• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.10 s.255
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• pp.680-684
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• 2005

Background: With the increasing age of the population, coronary artery bypass grafting in the elderly patients is becoming common. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) has been proven to be less morbidity and to facilitate early recovery. The elderly patients may have benefits by avoiding the adverse effects of the cardiopulmonary bypass. The purpose of this study is to evaluate our results of OPCAB in elderly patients. Material and Method: A retrospective chart review was carried out for 12 patients aged over 80 years who underwent isolated OPCAB from January 2001 and March 2004. Data were collected risk factors for disease, extent of coronary disease, and in-hospital outcomes. Postoperative graft patiency was evaluated in 9 patients by multi-slice computed tomography. Result: Eleven patients had triple vessel disease or left main disease. Four patients were suffered from preoperative CVA, and 4 patients had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Two patients had myocardial infarction (MI), among them 1 patient was suffered from pulmonary edema after preoperative MI. There was no perioperative death, perioperative MI, and no ventricular arrhythmia. Also there was no perioperative stroke and renal failure. But there was one deep sternal infection who recovered by treating of muscle flap. Atrial fibrillation was newly developed in 1 patient, but was well controlled by medication. Mean intubation time was $15.9\pm4.4(8\~20hrs)$ hrs and mean ICU stay was $2.9\pm0.8(2\~4 days)$ days. Mean hospital day was $21.6\pm14.3(13\~56 days)$ days. Postoperative mean CK-MS was $11.3\pm14.1\;ng/mL$. Early postoperative graft patency rate was $100\%(24/24)$. Follow-up was completed in all patients. In this time, there was no patients with angina or death. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that OPCAB reduces morbidity and favors hospital outcomes. Therefore, OPCAB is safe, reasonable and might be preferable operative strategy in elderly patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.311-319
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• 2003

Background : Previous studies have suggested that a B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP) test can provide important information on diagnosis, as well as predicting the severity and prognosis of heart failure. Myocardial dysfunction is often observed in critically ill noncardiac patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, and the prognosis of the myocardial dysfunction needs to be determined. This study evaluated the predictability of BNP on the prognosis of critically ill noncardiac patients. Methods : 32 ICU patients, who were hospitalized from June to October 2002 and in whom the BNP test was evaluated, were enrolled in this study. The exclusion criteria included the conditions that could increase the BNP levels irrespective of the severity, such as congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, and renal insufficiencies. A triage B-Type Natriuretic Peptide test with a RIA-kit was used for the fluorescence immunoassay of BNP test. In addition, the acute physiology and the chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score and mortality were recorded. Results : There were 16 males and 16 females enrolled in this study. The mean age was 59 years old. The mean BNP levels between the ICU patients and control were significantly different ($186.7{\pm}274.1$ pg/mL vs. $19.9{\pm}21.3$ pg/mL, p=0.033). Among the ICU patients, there were 14(44----) patients with BNP levels above 100 pg/mL. The APACHE II score was $16.5{\pm}7.6$. In addition, there were 11 mortalities reported. The correlation between the BNP and APACHE II score, between the BNP and mortality were significant (r=0.443, p=0.011 & r=0.530, p=0.002). The mean BNP levels between the dead and alive groups were significantly different ($384.1{\pm}401.7$ pg/mL vs. $83.2{\pm}55.8$ pg/mL p=0.033). However, the $PaO_2/FiO_2$ did not significantly correlate with the BNP level. Conclusion : This study evaluated the BNP level was elevated in critically ill, noncardiac patients. The BNP level could be a useful, noninvasive tool for predicting the prognosis of the critically ill, noncardiac patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.290-297
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• 1997

