• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.156-168
• /
• 2023

Objectives : This study aimed to determine the status of thermal stimulation devices approved in Korea for medical applications over the past 10 years, and based on this, to obtain insight for future thermal treatment in Korean medical institutions. Methods : We searched the item classification list entitled "Regulations on Medical Device Items and Rating by Item" from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Notice No. 2021-24, 2021 (Enforced March 19, 2021; www.mfds.go.kr) for individually licensed heaters using the terms "heat" and "heating". Results : We identified 17 items of thermal stimulation product group, of which 1,308 devices were licensed by February 4, 2022, and 53.2% of them (n=696) were devices with valid permits for distribution in Korea. Among the licensed devices, heating pad systems under/overlay (electric, home use) were approved the most, but combinational stimulator (for medical use, home use; Grade 2) accounted for the highest percentage among the current valid permission. Moxibustion apparatuses were licensed separately for electrical use and non-electrical use, and occupied a low percentage of the total devices. We analyzed 307 devices that were accompanied by technical documents and found that the heat sources were wires in 145 (47.2%), infrared rays in 44 (14.3%) and ultrasonic waves in 42 (13.7%) devices. Most (83.1%) devices were used for pain relief, while other applications included beauty, cancer treatment, maintenance of infant body temperature, and healing fractures. Conclusions : Thermal stimulation devices accounted for about 0.9% of all medical devices, and among them, combinational stimulators and heating pad systems under/overlay had the most valid permits. Thermal stimulation devices using heating wires and infrared rays were the most prevalent, and most were used to relieve pain. In order to develop a range of thermal stimulation devices that can be utilized in Korean medical institutions, it is imperative that they have potential applications beyond pain management, addressing various medical purposes. To achieve this, foundational research is necessary to effectively apply diverse heat sources based on medical objectives.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.5-14
• /
• 2003

Background : According to the study in ICOPER (International Cooperative Pulmonary Embolism Registry), the overall mortality rate of acute pulmonary thromboembolism (APTE) at 3 months is 17.4%. According to the study for current status of APTE in Japan, the hospital mortality rate is 14%. Although the incidence and mortality rate of APTE has been increasing, patient characteristics, management strategies, and outcome of APTE in the Korean population have not yet been assessed in large series. We therefore performed the national survey for the current status of APTE in the Korean population. Methods : 808 registry patients with APTE were analyzed with respect to clinical characteristics, risk factors, diagnostic procedures, treatment, and clinical outcome. Results : Main risk factors were immobilization, recent major surgery, and cancer. Common symptoms were dyspnea and chest pain. Common signs were tachypnea and tachycardia. The majority of registry patients underwent lung perfusion scanning. Spiral CT was used in 309 patients(42.9%), and angiography in 48 patients(7.9%). Heparin was the most widely used treatment. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, onset in hospital (odds ratio 1.88, p=0.0385), lung cancer (odds ratio 9.20, p=0.0050), tachypnea (odds ratio 3.50, p=0.0001), shock (odds ratio 6.74, p=0.0001), and cyanosis (odds ratio 3.45, p=0.0153) were identified as significant prognostic factors. The overall mortality rate was 16.9% and mortality associated with APTE was 9.0%. Conclusions : The present registry demonstrated the clinical characteristics, diagnostic strategies, management and outcome of patient with APTE in Korea. The mortality rate was 9.0%, and the predictors of mortality were onset in hospital, lung cancer, tachypnea, shock, and cyanosis. These results may be important for risk stratification as well as for the identification of potential candidates for more aggressive treatment.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.591-595
• /
• 1995

Recently, primary lung cancer has increased markedly in incidence and prevalence in Korea. From January 1986 to June 1993, 86 patients were operated and evaluated at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital. The results are as follows; 1. There were 79 males and 7 females with the peak incidence of 5th and 6th decades of life[75.6% . The age ranged from 13 to 76[mean 56.6$\pm$10.3 years. 2. Symptoms were cough[47.7% , sputum[25.6% , chest pain or dyspnea[18.6% , and hemoptysis or blood tinged sputum[20.9% in order. Symptoms were frequently encountered before hospitalization, but asymtomatic patients were 12.8% in this study. 3. Methods of diagnostic confirmatiom were bronchoscopic biopsy[55.8% , percutaneous needle aspiration[29.1% , suspicious sputum cytology[1.2% , and open biopsy[14.0% . 4. Histopathologically, squamous cell carcinoma[51.2% was the most frequent cell type and adenocarcinoma[26.7% , large cell carcinoma[8.1% , adenosquamous cell carcinoma[3.5% , and the others in order. And TNM stages were Stage I 40.5%, Stage II 15.5%, Stage IIIa 27.4%, and Stage IIIb 3.6%. 5. Methods of operation were pneumonectomy[25.6% , bilobectomy[5.8% , lobectomy[53.4% , segmentectomy[1.2% , and exploration[14.0% . The overall resectability was 86.0% 6. The operative mortality was 2.3% and postoperative complications developed in 7 cases[8.1% . 7. The postoperative follow-up reveals that the overall cumulative survival rates at 1 year, 2 year, 3 year, 4 year, 5 year were 76%, 62%, 43%, 36%, and 27%, respectively.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.71-76
• /
• 2024

