• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.116-121
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• 2008

Unintentional injuries are the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population, and the home is the most common site of injury for children in Korea. The most common cause of injury was slip down. Fall down and burn were frequent in infant/toddlers group, automobile and bicycle accident more frequent in preschool children. Findings from the survey could then be used to provide targets for direct educational efforts by medical services and to direct environmental safety modifications tailored to the unique situation of each family. Pediatric toxic ingestions are treated commonly by pediatricians and emergency physicians. Significant injury after these ingestions is infrequent, but identifying the dangerous ingestion is sometimes a difficult task. By performing a detailed history, focused physical examination, and directed laboratory evaluation, an estimation of risk can be developed. According to recent Korean poison papers, there were bimodal peak of age distribution in poisoned children patient on the whole: infant and adolescents group. Various types of materials belonged the classes of drugs, household products, and industrial solvents. Most of the poisoned children patients had been poisoned accidentally, while most cases of adolescents poisoning had been intentional. More than half of the adolescents group had a suicidal purpose in Korea, so an understanding of the demographic factors associated with self-harm poisoning may provide useful information to improve prevention and treatment strategies.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.52-55
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• 2011

The spleen is the most frequently injured organ following blunt abdominal trauma. However, delayed splenic rupture is rare. As the technical improvement of computed tomography has proceeded, the diagnosis of splenic injury has become easier than before. However, the diagnosis of delayed splenic rupture could be challenging if the trauma is minor and remote. We present a case of delayed splenic rupture in a patient with underlying liver cirrhosis. A 42-year-old male visited our emergency department with pain in the lower left chest following minor blunt trauma. Initial physical exam and abdominal sonography revealed only liver cirrhosis without traumatic injury. On the sixth day after trauma, he complained of abdominal pain and diarrhea after eating snacks. The patient was misdiagnosed as having acute gastroenteritis until he presented with symptoms of shock. Abdominal sonography and computed tomography revealed the splenic rupture. The patient underwent a splenectomy and then underwent a second operation due to postoperative bleeding 20 hours after the first operation. The patient was discharged uneventfully 30 days after trauma. In the present case, the thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly due to liver cirrhosis are suspected of being risk factors for the development of delayed splenic rupture. The physician should keep in mind the possibility of delayed splenic rupture following blunt abdominal or chest trauma.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2016

The labor force has moved to services industry. An industrial accidents of service industry is three people on 10 persons in 2013. This research conducted questionnaire surveys of 1:1 directly person interviews with a structured questionnaire intended for 150 service workplaces, in order to improve occupational safety and health in very small service workplace with less than 5 employee. The survey contents is employment type, safety and health management system, safety and health training, activities. In the results, working with non-regular(informal) workers is two people on 10 persons 27.1% and female workers is about five people on 10 persons with 58.1%, and that 67.9% of non-regular workers who are mainly engaged in the production line appeared. And the work-related injury and accident experience was 3.3% and the occupational injury rate was 1.02%, especially occupational injury rate of female workers was 0.88%. Workplace risk assessment carried out in response that it was very low as 10.0% of the total. Also the safety & health education and activities was very low. Thus the safety consciousness and education is urgently required in order to prevent the industrial accidents.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.176-181
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• 2009

The passenger airbag(PAB) designed for standard sized adults may induce unexpected results to children in out-of-position(OOP) postures. In this work, using MADYMO software, simulations of the OOP injury of children have been performed with respect to PAB design parameters and child dummy positions. The attention is focused on some details with respect to the injury of 3 and 6 year old children in two OOP postures. Among the various design parameters of the passenger airbag systems, four parameters are selected for the sensitivity analysis of the injury with the Taguchi method: bag folding pattern, vent hole size, position of the cover tear seam and the type of door tear seam. An optimal combination of the parameters is suggested.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.283-290
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• 2012

Objectives: People who have chronic diseases, as well as gait imbalance or psychiatric drug use, may be susceptible to injuries from falls and slips. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of musculoskeletal diseases on incidental fall-related injuries among adults in Korea. Methods: We analyzed data from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2009), which are national data obtained by a rolling survey sampling method. The 1-year incidence of fall-related injuries was defined by health service utilization within the last year due to injury occurring after a slip and fall, and musculoskeletal diseases included osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and back pain. To evaluate the effects of preexisting musculoskeletal diseases, adults diagnosed before the last year were considered the exposed group, and adults who had never been diagnosed were the unexposed group. Results: The weighted lifetime prevalence of musculoskeletal disease was 32 540 per 100 000 persons. Musculoskeletal diseases were associated with a higher risk of fall-related injury after adjustment for sex, age, residence, household income, education, occupation, visual disturbance, paralysis due to stroke, and medication for depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.93). As the number of comorbid musculoskeletal diseases increased, the risk of fall-induced injuries increased (p-value for trend <0.001). In particular, patients who had any musculoskeletal condition were at much higher risk of recurrent fall-related injuries (OR, 6.20; 95% CI, 1.06 to 36.08). Conclusions: One must take into account the risk of fall-related injuries and provide prevention strategies among adults who have musculoskeletal diseases.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2008

