• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined emergency medical service (EMS) transportation patterns for adult trauma patients before and after establishing a level 1 regional trauma center (RTC) and to evaluate the transportation approach after prehospital severity screening. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of trauma patients aged ≥18 years admitted via EMS to the emergency department or a level 1 RTC, 1 year before to 3 years after RTC establishment. Patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) in the patient registration system were selected. Analyses were performed to determine transportation pattern changes by comparing patients pre- and post-RTC establishment and by yearly comparisons over the 4-year study period using the Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test. Results: Overall, 3,587 patients were included. The mean ISS was higher in the post-RTC group (n=2,693; 10.63±8.90, median 9.00) than in the pre-RTC group (n=894; 9.44±8.20, median 8.00; p<0.001). The mean transportation distance (9.84±13.71, median 5.80 vs. 13.12±16.15 km, median 6.00; p<0.001) was longer in the post-RTC group than in the pre-RTC group. Furthermore, proportionally fewer patients were transported from an area in the same city as the RTC after establishment (86.1% vs. 78.3%; p<0.001). Yearly comparisons revealed a gradually increasing trend in the hospital death rate (ptrend=0.031). Conclusions: After establishing a level 1 RTC, the EMS transportation of severe trauma patients increased gradually along with the long-distance transportation of minor trauma patients. Therefore, improved prehospital EMS trauma severity assessments and level 1 RTC involvement in patient classification in the prehospital phase are necessary.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.452-461
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• 2022

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock or respiratory failure. In South Korea, the need for transporting ECMO patients is increasing. Nonetheless, information on urgent transportation and its outcomes is scant. Methods: In this retrospective review of 5 years of experience in ECMO transportation at a single center, the clinical outcomes of transported patients were compared with those of in-hospital patients. The effects of transportation and the relationship between insertion-departure time and survival were also analyzed. Results: There were 323 cases of in-hospital ECMO (in-hospital group) and 29 cases transferred to Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital without adverse events (mobile group). The median transportation time was 95 minutes (interquartile range [IQR], 36.5-119.5 minutes), whereas the median transportation distance was 115 km (IQR, 15-115 km). Transportation itself was not an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.818; IQR, 0.381-1.755; p=0.605), long-term mortality (OR, 1.099; IQR, 0.680-1.777; p=0.700), and failure of ECMO weaning (OR, 1.003; IQR, 0.467-2.152; p=0.995) or survival to discharge (OR, 0.732; IQR, 0.337-1.586; p=0.429). After adjustment for covariates, no significant difference in the ECMO insertion-departure time was found between the survival and mortality groups (p=0.435). Conclusion: The outcomes of urgent transportation, with active involvement of the ECMO center before ECMO insertion and adherence to the transport protocol, were comparable to those of in-hospital ECMO patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.659-669
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• 2000

Many patients of acute myocardial infarction showed delay time before seeking treatment although they needed immediate thrombolytic therapy once they perceived their symptoms. The objectives of this study were to identify the relationship between clinical symptoms and the delay, and to find the time spent before seeking the treatment. This study was a retrospective research. The delay time for the treatment consisted of the length of delay from symptom onset to patients' decision (T1), from patients' decision making to finding transportation (T2), and from taking transportation to the first hospital arrival(T3). The subjects were 89 patients who were admitted in the ICU and Cardiac Ward at Chonnam University Hospital with the first attack of acute myocardial infarction. Center, USA The data was collected for three months from March 1st to May 31st of 1998 through questionnaires and reviewing patients' charts: The chart information was suppled by two nurses working at the ICU and Cardiac Ward. The data was analyzed by using frequency, mean and ANOVA through the SAS program. The results of study summarized as follows: 1. Sixty two patients (69.7%) were male and twenty seven patients (30.3%) were female, the ratio of male to female was 2.3 : 1. 2. In daily life, the 70.8% of the patients felt chest pain and discomfort fatigue in 67.4%, dyspnea in 57.3%, and pain in arm, neck, and jaw in 52.8%. During the attack, 97.8% of the patients felt chest pain and discomfort dyspnea in 82.1%, pain in arm, neck, jaw in 67.4% and perspiration in 51.7%. 3. The length of time a patient spent seeking time for treatment (T1+T2+T3) was 94.6 minutes, in which the time for patients' decision making for treatment (T1) was 70.3 minutes, time for finding transportation (T2) was 8.2 minutes, and time for the transportation of the patient to the first hospital (T3) was 16.1 minutes. Time for patients' decision making to go to a hospital(T1) was 74.2% of the total time sought for treatment. 4. The differences of time sought for treatment between perceptions about the seriousness of the symptoms were significant (F= 6.5, p< .01). The more serious the heart symptoms they felt, the shorter the seeking time for treatment. 5. The differences of the time delay before treatment between the degree of the symptoms were significant (F= 2.9, p< .05). The patients with the typical chest pain and discomfort spent shorter the seeking time for treatment than those with the atypical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. 6. The differences of transportation time to the first hospital between the types of cars that the patients used, were significant (F= 4.3, p< .01). When the patients used 119 or 129 they spent the least time (5.3 minutes) for transportation, and followed by way of an ambulance (15.6 minutes), private car (20.6 minutes), and taxi (24.8 minutes).