Background: The rising incidence of dialysis-dependent end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has underscored the need for collaboration between plastic surgeons and nephrologists, particularly concerning preoperative and postoperative management for facial reconstruction. This collaboration is essential due to a scarcity of comprehensive information in this domain. Methods: A study initiated in January 2015 involved 10 ESRD cases on dialysis undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery for facial skin cancer, followed by reconstructive surgery under general anesthesia. To ensure surgical safety, rigorous measures were enacted, encompassing laboratory testing, nephrology consultations, and preoperative dialysis admission. Throughout surgery, meticulous control was exercised over vital signs, electrolytes, bleeding risk, and pain management (excluding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Postoperative assessments included monitoring flap integrity, hematoma formation, infection, and cardiovascular risk through plasma creatinine levels. Results: Adherence to the proposed guidelines yielded a notable absence of postoperative wound complications. Postoperative plasma creatinine levels exhibited an average decrease of 1.10 mg/dL compared to preoperative levels, indicating improved renal function. Importantly, no cardiopulmonary complications or 30-day mortality were observed. In ESRD patients, creatinine levels decreased significantly postoperatively compared to the preoperative levels (p< 0.05), indicating favorable outcomes. Conclusion: The consistent application of guidelines for admission, anesthesia, and surgery yielded robust and stable outcomes across all patients. In particular, the findings support the importance of adjusting dialysis schedules. Despite the limited sample size in this study, these findings underscore the effectiveness of a collaborative and meticulous approach for plastic surgeons performing surgery on dialysis-dependent patients, ensuring successful outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.24 no.8
• /
• pp.757-764
• /
• 1991

We have observed 360 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax from January 1980 to May 1991 at the department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chosun University Hospital. Males occupied 266 cases[73.9%] and females 94 cases[26.1%], and its ratio was 2.8: l. The age of patients ranged from neonate[5 days] to 84 years old. The site of pneumothorax was right in 50.3%, left in 43.3% and bilateral in 6.4%a. The clinical symptoms were frequently dyspnea, chest pain and coughing. The associated pulmonary lesions were shown pulmonary tuberculosis in 199 cases[55.3%], bullae in 54, pulmonary emphysema in 31, COPD in 17, pneumonia in 6, lung cancer in 5, paragonimiasis in 5, catamenial pneumothorax in 3 and unknown underlying pathology in 39 cases. The results of surgical management of spontaneous pneumothorax are followings: 288 out of 360 cases[80.0%] were cured by closed thoracotomy, 53 cases[14.8%] were cured by open thoracotomy. Open thoracotomy was the most effective procedure in persistent air leakage, recurrent pneumothorax, visible bleb or bullae on the chest X-ray, associated lesion, bilateral simultaneous pneumothorax, parenchymal incomplete lung expansion and bleeding after closed thoracotomy. The incidence of complication was developed in 10. ado and recurrent rate was seen in 10.6%. There was no operative death.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.239-244
• /
• 2019

The effectiveness of dental implants in patients with disability, who are non-compliant during treatment, is controversial because of their poor oral health. Thus, oral health-care and management in such patients is concerning. Moreover, limited information is available on prognosis after implant placement. Herein, we describe a patient with schizophrenia who underwent dental implantation under multiple inductions of general anesthesia (5 times) and required conservative treatment and tooth extraction for multiple dental caries and retained roots because of inadequate oral health-care. Postoperatively, fracture of the prosthodontics and progression of dental caries were observed, and with 3 additional inductions of general anesthesia, conservative treatment, implant surgery, and prosthesis implantation were conducted. Postoperative 12-month follow-up since the last prosthesis implantation showed successful results. For patients with schizophrenia, multiple implantation can reduce horizontal bone loss and achieve aesthetic results compared to treatment with removable prosthodontics and could serve as an alternative treatment modality.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.28-38
• /
• 2000

Purpose : This study examined characteristics of, problems of and services provided to hospice recipients and their family members at a home hospice organization. Methods : The subjects were 113 people who were discharged from one free-standing home hospice organization between November, 1994 and lune, 1999. Since the opening of the organization in November of 1994, it has provided hospice services at patients' homes with no charge. Data were collected from those subjects' records. Results : The average age of the subjects was 57.1 years; those aged 60 and over were 54%. Spouse was the most frequent(50.9%) primary caregiver followed by daughter-in-law and daughter. All the subjects were diagnosed as having cancer. Of those 41 subjects who did not know their terminal stage in the beginning, 31 subjects came to know their states. Of the subjects, 72.7% were referred from their physicians. On the average, the service duration and the number of home visits were 6.8 weeks and 7.2 times, respectively. Pain was the most prevalent problem of the subjects(89.4%). Medication management was the most frequently provided service followed by psychological supports. The reasons for discharge were death(88.5%) and refusal(8%). Home was the most frequent place of death(60%). Conclusion Home hospice service providers should be trained particularly in working with elders and in managing cancer pain. People need to be referred at an appropriate time for achieving goals of hospice. Community recognition of hospice services needs to be promoted.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.127-132
• /
• 2003

