• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.347-353
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• 2008

Background: Esophageal perforation is an emergency that. requires early diagnosis and effective treatment. A delay in diagnosis and treatment. significantly increases morbidity and mortality. Material and Method: Thirty-seven patients with esophageal perforation were surgically treated at our institutions between January 1990 and December 2006. We retrospectively reviewed the results of surgical treatment for esophageal perforation to understand the risk factors affecting survival inpatients. Result: Patients ranged in age from 21 to 87 years, with an average age of $52.7{\pm}16.98$ years. Thirty-one of the patients were men and six were women. There were 23 patients (62%) with spontaneous perforations, 10 patients (27%) with a traumatic perforation, and 4 patients (11%) with an iatrogenic perforation. The site of esophageal perforation was the cervical esophagus in 5 patients, the thoracic esophagus in 31 patients, and the abdominal esophagus in one patient. Twenty-nine patients underwent primary closure of the perforation and five patients had T-tube drainage. Exclusion-diversion procedures were performed in two patients and an esophagectomy was performed in one patient. There were six cases of mortality (16.22%) and 25 cases of postoperative complications in 15 patients (40.5%). Patients that were treated later than 24 hours after detection of the perforation showed a statistically significant high morbidity and mortality rate (p<0.05). Conclusion: The most important risk factor of esophageal perforation was the time interval between detection of the perforation and the initiation of treatment. A prompt diagnosis and effective treatment are necessary to decrease morbidity and mortality.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.264-271
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• 2011

At the Jangheung multipurpose dam, which is on the Tamjin River, a trapping and trucking operation was established to maintain continuous upstream migration of fish,. To facilitate fish gathering, installation of an effective fishing trap was required. In this study, we evaluated the fish trap, established at the Jangheung dam, using PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) telemetry. A total of 254 individuals from 15 species were monitored. Among these tagged species, 36 individuals from 6 species (Carassius auratus, C. cuvieri, Zacco temminckii, Z. platypus, Pungtungia herzi, and Pseudobagrus koreanus) were detected; a 14.2% detection rate. C. auratus recorded the highest detection rate of 44.2% while P. herzi was 14.3%. Z. temminckii and Z. platypus showed relatively low detection, 5% and 7.7% respectively. Some of individuals from C. auratus and Z. platypus did not pass through the antenna at the first attempt but were continuously detected on multiple days. There were no statistical differences in body size (total length, standard length and body weight) of individuals that did or did not swim into the trap (Mann-Whitney U test, p>0.05). Fish mainly swam into the trap during outflow of water from the dam (Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.001) and showed a higher detection frequency in daytime than nighttime (Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.001). Thus, for fish movement into the trap, external factors such as outflow from dam and time of day have important roles. Based on detection rate, not all fishes showed upstream migration but represented selective migration. Consequently, the establishment of flexible outflow strategies that take into consideration ecological characteristics of fishes should required for improving the efficiency of fishway.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.220-225
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• 2009

Background: Sternoclavicular septic arthritis manifests serious complications such as abscess, osteomyelitis, mediastinitis and empyema; therefore, a prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are necessary. Material and Method: The treatment results of eight patients with sternoclavicular septic arthritis and who had been surgically treated at our institutions between September 2005 and July 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical treatment they underwent was en bloc resection, including partial resection of the sternum, the clavicular head and the 1st rib. Result: The patients ranged in age from 40 to 74 years with an average of $55.1{\pm}10.3$ years. Five were men and three were women. There were 6 patients with spontaneous sternoclavicular septic arthritis and 2 patients had their condition induced by central venous catheters. The pathogens isolated from the patients’ blood and wounds were MRSA (3), Streptococcus intermedius (1), Streptococcus agalactiae (1) and Pseudomonas luteola (1). One patient expired from aggravation of preoperative sepsis on POD 31. Conclusion: The life-threatening complications from sternoclavicular septic arthritis can progress and lead to death unless appropriate treatment is administered. A prompt diagnosis, appropriate antibiotics therapy and effective surgical treatment such as radical en bloc resection can reduce the morbidity and mortality of this malady.