Purpose: Multiple rib fracture (MRF) and a hemopneumothorax accompany with most blunt chest traumas. We aimed to analyze the factors increasing the probability of a hemopneumothorax. In addition, other injuries accompanying MRF were analyzed. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 154 mutiple rib fracture patients who visited our hospital between January 2005 and December 2007. The medical records were reviewed for sex, age, mechanism of injury, location, number of fractures, distance of dislocated rib fragments, and presence of complications. We measured the distance of bony dislocations by using the PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System). Results: The average number of rib fractures was $3.7{\pm}2.1$, and the number of rib fractures significantly influenced the incidence of a hemothorax (p<0.001). The risk of a hemothorax was increased in a bilateral MRF compared to a unilateral MRF (p=0.027). The distance of dislocated rib fragments influenced the probability of a hemothorax significantly (p=0.018), and subcutaneous emphysema and lung contusion were significantly associated with a pneumothorax (p=0.021, p=0.036). Conclusion: The number of MRFs did not influence the risk for a pneumothorax, but did influence the risk for a hemothorax. The laterality, distance of dislocation, also had an influence on the risk for a hemothorax. Also, subcutaneous emphysema and lung contusion were increased in cases with a pneumothorax. We must consider the possibility of a hemothorax even when the initial chest X-ray shows no evidence of a hemothorax. If a lung contusion is present, then an occult pneumothorax must be considered.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.451-461
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• 2021

Background: Readmissions related to lack of quality care harm both patients and health insurance finances. If the factors affecting readmission are identified, the readmission can be managed by controlling those factors. This paper aims to identify factors that affect readmissions of convalescent rehabilitation patients. Methods: Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims data were used to identify readmissions of convalescent patients who were admitted in hospitals and long-term care hospitals nationwide in 2018. Based on prior research, the socio-demographics, clinical, medical institution, and staffing levels characteristics were included in the research model as independent variables. Readmissions for convalescent rehabilitation treatment within 30 days after discharge were analyzed using logistic regression and generalization estimation equation. Results: The average readmission rate of the study subjects was 24.4%, and the risk of readmission decreases as age, length of stay, and the number of patients per physical therapist increase. In the patient group, the risk of readmission is lower in the spinal cord injury group and the musculoskeletal system group than in the brain injury group. The risk of readmission increases as the severity of patients and the number of patients per rehabilitation medicine specialist increases. Besides, the readmission risk is higher in men than women and long-term care hospitals than hospitals. Conclusion: "Reducing the readmission rate" is consistent with the ultimate goal of the convalescent rehabilitation system. Thus, it is necessary to prepare a mechanism for policy management of readmission.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.307-315
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• 2013

Objective: Colistimethate was first became available in 1950s and used until the early 1980s to treat infections caused by gram-negative bacteria and was abandoned due to its nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. However, it was recently reintroduced into the clinical practices due to emergence of multidrug-resistance gram-negative bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii. Therefore, it is increasingly used in the intensive care unit settings as a salvage therapy. This study was designed to investigate the incidence rates and risk factors of acute kidney injury associated with colistimethate by using the standardized definition in critically ill patients. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 71 adult patients above 18 years old receiving intravenous colistimethate at least 48 hours at intensive care unit, university-affiliated hospital from Nov 2012 to Aug 2013 and excluded patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and required renal replacement therapy before initiation of the colistimethate therapy. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was determined by using the standardized RIFLE criteria, classified with risk, injury, failure, loss and ESRD according to serum creatinine (Scr) levels. Results: Among the 71 patients included in the analysis, AKI developed in 40 patients (56.3%) and 6 patients (8.4%) had irreversible kidney injury. AKI occurred within 5 days in 20 patients (50.0%). Maximum Scr level showed a significant increase in the patients with AKI ($1.92{\pm}0.86mg/dL$ vs. $1.12{\pm}0.46mg/dL$ p=0.001), maximum BUN also increased ($64.2{\pm}28.7mg/dL$ vs. $48.4{\pm}24.9mg/dL$ p=0.017) and minimum creatinine clearance (CLcr) was significantly decreased in the patients with AKI than non-AKI ($34.5{\pm}18.6ml/min$ vs. $64.4{\pm}33.7ml/min$ p=0.185). The patients with AKI had significantly longer duration of colistimethate therapy ($21.1{\pm}17.0$ days vs. $13.0{\pm}11.5$ days, p=0.020) and larger cumulative doses of colistimethate ($6465.9{\pm}4717.0mg$ vs. $4438.1{\pm}3426.7mg$, p=0.040). Conclusion: The incidence and severity of AKI associated with colistimethate in critically ill patients was high and serious. Drug monitoring program should be performed to shorten duration of therapy and reduce cumulative dose from initiation of colistimethate therapy for minimizing AKI of colistimethate.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2011

