• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2020

Traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWHs) are uncommon and the incidence of this, which is rarely encountered in clinical practice, has been estimated at 1%. Furthermore, blunt transection of the entire abdominal wall musculature caused by seatbelt is a very rare complication. We report a case of adult with a complete disruption of the entire anterolateral abdominal wall muscle following the seatbelt injury. A 32-year-old male was wearing a seat belt in a high speed motor vehicle collision. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed the complete disruption of bilateral abdominal wall musculatures including TAWH without visceral injury. However, injuries of small bowel and sigmoid colon were observed in the intra-operative field. The patient underwent the repair by primary closure of the defect with absorbable monofilament sutures. This case suggests that especially in TAWH patients, even if a CT scan is normal, clinicians should keep the possibility of bowel injury in mind, and choose a treatment based on the clinical findings.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 2020

Purpose: Although exchange nailing is a standard method of treating femoral shaft nonunion, various rates of healing, ranging from 72% to 100%, have been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of exchange nailing in femoral shaft nonunion. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 30 cases of aseptic femoral shaft nonunion after intramedullary nailing. The mean postsurgical period of nonunion was 66.8 weeks. A nail at least 2 mm larger in diameter was selected to replace the previous nail after reaming. Distal fixation was performed using at least two interlocking screws. The success of the procedure was determined by the finding of union on simple radiographs. Possible reasons for failure were analyzed, including the location of nonunion, the type of nonunion, and the number of screws used for distal fixation. Results: Of the 30 cases, 27 achieved primary healing with the technique of exchange nailing. The average time to achieve union was 23.1 weeks (range, 13.7-36.9 weeks). The three failures involved nonunion at the isthmic level (three of 15 cases), not at the infraisthmic level (zero of 15 cases). Of eight cases of oligotrophic nonunion, two (25%) failed to heal, and of 22 cases of hypertrophic nonunion, one (4.5%) failed to heal. Of 11 cases involving two screws at the distal fixation, two (18.2%) failed to heal, and of 19 cases involving three or more screws, one (5.3%) failed to heal. None of these findings was statistically significant. Conclusions: Exchange nailing may enable successful healing in cases of aseptic nonunion of the femoral shaft. Although nonunion at the isthmic level, oligotrophic nonunion, and weaker distal fixation seemed to be associated with a higher chance of failure, further study is needed to confirm those findings.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2020

Purpose: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common disease in elderly patients and is usually treated by burr-hole drainage. However, the optimal surgical technique for treating CSDH has not been determined. In this study, we analyzed outcomes and recurrence rates after burr-hole drainage with or without irrigation in patients with CSDH. Methods: Eighty-two CSDH patients treated with burr-hole drainage at Wonju Severance Christian Hospital from March 2015 to June 2016 were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into three groups based on the surgical technique performed as follows: single burr-hole drainage without irrigation (group A, n=47), single burr-hole drainage with irrigation (group B, n=14), or double burr-hole drainage with irrigation (group C, n=21). These three groups were compared with respect to clinical and radiological factors and the recurrence rate, and independent factors predicting recurrence were sought. Results: After burr-hole drainage, CSDH recurred in 15 (18.3%) of the 82 patients, and six patients (7.3%) required reoperation. More specifically, recurrence was observed in 12 patients (25.5%) in group A, one (7.1%) in group B, and two (9.5%) in group C. The number of burr-holes did not significantly affect recurrence (odds ratio [OR]=0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60-2.38), but irrigation had a significant effect (OR=0.20; 95% CI: 0.04-0.97). Conclusions: This study shows that irrigation during burr-hole surgery in CSDH patients significantly reduced the risk of recurrence, regardless of the number of burr-holes used. We therefore recommend the use of active irrigation during burr-hole drainage surgery in CSDH patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.153-161
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• 2020

Purpose: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is an emergency procedure and extremely time-dependent, and the proficiency of the physician is important. Due to a lack of REBOA education programs in Republic of Korea, few physicians have been trained in the procedure. In this study, we examined how REBOA education affects clinical outcomes in a single center. Methods: A retrospective study conducted from February 2017 to June 2020 at a regional trauma center. We collected data of patients who underwent REBOA and analyzed the factors that influenced the outcome. The patients were divided into the educated and non-educated groups (based on REBOA training received by their physicians), and the success and failure groups. Results: A total of 24 patients underwent REBOA during the study. There were eight patients in the success group and 16 patients in the failure group. There are no significant differences between the educated and non-educated groups in sex, age, ISS, shock, injury-to-REBOA time, injury mechanism, injury sites, arrest, access site, type of catheter, type of REBOA, target Zone, mortality, and the result of REBOA. The non-educated group had a higher risk for failure compared to the educated group in multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] 154.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-22.60). Conclusions: Failure in REBOA is harmful to patients. The risk of failure is increased in the non-educated group. Physicians working in the trauma center or emergency department need to complete the REBOA education program.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7731-7736
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer usually shows a slow development rate and when it is recognized in early stages very successful treatment results can be achieved. This research was planned to research the health beliefs of nursing faculty students about breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE). Materials and Methods: The first class students of nursing faculty formed the basis for this descriptive research (N=347). Sample selection was not made and all female students who wanted to participate voluntarily in the research during March-May of 2014 were included (n=331). Results: It was determined that 85.5% of students had knowledge about cancer, 79.5 % knew of breast cancer, and 65.3% were aware of how BSE is performed. According to the responses of students to the scale of the health belief model that is used to determine the health beliefs of students, item-point averages of trust and obstacle sub-dimensions were high. Conclusions: It is determined that more than half of students had knowledge about breast cancer and breast self-examination. Their health beliefs were affected by trust and obstacle perceptions, knowledge level about cancer, and awareness about how BSE is done. These factors should be considered in planning trainings that will be given to students. Social responsibility projects should have designed to create the awareness that cancer is a treatable disease.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2006

