• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2003

Objective : Stroke is the second major cause of death in Korea. It is known that the survival and ultimate outcome in stroke depend on various factors, so it is not easy to predict unexpected death in stroke. This study was performed in order to find predicting factors of unexpected death in stroke. Methods : A retrospective study was accomplished by reviewing 21 medical records of stroke patients who expired in the ward of Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center from January 1998 to December 2001. Data analyzed Were physical examination, laboratory findings, clinical charts and APACH III scoring system. Results : I. The number of unexpected deaths at the ward of Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center from January in 1998 to December in 2001 were 21 patients (0.1%). 2. Major risk factors of unexpected death were age (${\geq}60$), high blood pressure on 1st admission day and acute stage (${\leq}30{\;}days$). 3. The most frequent time of unexpected death was from 6 a.m. to noon. 4. Major cause of unexpected death was recurrence of stroke (40%). 5. APACH III scores of 75% of unexpected death patients were over 30 points. 6. Clinical change of symptoms 3 or 4 days before the unexpected death were dyspnea, change of urination and defecation. Conclusion; This mortality study suggests that old age, high blood pressure on 1st admission day, acute stage, and high APACH III score are the major predictors of unexpected death in stroke patients and that intensive medical attention is necessary to reach a better outcome.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.437-445
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• 1994

The objective of this study was to evaluate outcome for the patients of the intensive care unit, using APACHE III prognostic system. We prospectively collected the information of 429 patients in intensive care units at 2 tertiary care hospitals and 4 secondary care hospitals in PUSAN who had been admitted from December 1, 1993 to February 28, 1994. The results were as follows. 1. APACHE III scores were various from 0 to 173. But the distribution of the scores were similar between tertiary care hospitals and secondary care hospitals. 2. The mortality rate significantly increased as APACHE III score rised (p<0.001). Within the interval of same score, generally, the mortality of operative patients was higher in secondary care hospitals but in the case of nonoperative patients higher in tertiary care hospitals. 3. When the tertiary care hospitals compared with secondary for ratio of the predicted mortality rate to the actual mortality rate, there was little difference. 4. When we compared the 6 hospitals, one hospital had significantly better results and another hospital was significantly inferior (p<0.05).