Purpose: Missing cervical pathology after injury may lead to disability and influence long-term survival. Controversies continue to evolve concerning the initial screening methods used to predict cervical spine injury. Through a retrospective chart review, we attempted to analyze and propose factors predictive of cervical trauma. Methods: Of all the patients who had visited the Emergency Department of Korea University, from January 2009 to December 2009, a retrospective review of the clinical records of the 217 patients who had undergone cervical spine computed tomography was done. We investigated whether we could predict the need for cervical spine computed tomography shortly after presentation in trauma patients by comparing the group with fractures and group without fractures and by finding risk factors showing significant differences between the two groups that might be used as guides in decision making. Results: Of the 217 subjects who underwent cervical spine computed tomography scans, 33 were identified with fractures of the cervical spine while 184 were not. The most common mechanisms of trauma, in order, for those with fractures were falls, followed by traffic accidents. We found that the injury severity score, multiple injuries, a high-energy injury mechanism, neurologic deficit, and pain and tenderness of the cervical spine showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Fractures of the cervical spine that are not observed with simple radiography occur with a relatively high frequency in trauma patients. Consideration should be given to the risk factors for cervical spine fracture, and if pertinent, cervical spine computed tomography should be performed with speed for early diagnosis of cervical spine fractures.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study is, first, to analyze the risk factors that influence the severity of injury in pediatric multiple trauma patients and, second, to present solutions for the problems related to the treatment of such patients. Our living situations are so complicated that the danger of accidents is truly open to children who are not prepared. We need to draw attention to the increased numbers of various accidents involving children. Methods: We studied patients who visited the Emergency Medical Center at Chosun University Hospital from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2008. Using medical records, we evaluated the general characteristics: the mechanism of injury, the vital signs, the revised trauma score (RTS), the injury severity score (ISS), and the hemoglibin value, which was checked at the time of visit, and the presence or the absence of emergent on regular surgery. We divided the level of injury as follows: light level (1-8 points), mid level (9-15 points), and serious level (above 16 points). We analyzed the medical data by using SPSS 17.0 for windows. Results: The average age of the patients examined was 8.6 years. The number of 6- to 11-year-old patients was 96, which was the largest, but the degree of injury severity was the highest among infant (0-2 years), according to ISS 7.95(${\pm}6.85$). The frequency of accidents was highest on sunny days, and most accidents occurred from 16:00 to 20:00. The cause of multiple trauma for children was the greatest in the traffic accident, (95 patients, 49.0%). In addition, the trauma caused by traffic accidents showed the highest ISS value ($9.02{\pm}6.42$) and the most serious degree (P=0.004). The ISS level of injury ($8.40{\pm}6.64$) for patients moved from a secondary hospital was higher than that ($6.49{\pm}5.57$) for patients who visited the medical center directly. The severity of injury was highest for patients who used a 119 ambulance ($8.84{\pm}5.80$). According to the injured parts of body, Injuries to the arms and the feet most frequent (79 patients, 40.7%), but the level of injury was the highest for internal organs and chest, $16.42{\pm}8.56$ and $11.23{\pm}6.97$, respectively. Conclusion: We used Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) in order to examine the characteristics by injured body part for pediatric multiple trauma patients. Because the degree of injury was the highest for internal organs or the chest, we need to more seriously examine and provide for patients who are suspected of having injuries to the internal organs or the chest. We need to quickly determine the need for surgery in patients with serious injuries to the arms and the feet, which is the greatest in frequency. In particular, we need to consider the surgical care of patients who are not very high in the severity of injury to their brains.