• Journal of Neurocritical Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 2018

Background: A delay of transfer for patients with acute stroke needing emergent revascularization is a huge hurdle for efficacy of revascularization. The objective of this study was to investigate changes of transportation time calculated by image to door (ITD) time (from checking brain images at first contact hospital to arriving at our emergency center) before and after 2015. Methods: This study was performed in a retrospective manner from 2013 into 2017. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients having intravenous thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy during the observation period were enrolled. Among them, those who had revascularization under 'Drip-and-Ship' or 'Ship-and-Drip' paradigm were selected. Results: During the observation period, 225 patients were treated under 'Drip-and-Ship' or 'Ship-and-Drip' paradigm. Twenty-three were excluded due the lack of detailed data. Among 202 patients, 73 and 129 were treated under Drip-and-Ship and Ship-and-Drip paradigms, respectively. In 2013, 35 patients from 18 hospitals (median distance, 25 km) were transferred to our regional stroke center and their median ITD time was 116 minutes. It was gradually decreased after 2015. In 2017, ITD time was significantly (P<0.01) shortened to 85 minutes without significant changes in transfer distance. The median onset to puncture time was also significantly (P=0.03) decreased from 365 minutes in 2013 to 270 minutes in 2017. Conclusion: Our results implicate that many hospitals in our stroke region might have recognized the importance of rapid transportation for AIS after 2015.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.88-96
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• 1994

Treatment for the arthritic is mostly on the out-patient basis. The present rheumatologists practicing in Korea do not cover the total number of the patients. Also patients with arthritis need medical treatment for long period of time. Therefore, the number of patients waiting for the treatment is huge in number. This vicious cycle need to be broken in some way. Purpose of this study is to identify the need for home care of the arthritic patients. Nineteen hundred and sixty two subjects were interviewed in one hospital for one month. The following findings were observed : 1. The rates for demanding home care were from 60% to 100% depending on the areas. 2. Reasons for no need of home care were mainly credibility and short distance from the hospital. 3. Time spent for one way transportation was more than 3.3 hours except from Seoul and Kyungki area. The longer they spend time for transportation, the more they want home care services. 4. The number of patients who asked other persons to travel for prescription was 446(22.73%) and average number was 3.26 per year in those 446 cases. 5. Average expenses for transportation and other cost for each time of hospital visit were 21,073won ranged from 8,373 won to 132,571 won. The more spend money for visiting the hospital, the more they want home care services. In order to reduce the physical and economical burden of the arthritic patients living in remote areas, hospital-based home care services are justified on the bases of patients' demand and legislative support.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.385-389
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• 2019

As we become an aging society, the number of dementia patients increases every year (an estimated 10% of the elderly, equating to 1.27 million in 30 years). In addition, 17,000 cases of missing people with disabilities and dementia are reported annually, indicating that more than one person per hour goes missing. More than 50% of those who are lost suffer injuries (some of which are fatal) within 24 hours after going missing. This is why measures are urgently required to ensure safety of the elderly. The core function of the disappearances prevention system proposed by this research group is to identify and respond early to deviations of dementia patients from their homes or facilities by identifying the location of the occurrence of disappearance, so that real-time notifications occur when a they leave the protected area. In addition, multiple receivers and public transportation integrated terminals share information when a patient leaves and uses public transportation to ensure their safe return. Most existing beacon-based positioning service models have fixed signal transmitters and are serviced in the form of transport receivers, but the proposed service model has users wearing the BLE beacon and receivers fixed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.363-370
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• 2017

