileus among 22 patients. The tapering enteroplasty on all types of intestinal atresia is a usefull operative method when there are considerable diameter differences between the atretic bowel ends.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제58권11호
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• pp.446-450
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• 2015

Purpose: Meningitis is among the most common infections affecting the central nervous system. It can be difficult to determine the exact pathogen responsible for the infection and patients are often treated with empiric antibiotics. This study was conducted to identify the most common clinical characteristics of enteroviral meningitis in children and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for early detection of an enterovirus. Methods: We analyzed the medical records of children admitted to Korea University Medical Center and diagnosed with meningitis on the basis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and RT-PCR from CSF and other samples from January 2010 to August 2013. Results: A total of 333 patients were enrolled and classified into four groups based on diagnosis: enteroviral meningitis (n=110), bacterial meningitis (n=23), other viral meningitis (n=36), and unknown etiology (n=164). Patients with bacterial meningitis were younger than those in the other groups (P<0.001). Pleocytosis in CSF was similar across all groups. Of patients in the enteroviral meningitis group, 92.7% were diagnosed based on RT-PCR findings. Mean length of hospital stay for patients with enteroviral meningitis was 6.08 days, which was significantly shorter than that for patients with meningitis of bacterial etiology (19.73 days, P<0.001). Conclusion: Diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis before viral culture results are available is possible using RT-PCR. Accurate diagnosis reduces the length of hospital stay and helps to avoid unnecessary empiric antibiotic treatment.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.31-45
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• 2001

With an economic development and epidemiologic transition, the burden of disease due to chronic diseases and accidents is increasing. However, in most of developing countries, long-term care facilities are not available, therefore acute care facilities should provide both acute and long-term care services. It is also true in Korea. The demand for long-term care services needs to be estimated to establish the adequate supply system of health resources. This article introduces the reclassification methodology of inpatients' healthcare utilization to acute and long-term care services. All discharged patients from hospitals for one month were analyzed. The distribution of inpatients' hospital days were fitted to Chi-squared distribution by ICD disease categories, and they were grouped in five clusters. For each cluster, the lower and upper limit of classification criteria to acute and long-term care services were chosen. Summarizing all hospital days corresponding to acute and long-term care respectively, 24 to 28 percent of inpatient services fumed out to be long-term care services. The study results are consistent with those of the existing studies. They can be used practically in the allocation of long-term care resources.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제84권3호
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• pp.217-225
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• 2021

Background: Despite the proven benefits of dexamethasone in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the optimum time for the administration of dexamethasone is unknown. We investigated the progression of COVID-19 pneumonia based on the timing of dexamethasone administration. Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study based on medical record reviews was conducted between June 10 and September 21, 2020. We compared the risk of severe COVID-19, defined as the use of a high-flow nasal cannula or a mechanical ventilator, between groups that received dexamethasone either within 24 hours of hypoxemia (early dexamethasone group) or 24 hours after hypoxemia (late dexamethasone group). Hypoxemia was defined as room-air SpO₂ <90%. Results: Among 59 patients treated with dexamethasone for COVID-19 pneumonia, 30 were in the early dexamethasone group and 29 were in the late dexamethasone group. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics, the time interval from symptom onset to diagnosis or hospitalization, or the use of antiviral or antibacterial agents between the two groups. The early dexamethasone group showed a significantly lower rate of severe COVID-19 compared to the control group (75.9% vs. 40.0%, p=0.012). Further, the early dexamethasone group showed a significantly shorter total duration of oxygen supplementation (10.45 days vs. 21.61 days, p=0.003) and length of stay in the hospital (19.76 days vs. 27.21 days, p=0.013). However, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and in-hospital mortality rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Early administration of dexamethasone may prevent the progression of COVID-19 to a severe disease, without increased mortality.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.156-163
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• 2012

Purpose: Laparoscopic gastrectomy is a widely accepted surgical technique. Recently, robotic gastrectomy has been developed, as an alternative minimally invasive surgical technique. This study aimed to evaluate the question of whether robotic gastrectomy is feasible and safe for the treatment of gastric cancer, due to its learning curve. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the prospectively collected data of 100 consecutive robotic gastrectomy patients, from November 2008 to March 2011, and compared them to 282 conventional laparoscopy patients during the same period. The robotic gastrectomy patients were divided into 20 initial cases; and all subsequent cases; and we compared the clinicopathological features, operating times, and surgical outcomes between the three groups. Results: The initial 20 robotic gastrectomy cases were defined as the initial group, due to the learning curve. The initial group had a longer average operating time ($242.25{\pm}74.54$ minutes vs. $192.56{\pm}39.56$ minutes, P>0.001), and hospital stay ($14.40{\pm}24.93$ days vs. $8.66{\pm}5.39$ days, P=0.001) than the experienced group. The length of hospital stay was no different between the experienced group, and the laproscopic gastrectomy group ($8.66{\pm}5.39$ days vs. $8.11{\pm}4.10$ days, P=0.001). The average blood loss was significantly less for the robotic gastrectomy groups, than for the laparoscopic gastrectomy group ($93.25{\pm}84.59$ ml vs. $173.45{\pm}145.19$ ml, P<0.001), but the complication rates were no different. Conclusions: Our study shows that robotic gastrectomy is a safe and feasible procedure, especially after the 20 initial cases, and provides a satisfactory postoperative outcome.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.485-489
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• 2007

Purpose: The basic vascular anatomy and versatility of the anterolateral thigh flap was reported firstly by Song in 1984 and then by Zhang who introduced the reverse flow pattern of this flap. In this case, the authors reviewed various articles and their experiences with the distally based anterolateral thigh flap and applied it for coverage of bone-exposed wound occurred at the distal of the disarticulated knee stump. We consequently reported the reliability and resourcefulness of this flap in the difficult and limited situation. Methods: A 67-year-old-man who had suffered from arteriosclerotic obliterans inevitably underwent the disarticulation at knee joint due to clinical deterioration. He presented to our clinic with soft tissue necrosis and bone exposure at the stump. We debrided the wound and conducted the distally based anterolateral thigh island flap by transecting proximal portion of descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and the $14{\times}10cm$ sized flap was transferred to cover the defect. The pedicle measured 14 cm in length with pivot point 7 cm above the patella. Results: The postoperative course was mainly uneventful except early venous congestion for 4 days and subsequent partial skin loss. The wound was healed by secondary intension and no other sequelae had been observed during follow-up period of 12 months. Conclusion: Despite the presence of various reconstructive choices, the distally based anterolateral thigh island flap can be designed to repair soft tissue defects around the knee region, providing its reliable blood supply and long pedicle length, especially in the challenging cases.