Purpose: Injuries are the third leading cause of death in Korea. Isolated chest injury is not uncommon and shows high mortality and morbidity. Several scoring systems are used for triage and stratification for trauma patients, but no standard system is accepted. We aimed to analyze the accuracy of identification of isolated chest injury by using several scoring systems. Methods: We reviewed a total of 75 patients admitted with isolated chest injury between January 2005 and October 2005. Medical records were reviewed by using the Injury Severity Score (ISS), the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), and the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS). The scoring systems were compared by using statistics methods. Results: The overall predictive accuracy of the TRISS was 12.5%, 12.0% greater than those of the RTS and the ISS. By using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, the TRISS showed an excellent discriminative power (AUROC 0.931) compared to the ISS (AUROC 0.926) and the RTS (AUROC 0.872). Conclusion: Compared with the RTS and the ISS, the TRISS is an easily applied tool with excellent prognostic abilities for isolated chest trauma patients. However, the TRISS, the ISS, and the RTS showed high specificity and low sensitivity, so another scoring system is required for triage and stratification of isolated chest injury patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2006

Purpose: Hypovolemia is not uncommon among trauma patients in the emergency department (ED). Successful resuscitation of a hypovolemic patient often requires rapid intravenous administration of massive amounts of fluid. A rapid fluid infuser is used in the ED for this purpose, there have been no studies of their clinical uses and effectiveness. We studied clinical experience with a rapid fluid infuser at an urban university hospital in Seoul, Korea. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 38 patients admitted to the ED with a history of application of a rapid fluid infuser from January 2004 to July 2005. Adult trauma patients older than 15 years of age were included in this study. Clinical data on the patients and the volume of fluid used to achieve a stable blood pressure were extracted from their medical records. Results: The total number of adult trauma patients with a history of application of a rapid fluid infuser from January 2004 to July 2005 in the ED was 16. The mean systolic blood pressure for deciding to apply the rapid fluid infuser was $74.9{\pm}12.7mmHg$. The mean time and volume used to achieve a stable blood pressure were 40.4 min and$2947.3{\pm}1339.2ml$, respectively. In all patients, the amount of fluid infused before using the rapid fluid infuser was between 500 ml and 10,000 ml, compared to 1,000 ml and 6,200 ml with the rapid fluid infuser. The mean amount of fluid per min. via the rapid fluid infuser was 85.5 ml. Vital signs were stabilized in 11 patients, 6 of the 11 were discharged alive. Conclusion: The mean amount of fluid delivered per min. via the rapid fluid infuser was much less than expected; thus, there should be clinical guidelines on volume resuscitation with a rapid fluid infuser in the ED. In the future, prospective, multicenter, clinical-data collection is needed for a more sophisticated study.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2006

Purpose: Traumatic head injury is very common in the emergency room. Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly reduce mortality and morbidity. When diagnosis is delayed, however, it could be critical to the patients. In reality, it is difficult to take a brain CT for all patients with head trauma, so this study examined the relationship between type and size of scalp injury and intracranial injury. Methods: This prospective study was conducted from May 2005 to July 2005. The participants were 193 patients who had had a brain CT. Head trauma included obvious external injury or was based on reports of witnesses to the accident. Children under three years of age were also included if there was a witness to the accident. The size of the injury was measured based on the maximum diameter. Results: Out of the total of 193 patients, patients with scalp bleeding totaled 126 (65.2%), and patients without scalp bleeding totaled 67 (34.8%). Among patients with scalp bleeding, patients with intracranial injuries numbered nine, and among patients without scalp bleeding, patients with intracranial injuries numbered 17 (P=0.001). Among patients who showed evidence of scalp swelling with no scalp bleeding, the relationship between the size of the scalp swelling and intracranial injury was statistically significant when the size of the scalp swelling was between 2 cm and 5 cm. Conclusion: Among patients who visit an emergency medical center due to traumatic head injury, patients with no scalp bleeding, but with scalp swelling between 2 cm and 5 cm, should undergone more accurate and careful examination, as well as as a brain CT.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.89-92
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• 2006

Penetrating facial wounds are uncommon and are usually life threatening because of the possibility of brain damage. There are three possible pathways for penetrating the cranium through the orbit: via the orbital roof, via the superior orbital fissure, or between the optic canal and lateral wall of the orbit. Brain injuries resulting from the penetrating wounds show extensive parenchymal damage, hemorrhage, and brain edema. Transorbital penetrating wounds can lead to diverse lesions of the optical apparatus, including the eye globe, the optical nerve, and the chiasm. Moreover, intracerebral structures may be hurt, and bleeding and infection may occur. Early diagnosis and prompt debridement are the fundamental factors affecting the outcome of a penetrating facial wound. An 87-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with a grinder impacted into the medial aspect of the right eye. On presentation, the man was fully conscious with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15 and complained of a visual disturbance of the right eye. Computed tomography demonstrated a right orbital medial and inferior wall fracture, a frontal bone fracture, and a contusional hemorrhage in frontal lobe of the brain. A craniotomy with hematoma removal and repair of the orbital floor was done. He showed no neurological deficits except right visual loss. This appears to be the first report of a man with a penetrating facial wound caused by a grinder, who presented with a potentially disastrous craniocerebral injury that did not lead to any serious neurological seguelae.

• 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.