Background: Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is widely used in refractory heart or lung failure, and the demand for inter-facility transportation on ECLS is expanding. However, little is known about post-transportation outcomes, the clinical safety of such transportation, or the characteristics of the transported patients. Methods: This was a retrospective review of a 3-year, single-institution experience with inter-facility ECLS transport, as well as a comparative analysis of clinical outcomes with those of in-house patients. We also analyzed the risk factors for hospital mortality in the entire ECLS population using univariate and multivariate analyses to investigate the effects of transport. Results: All 44 patients were safely transported without adverse events. The average travel distance was 178.7 km, with an average travel time of 74.0 minutes. Early survival of the transported group seemed to be better than that of the in-house group, but the difference was not statistically significant (70.5% vs. 56.6%, p=0.096). The incidence of complications was similar between the 2 groups, except for critical limb ischemia, which was significantly more common in the transported group than in the in-house group (25.0% vs. 8.1%, p=0.017). After adjusting for confounders, being part of the transported group was not a predictor of early death (adjusted odds ratio, 0.689; p=0.397). Conclusion: Transportation of patients on ECLS is relatively safe, and the clinical outcomes of transported patients are comparable to those of in-house ECLS patients. Although matched studies are required, our study demonstrates that transporting patients on ECLS did not increase their risk of hospital mortality after adjustment for other factors.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.91-100
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• 2023

Purpose: In patients with major trauma, mortality varies by age. This study aimed to identify predictors of death according to age. Methods: Data from the Community-Based Severe Trauma Survey in Korea were analyzed using a retrospective case-control design. Factors associated with death were identified by age using independent-samples t-tests, Welch's test, and χ² tests. Results: There were statistically significant differences in mortality by sex (p=.006), location (p=.029), mechanism of injury (MOI) (p<.001), intention (p<.001), transportation (p<.001), surgery (p<.001), and Injury Severity Score (ISS) (p<.001) in the ≤44 years age group; by location (p<.001), MOI (p=.004), intention (p<.001), transportation (p<.001), surgery (p<.001), and ISS (p<.001) in the 45-54 years age group; by location (p=.040), MOI (p<.001), transportation (p<.001), transfusion (p<.001), surgery (p<.001), and ISS (p<.001) in the 55-64 years age group; by location (p=.015), intention (p<.001), surgery (p<.001), and ISS (p<.001) in the 65-74 years age group; and by location (p=.002), intention (p<.001), transfusion (p=.020), surgery (p<.001), and ISS (p<.001) in the ≥75 years age group. Conclusion: In patients with major trauma, predictors of mortality varied by age.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.62-68
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined whether mirror therapy could improve the balance, gait, and motor function of patients with subacute stroke. Methods: Thirty-three patients with subacute stroke were divided randomly into three groups: experimental group1, experimental group2, and the control group. The patients in experimental group1 performed a mirror therapy program on the unaffected side of the lower extremities, and the patients in experimental group2 performed mirror therapy on the affected side of the lower extremities. Both groups performed the exercise for 30 minutes per session, five times a week for four weeks. The control group did not receive mirror therapy. BBS, POMA, 10MWT, and the BRS were used to evaluate the balance, the quality of gait, gait speed, and the motor function before and after the intervention. Results: The gait speed increased significantly in the experimental groups1 and 2 after the intervention. The control group showed no significant difference in the gait speed after the intervention. The change in gait speed before and after the intervention showed a significant difference among the groups. Experimental group1 showed a significant increase in the gait speed compared to that of the control group. Conclusion: This study suggests that mirror therapy could be an effective intervention to improve the gait speed of patients with subacute stroke. On the other hand, there was no difference in the effectiveness of mirror therapy and therapeutic exercise on the balance, gait, and motor function.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.226-232
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• 1995

Survival rate of osteosarcoma has been improved recently due to the neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy. Limb-salvaging operation(LSO) has replaced the amputation technique without' lowering the survival rate. And there occurred a lot of patients who are suffering from the high cost of artificial implants and forced to choose amputation due to economic problem. In LSO, usually relatively high cost artifical implant is needed. When a patient and not afford such an expensive implant he had to choose an inexpensive way, amputation. Authors tried bone lengthening by adopting Ilizarov technique after wide resection of tumor in two patients. Bone transportation was successful in one patient and less successful in the other. One case in CDF(continuosly disease free since the surgical procedure) state at follow-up 3 year 4 months after knee joint fusion. And the other was given lobectomy for lung metastasis at postop. 1 year and 9 months, and given osteosynthesis for infected nonunion at the docking site. Bone transportation was thought to be a good method for the bony coverage of dead space caused by wide resection. Bone transportation technique was economical as well as biological We present two osteosarcoma patient who treated with Ilizarov bone transportation.