Objectives: The best treatment for the malignant parotid tumor still remains to be defined, and a better knowledge about the tumor features that predict the treatment result is needed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the treatment outcomes and to suggest the optimal treatment modality for the parotid cancer. Materials and Methods: The clinicopathologic characteristics of 113 patients who were treated for parotid cancer from January 1990 to December 2002 were retrospectively analysed. Univalate analyses were performed to establish the prognostic influence of pateint age, gender, tumor size, histologic grade and lymph node metastasis. Results: The mean age was 46.4 years old (15-81 years) and. The male to female ratio was 1 : 1.1. The chief complaint was a palpable mass in 85%, pain was in 12.4% and facial nerve palsy was accompanied with 2.7%. The mean tumor size was 3.5cm in diameter. The most common malignant tumor was mucoepidermoid carcinoma (33.6%), followed by acinic cell carcinoma (15%), adenoid cystic carcinoma (11%), carcinoma expleomorhpic adenoma (11%), basal cell carcinoma (7%). The most common operative procedure was total parotidectomy (47.8%) and various types of cervical lymph node dissection were added in 69.9%. Postoperative radiotherapy was done in 61.1 %. Postoperative complications developed in 54 cases (47.8%), including 46 cases (40.7%) of facial nerve palsy and 9 cases (8%) of Frey's syndrome. Recurrences developed in 21 cases (18.6%) and deaths in 15 (13.3%). Cumulative survival at 5 year was 75.4%. Univariate analysis of clinical factors showed that histologic grade and positive cervical lymph node significantly influenced survival (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggests that the radical resection with lymph node dissection and postopertaive XRT would be necessary to improve the survival of the patients with high grade cancer or positive lymphnode metastasis.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.30-36
• /
• 2005

Purpose: Regardless of treatment, brain metastases are associated with a poor prognosis. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of cancer patients with brain mestastases they after admission into a hospice unit and knowing they have received appropriate hospice and palliative care. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records in 40 cancer patients with brain metastases they after admission into a hospice unit from March in 2003 to March in 2005. Results: There were 20 males (50%) and 20 females (50%), and the median age of the patients was 64 years. The most common cause of brain metastases was lung cancer (22 patients, 55%), followed by stomach cancer (5, 13%) and breast cancer (3, 8%). Sixteen patients (40%) have never been teated and 20 patient have received the chemotherapy for the primary cancer. The most common symptom of cancer patients with brain metastases is headache (12 patients, 30%), followed by mental change (10, 25%), focal weakness (9, 23%) and convulsion (4, 10%). The most prevalent cause for admission was mental change (13 patients, 33%), followed by pain (9 patients, 23%). The reasons for hospice and palliative care were through recommendation of physician (1 patient, 3%), patient and family self (14, 35%) and the others (25, 62%). Twenty five of the others has been referred to hospice and palliative care during conservative management after referral and enrolled at hospice unit. The median hospitalization was 19 days and median survival in hospice and palliative care was 41 days. The median survival was 87 days from the day when the cancer patients have been diagnosed as brain metastases to death. Conclusion: The duration of hospice and palliative care was not enough to care the cancer patients with brain metastases. We suggest physicians, patients and family need the education and promotion for effective hospice and palliative care.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.12-17
• /
• 2003

Purpose: In this report we are going to discuss about the functional evaluation and the outcome of treatment of metastatic tumor in the lower extremities treated with tumor prosthetic arthroplasty. Materials and Methods: This report is based on nine patients diagnosed as a metastatic tumor and treated by tumor prosthetic arthroplasty, from June 1998 to December 2001. Age of the patients ranged from 49 to 63 with the average of 56.3. The average follow up period was 23.4 months. Two patients had lung cancer, three had breast cancer, two had renal cancer, one colon cancer, and one had multiple myeloma. All these were primary cancers. The site of metastasis were six in proximal femur, two in distal femur, and one in proximal tibia. Tumor excision was performed after biopsy in following the principle of primary tumor management. Excision with wide surgical margin was tried as possible could. Six cases were treated with tumor prosthesis, and the other three cases were reconstructed with bone cement and arthroplasty. Results: The functional evaluation in the extremities at the last follow up was performed on Enneking evaluation score with 6 categories. The highest scored 26, and the lowest scored 10, with an average of 19.5. A case in which the patient died 15 days after the operation was excluded from the evaluation. Among the categories, emotional acceptance to postoperative function and pain relief were highly scored. At the final follow up, seven patients survived, and one colon cancer patient died 68 days after operation. Conclusion: Metastatic tumor occurring in joints of lower extremities could be treated in accordance to the treatment principle of primary tumor. By insertion of tumor prosthesis, we can get satisfactory results of function in the lower extremity and pain relief especially. So, this aspect of medical favor must be considered in treating patients.