• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.598-604
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• 2008

Background: The improvements in endoscopic equipment and surgical robots has encouraged the performance of minimally invasive cardiac operations. Yet only a few Korean studies have compared this procedure with the sternotomy approach. Material and Method: Between December 2005 and July 2007, 48 patients (group A) underwent minimally invasive cardiac surgery with AESOP through a small right thoracotomy. During the same period, 50 patients (group B) underwent conventional surgery. We compared the operative time, the operative results, the post-operative pain and the recovery of both groups. Result: There was no hospital mortality and there were no significant differences in the incidence of operative complications between the two groups. The operative $(292.7{\pm}61.7\;and\;264.0{\pm}47.9min$, respectively; p=0.01) and CPB times ($128.4{\pm}37.6\;and\;101.7{\pm}32.5min$, respectively; <0.01) were longer for group A, whereas there was no difference between the aortic cross clamp times ($82.1{\pm}35.0\;and\;87.8{\pm}113.5min$, respectively; p=0.74) and ventilator times ($18.0{\pm}18.4\;and\;19.7{\pm}9.7$ hr, respectively; p=0.57) between the groups. The stay on the ICU $(53.2{\pm}40.2\;and\;72.8{\pm}42.1hr$, respectively; p=0.02) and the hospitalization time ($9.7{\pm}7.2\;and\;14.8{\pm}11.9days$, respectively; p=0.01) were shorter for group A. The Patients in group B had more transfusions, but the difference was not significant. For the overall operative intervals, which ranged from one to four weeks, the pair score was significantly lower for the patients of group A than for the patients of group B. In terms of the postoperative activities, which were measured by the Duke Activity Scale questionnaire, the functional status score was clearly higher for group A compared to group B. The analysis showed no difference in the severity of either post-repair of mitral ($0.7{\pm}1.0\;and\;0.9{\pm}0.9$, respectively; p=0.60) and tricuspid regurgitation ($1.0{\pm}0.9\;and\;1.1{\pm}1.0$, respectively; p=0.89). In both groups, there were no valve related complications, except for one patient with paravalvular leakage in each group. Conclusion: These results show that compared with the median sternotomy patients, the patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery enjoyed significant postoperative advantages such as less pain, a more rapid return to full activity, improved cosmetics and a reduced hospital stay. The minimally invasive surgery can be done with similar clinical safety compared to the conventional surgery that's done through a median sternotomy.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.147
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• pp.239-260
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• 2018

Is an artificial intelligence robot, a non-human beings newly emerging in the age of technology, a threat to human beings, or a mutual cooperation or ensemble with human beings? The desire to control nature through the use of the power of science and technology is manifested in the fear that humans can annihilate themselves. This study attempts to identify the problems of Cartesian epistemology underlying these questions and fears and to answer these questions based on Merleau - Ponty 's ontological ontology using the Ontology and Latour' s ontology and technological philosophy. The cogito derived from the Cartesian philosophy became the basis of the structure of dichotomous epistemology of 'subjectivity and objectivity' based on human - reason. In the human-centered world, all non-human beings were tools or controls for humans. The problem of the modern people is not only to get help from the natural scientific methods to control the nature including man, but also to think that scientific method is the only way to understand the world. In criticizing this, Merleau-Ponty shows that the body mediates between human beings and non-human beings, and provides a possible ontological basis for the ontology. Merleau - Ponty 's phenomenological methodology and ontology are newly developed by Simondon under the influence of phenomenological philosopher and phenomenology. The relationship between human beings and nonhuman beings by Simondon appears as an ensemble of human and technical objects or a mutual co - operation of human and technical objects. In particular, Latour goes a step further in Simondon and defines all the bodies living in the world as actor-network theory, denying the core concept of modernity. Merleau - Ponty 's phenomenological view can be a new possible basis for the philosophical discussion of the technological age. We will see that the problem itself can be solved by shifting modern fear to a phenomenological attitude.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.371-377
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• 2022

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) devices have generated a lot of interest in recent decades. TENG technology, which is one of the technologies for harvesting mechanical energy among the energy wasted in the environment, is obtained by the dual effect of electrostatic induction and triboelectric charging. Recently, a multilayer thin film stacking method (or layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique) is being considered as a method to improve the performance of TENG and apply it to new fields. This LbL assembly technology can not only improve the performance of TENG and successfully overcome the thickness problem in applications, but also present an inexpensive, environmentally friendly process and be used for large-scale and mass production. In this review, recent studies in the accomplishment of LbL-based materials for TENG devices are reviewed, and the potential for energy harvesting devices reviewed so far is checked. The advantages of the TENG device fabricated by applying the LbL technology are discussed, and finally, the direction and perspective of this fabrication technology for the implementation of various ultra-thin TENGs are briefly presented.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2009

Background: Functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) greater than or equal to a mild grade requires tricuspid valvuloplasty, and tricuspid valvuloplasty with ring annuloplasty has shown good outcomes. We report here on our early experience with the Edwards $MC^3$ annuloplasty system (Edwards LifeSciences, Irvine, CA). Material and Method: From November 2004 to July 2006, 72 patients with tricuspid annular dilatation and TR underwent tricuspid valvuloplasty with using the Edwards $MC^3$ annuloplasty ring. Sixty-eight patients were operated on via median sternotomy and four patients were operated on using robotic assisted minimal invasive thoracotomy. The patient population included 21 males and 51 females and their mean age was $53.9{\pm}12.3$. The mean grade of TR, as assessed by the preoperative echocardiography, was $2.2{\pm}1.0$. The mean NYHA functional class was $3.1{\pm}0.8$. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was $57.0{\pm}9.9$%. Result: The TR and NYHA functional class, as assessed by postoperative echocardiography, was significantly reduced (mean=$0.4{\pm}0.6$ and $2.0{\pm}0.7$, respectively p<0.001). There was one case of hospital mortality. One patient required permanent pacemaker insertion for third degree atrioventricular block. Conclusion: Our study shows that the Edwards $MC^3$ remodeling ring is easy to implant and it effectively corrects functional TR with excellent clinical and echocardiographic outcomes. Further follow-up and a larger clinical series are required to establish the long-term stability of this repair technique.