Background : Despite remarkable progress of understanding the pathophysiology and therapy of bronchial asthma, asthma morbidity and mortality are on the rise. Also hospitalization and attending rates of emergency department for asthma have been increasing gradually. We analyzed clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients who visited emergency room due to asthma attack in order to define clinical characteristics of these group of patients. Method : We reviewed 105 adult asthmatic patients who attended emergency department of Korea University Hospital between August 1995 and July 1996, retrospectively. Results : 103 patients(56 female, 47 males, mean age : 48.6 years) attended-68 self referral, 18 practitioner referral and 17 OPD transfer- and 86 patients(83.5%) were admitted. Attending emergncy department was clearly more frequent in December(13.6%) and May(12.6%). Time lag between onset of asthmatic attack and arrival at the hospital was $14.2{\pm}15.5$ hour and initial peak expiratory flow rate was $166.7{\pm}68.3L/min$.(43.3% predicted) The commonest cause for visiting emergency room was aggravation of asthma due to upper respiratory tract infection in mild asthmatics. About half of them had history of previous ER visits. Their prognosis was not bad, but after discharge, about half of patients escaped from OPD follow-up. Conclusion : As a group they merit detailed attention and follow up arrangement. Clinician need to monitor and review the treatment plans, the medications, the patient's management technique, and the level of asthma control. For this group, plans for longer term treatment, including asthma education program and adjustment of overall treatment plan should be made.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate perception of patient safety culture, incident reporting, and safety care activities among clinical nurses and to identify factors associated with the safety care activities. Methods: Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 155 nurses who were involved in direct patient-care. Results: Descriptive statistical anaylses revealed that the mean score of patient safety culture was $3.26{\pm}0.32$ and $4.19{\pm}0.41$ was for the safety care activities. In incident reporting, reporting intention ($3.56{\pm}0.68$), belief in improvement ($3.42{\pm}0.60$), worry about appraisal ($3.37{\pm}0.65$) and reporting knowledge ($3.36{\pm}0.72$) respectively. Correlational analyses showed that perceived patient safety culture (r=.36), reporting intention (r=.34), belief in improvement (r=.32), and the knowledge (r=.38) in incident reporting were positively correlated with safety care activities, while the worry about appraisal in incident reporting attitude was negatively correlated. The factors associated with safety care activities were incident reporting knowledge (${\beta}=.31$, p<.001), supervisor/managers' attitudes toward patient safety culture (${\beta}=.29$, p<.001), belief in improvement of incident reporting attitude (${\beta}=.16$, p=.041). Conclusion: These results suggest that to improve safety care activities among hospital nurses, it is necessary to educate nurses on incident reporting. Also, a system-level approach is needed to support leadership in patient safety and to provide positive feedback on incident reporting.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.27-38
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of tooth-brushing oral care on oral health and ventilator-associated pneumonia of patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methods: A total of 74 participants were recruited from a medical, surgical, or neurosurgical ICU at S Hospital in Seoul, Korea, from September of 2010 to January of 2011. An experimental group (n= 36) received oral care with tooth-brushing while a control group (n=38) received oral care with cotton ball and gauze. In both group, the oral care was done three times a day at least one minute for 7 days. Oral health was examined by the Modified Oral Assessment Guide before the intervention and each night. Results: There is no difference between the groups in aspect of passage of time (p = .603), interaction between time and intervention (p =.300), the performance intervention (p = .766), and the incidence of VAP (p = .486). Conclusion: The effect of oral care with tooth-brushing on oral health and VAP was not different from that of usual oral care in ICU. However, further study is necessary due to high attrition in this study.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2005

Purpose: Critical pathways (CP), also known as clinical pathways, are management plans that display goals for patients and have led to improved outcomes for many disease entities. This study was aimed at developing a critical pathway for the surgical treatment of gastric cancer patients and evaluating its usefulness. Materials and Methods: A CP was developed and implemented by a team of surgeons, nurses, nutritionists, and administrative officials. Among the 117 patients who received curative gastrectomies for gastric cancer at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, between October 2003 and August 2004, 26 patients were treated according to the CP. We evaluated its usefulness by comparing the clinical characterisctics, postoperative progress, hospital stays, and costs between the CP and the non-CP groups. Patient satisfaction was also surveyed with questionnaires. Results: Of the initial 26 patients in the CP group, two were excluded from the final evaluation; one patient had a duodenal stump leakage, and the other had a gastric stasis postoperatively. In 8 patients, protocol violation occurred; six patients refused to be discharged on the $7^{th}$ postoperative day, one patient who had an gastric staisis postoperatively stayed for 2 additional days, and one patient who needed ICU care stayed for 4 additional days. The drop-out rate was $7.7\%$ (2/26), and the variance rate was $30.8\%$ (8/26). The mean hospital stay was 11.3 days ($10\~15$ days) for the CP group compared with 17.5 days ($9\∼68$ days) for the non-CP group, resulting in a difference of about 6 days (P<0.05). The mean hospital stays after surgery were 10.3 days ($7\∼68$ days) and 8.3 days ($7\∼12$ days) for the non-CP and the CP groups, respectively, but the difference was statistically not significant (P>0.05). The mean charge during the hospital stay was higher in the non-CP group ( $\\$ 6,292,200) than in the CP group ( $\\$ 4,863,685). The charge per hospital day was higher in the CP group ( $\\$ 430,414) than in the non-CP group ( $\\$ 359,554). Patient satisfaction was higher in the CP group than in the non-CP group. Conclusion: By developing and applying a critical pathway in the surgical treatment of stomach cancer patients, we could reduce the length of hospital stay as well as the cost. A multi-centered prospective study to establish a standard treatment pathway and to demonstrate its effectiveness is needed in the future.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.258-266
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• 1998

