• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2003

Objective: This study was conducted for the nationwide statistical survey of poison exposure to provide the rationale for establishing and developing the poison control center (PCC) in Korea. Design: Study group for Korea PCC in National Medical Center reviewed the medical literature on poison exposure of Korea from death reports of National Statistical Office (NSO), the toxic exposure statistics from the report of National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC), and poison related data from 119 ambulance services (FD) for the purpose of obtaining the poison and its related data. We also conducted questionnaire from the expert who work in emergency medicine department at the designated 320 emergency medical centers in Korea for the preparedness and acknowledgement about necessity of PCC and their need for that. Results: We reviewed the reliable data from the death report of NSO, poison exposure data from NHIC, and running report from FD. Poisoning death occured at home ($36.7\%$) and hospital ($46.3\%$). Poisoning are more common in rural area than the city area. Patients were seen more frequently in the local clinics than in any hospital. The drugs ($45.7\%$) and pesticide ($18.1\%$) are common poison. Common place to poison exposure were residential area ($39.9\%$), industry ($9\%$). mass residential area ($7\%$). and farm ($6\%$). The education level were primary school ($33.2\%$), high school ($23.7\%$), and middle schol ($21.3\%$) in order. We have to provide the poison guideline for lay public to understand easily, and for medical experts. The medical facilities need to be invested and have more interest for toxicology. All medical staff who work in the designated emergency medical center want PCC to establish. They want to have poison information from hospital ($91.3\%$), regional poison information center ($45.0\%$), regional poison control center ($52.5\%$), nationwide poison information center ($48.8\%$), nationwide poison control center ($46.25\%$), as a role of poison control center. They also want that pcc have poison epidemiologic study and statstics, training program for the experts, registration of rare case of posion on website, reflection of policies to activities for antidote production etc., speedy consultation system for poison analysis, public education, establishment of both regional and national pee, etc. Conclusion: Poison center must be established to provide poison information for all the public and medical experitise, focusing rural area and private clinic, to detoxify, to reduce the cost, time, morbity, and mortality through the whole country.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.659-669
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• 2000

Many patients of acute myocardial infarction showed delay time before seeking treatment although they needed immediate thrombolytic therapy once they perceived their symptoms. The objectives of this study were to identify the relationship between clinical symptoms and the delay, and to find the time spent before seeking the treatment. This study was a retrospective research. The delay time for the treatment consisted of the length of delay from symptom onset to patients' decision (T1), from patients' decision making to finding transportation (T2), and from taking transportation to the first hospital arrival(T3). The subjects were 89 patients who were admitted in the ICU and Cardiac Ward at Chonnam University Hospital with the first attack of acute myocardial infarction. Center, USA The data was collected for three months from March 1st to May 31st of 1998 through questionnaires and reviewing patients' charts: The chart information was suppled by two nurses working at the ICU and Cardiac Ward. The data was analyzed by using frequency, mean and ANOVA through the SAS program. The results of study summarized as follows: 1. Sixty two patients (69.7%) were male and twenty seven patients (30.3%) were female, the ratio of male to female was 2.3 : 1. 2. In daily life, the 70.8% of the patients felt chest pain and discomfort fatigue in 67.4%, dyspnea in 57.3%, and pain in arm, neck, and jaw in 52.8%. During the attack, 97.8% of the patients felt chest pain and discomfort dyspnea in 82.1%, pain in arm, neck, jaw in 67.4% and perspiration in 51.7%. 3. The length of time a patient spent seeking time for treatment (T1+T2+T3) was 94.6 minutes, in which the time for patients' decision making for treatment (T1) was 70.3 minutes, time for finding transportation (T2) was 8.2 minutes, and time for the transportation of the patient to the first hospital (T3) was 16.1 minutes. Time for patients' decision making to go to a hospital(T1) was 74.2% of the total time sought for treatment. 4. The differences of time sought for treatment between perceptions about the seriousness of the symptoms were significant (F= 6.5, p< .01). The more serious the heart symptoms they felt, the shorter the seeking time for treatment. 5. The differences of the time delay before treatment between the degree of the symptoms were significant (F= 2.9, p< .05). The patients with the typical chest pain and discomfort spent shorter the seeking time for treatment than those with the atypical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. 6. The differences of transportation time to the first hospital between the types of cars that the patients used, were significant (F= 4.3, p< .01). When the patients used 119 or 129 they spent the least time (5.3 minutes) for transportation, and followed by way of an ambulance (15.6 minutes), private car (20.6 minutes), and taxi (24.8 minutes).

• 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.