Purpose : Cases of adenoviral penumonia with rapidly progressive clinical course were experienced. We reviewed these patients in viewpoint of clinical manifestation and adenoviral serotypes. Methods : Culture and indirect immunofluorescence for respiratory viruses including respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus was done with nasopharyngeal aspirates from patients who admitted due to respiratory infections in Fatima Hospital, Masan from Nov. 1996 to Jul. 1997. Cultured adenovirus was serotyped by both neutralization and hemagglutination inhibition test. Medical records were reviewed for 5 patients with respiratory failure from adenovirus was isolated and serotyped. Results : The total number of examined patients was 460 patients. We isolated respiratory viruses in 143(30.9%) patients. Adenovirus was isolated from 66 out of 143(46.2%) patients. During Jan 1997 to May 1997, five patients with ages of 18 days to 11 months who were infected by adenovirus and had high fever with dyspnea and required assisted mechanical ventilation. One patients discharged against doctor's advice then died. Two of four patients had complications of disseminated intravascular coagulation; two had bronchiolitis obliterans. Two isolates were serotype 7, and one was serotype 5, and two were untyped. Conclusion : Severe pneumonia caused by serotype 7 continued to occur in 1997 following the epidemic in 1996, and severe pneumonia may also be caused by serotype 5 and other serotypes.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.9
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• pp.946-952
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• 2005

Purpose : Vancomycin-resistant enterococci(VRE) are now nosocomial pathogens in Korea. But little is known about the prevalence of stool colonization with VRE in neonates in Korea. So we studied the prevalence and risk factors of VRE colonization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NICU). Methods : From January 2000 to December 2004, the medical records of 294 neonates(127 cases of VRE group and 167 cases of non-VRE group, according to the results of stool culture) were reviewed retrospectively. We studied the annual prevalence of VRE and risk factors of VRE colonization in neonates. Results : From 2000 to 2003, the prevalence rate of VRE in NICU increased. After preventing VRE transmission, the prevalence rate of VRE has decreased. Conclusion : VRE colonization increased recently. Risk factors of VRE colonization were prematurity, lower birth weight, longer hospitalization and use of vancomycin or 3rd generation cephalosporin, compared with the non-VRE group. To prevent VRE transmission among newborns, aggressive infection control strategies by NICU staffs must be implemented immediately for all babies.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.1224-1229
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• 2003

Purpose : Bacterial meningitis is a serious disease, especially in the neonatal period, and it carries a significant degree of mortality and morbidity. Group B streptococcus(GBS) is a common cause of neonatal bacterial meningitis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical manifestations, treatment results and complications of GBS meningitis. Methods : We analyzed 29 cases retrospectively who had been admitted to the pediatric ward or NICU in Asan Medical Center from May 1990 to January 2002. They had proven GBS in culture or latex agglutination test in CSF. Results : The male to female ratio was 1 : 1.9. There were two cases of early onset type and 27 cases of late onset type. All cases had normal birth weight with full term at delivery. The perinatal predisposing factors were premature rupture of membrane(two cases), and maternal colonization(two cases). The most common presenting symptoms were fever and irritability. Associated diseases were GBS sepsis(21 cases). There was relatively high sensitivity to penicillin derivatives. There were abnormal brain CT or MRI findings in 16 cases(64%), such as infarction, encephalomalatic change, effusion, hydrocephalus, hemorrhage and abscess. The intensive care unit admission rate and the incidence of DIC were higher in the group with complications. Two cases were discharged against advice. Conclusion : We recommend early detection and active treatment in Group B streptococcal meningitis to improve the prognosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.236-244
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• 2001

Background : Most current research using prognostic scoring systems in critically ill patients have focused on prediction using the first intensive care unit (ICU) day data or daily updated data. Usually the mean ICU length of stay in Korea is longer than in the western world. Consequently, a more cost-effective and practical prognostic parameter is required. The principal aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of the seventh day(7th day : the average mean ICU length of stay) APACHE III score in a medical intensive care unit. Methods : 241 medical ICU patients from July 1997 to April 1998 were enrolled. The 1st and 7th scores were measured by using the APACHE III scoring system and compared between survivors and non-survivors. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the $1^{st}$ and $7^{th}$ APACHE III scores and the mortality risk. Results : 1 )The mean length of stay in the ICU was $10.3{\pm}13.8$ days. 2)The mean $1^{st}$ and $7^{th}$ day APACHE III scores were $59.7{\pm}30.9$ and $37.9{\pm}27.7$. 3) The mean $1^{st}$ day APACHE III score was significantly lower in survivors than in non- survivors($49.9{\pm}23.8$ vs $86.3{\pm}32.3$, P<0.0001). 4)The mean $7^{th}$ day APACHE III score was significantly lower in survivors than in non- survivors($30.1{\pm}18.5$ vs $80.1{\pm}30.4$, P<0.0001). 5)The odds ratios among the $1^{st}$ and $7^{th}$ day APACHE III scores and the mortality rate were 1.0507 and 1.0779 respectively. Conclusion : These results suggest that the seventh day APACHE III score is as useful in predicting the outcome as is such like the first day APACHE III score. Therefore, in comparison to the daily APACHE III score, measuring the $1^{st}$ and $7^{th}$ day APACHE III scores are also useful for predicting the prognosis of critically ill patients in terms of cost-effectiveness. It is suggested that the $7^{th}$ day APACHE III score is useful for predicting the clinical outcome.