• Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.557-567
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• 2018

Objective: The increasing number of people living in high-rise apartments may result in a delayed response from emergency medical technicians called out for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, making the role of apartment managers as the first responders extremely important. This study investigated whether automated external defibrillator (AED) placement influences the willingness of apartment managers to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use an AED. Methods: A cross-sectional target population-based survey was conducted in Daegu, July 2016. Questionnaires were sent to apartment managers working in apartments with more than 500 households. The general characteristics of the respondents, status of CPR education, and knowledge about and willingness to perform CPR and use an AED were investigated. Results: Of the 1,445 respondents, 758 (52.5%) worked in apartments with AEDs, of which 77.8% and 70.8% were willing to perform CPR and use an AED, respectively, compared with 68.1% and 60.0% of respondents who worked in apartments without AEDs. After adjusting for potential confounders, AED placement was associated with the willingness to perform CPR (odds ratio [OR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.71) and use an AED (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.10-1.75). Prior CPR training and accurate knowledge of CPR skills were also associated with the willingness to perform CPR and use an AED. Conclusion: Placing AEDs in high-rise apartment buildings and providing refresher CPR education for maintaining CPR skills will be necessary to support apartment managers in their role as first responders.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.414-419
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• 2023

Background: The recurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in patients who have already undergone treatment with antiarrhythmic medication, catheter ablation, and the insertion of implantable cardioverter defibrillators is not uncommon. Recent studies have shown that bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation (BCSD) effectively treats VAs. However, only a limited number of studies have confirmed the safety of BCSD as a viable therapeutic option for VAs. Methods: This single-center study included 10 patients, who had a median age of 54 years (interquartile range [IQR], 45-65 years) and a median ejection fraction of 58.5% (IQR, 56.2%-60.8%), with VAs who underwent video-assisted BCSD. BCSD was executed as a single-stage surgery for 8 patients, while the remaining 2 patients initially underwent left cardiac sympathetic denervation followed by right cardiac sympathetic denervation. We evaluated postoperative complications, the duration of hospital stays, and VA-related symptoms before and after surgery. Results: The median hospital stay after surgery was 2 days (IQR, 2-3 days). The median surgical time for BCSD was 113 minutes (IQR, 104-126 minutes). No significant complications occurred during hospitalization or after discharge. During the median follow-up period of 13.5 months (IQR, 10.5-28.0 months) from surgery, no VA-related symptoms were observed in 70% of patients. Conclusion: The benefits of a short postoperative hospitalization and negligible complications make BCSD a safe, alternative therapeutic option for patients suffering from refractory VAs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.263-271
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• 2016

On account of population aging and increasing cardiovascular disorders, acute cardiac arrest cases are escalating each year. In order to increase the survival rate of the patients, rapid cardiopulmonary resuscitation is necessary. For this reason, the government is expanding the supply of Automated External Defibrillators(AED). However, the AEDs cannot be effectively deployed to the incident cases that occur outdoors, for the installed AEDs are mostly located indoors. After analyzing the distribution of incident cases within the study area, about 11% of cardiac arrest incidents occurred in open spaces including sidewalks and residential areas. This study was conducted to increase the survival rate of the patients by allocating 41 additional AEDs in the study area using a GIS based location-allocation method. To conduct a feasibility study, the density of a senior floating population covered by the same number of AEDs placed at random and the density covered by the experiment were compared. In conclusion, having excluded outliers caused by geological and social factors, results showed that AEDs placed through GIS based location-allocation covered 5% more of the senior floating population density.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.148-154
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• 2015

Reports show that global system for mobile communication (GSM) mobile phones, or two-generation (2G) mobile phones, could affect functions of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). In this study, we evaluated the effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile phones, which were third-generation (3G) mobile phones, on pacemakers and ICDs. Five pacemakers and three ICDs were subjected to in-vitro test using a ECG simulator. We used a WCDMA module (average power : 0.25 W, frequency band : 1950 MHz) instead of a real WCDMA mobile phone. To assess the effects of the WCDMA module on pacemakers and ICDs, each implantable device was placed in close proximity (within 3 mm) to the WCDMA module for 5 min. As a result, no effects were observed on the five pacemakers and three ICDs for the RF-EMFs emitted by the WCDMA module. Because WCDMA mobile phones have the higher frequency band (1800-2200 MHz) and lower power output (0.01-0.25 W) than GSM moboile phone, the RF-EMFs emitted by WCDMA mobile phones do not affect patients with pacemaker or ICD.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.53
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• pp.187-208
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to find the development of the general hospital security business plan based on the problem that guards are now aware of general hospital security service. To achieve the purpose of this study, the interview was conducted by interviewing interviews with nine field specialists who are currently engaged in the hospital for more than six years. The guard who perform general hospital security service proposed a development plan of general hospital security services as follows. First, the security guards at the General Hospital must complete a new education program suitable for the nature of the workplace. Second, the job training of the comprehensive hospital guard service is also needed to improve the quality of the program in accordance with the actual situation. Third, general hospital security guards should be provided with CS training, CPR and use of defibrillators, etc., and how to respond to infectious diseases. Fourth, there should be a detailed description of the extent to which aggregations and violent acts at the General Hospital should be addressed. Fifth, the Security Association needs to develop active programs for security guards and various efforts to improve the security of hospitals. Sixth, it is necessary to change the recognition of general hospital' security services, and the form of direct employment is required rather than the subcontract contract.

• 한국과학기술학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.12a
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• pp.247-278
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• 2015

Recently, as DNR prevails more and more in Korea, discussions regarding meaningless medical life-sustaining-treatment (LST) intensified. Some of the Supreme Court decisions are even discussed in mass media, causing public debates. These cases tell us that, as life-sustaining medical technologies are highly developed, more sociological and policy-related analyses are needed on them. Firstly, this study will review 40 previous studies that analyze recent discussions in Korea about LST. Secondly, this study also shows that in bioethical and policy-related perspectives, governance about LST calls for a new implications regarding thanatoethics and thanatopolitics. In this new theoretical framework, death with dignity (DwD) can be understood as a process of giving back the thanatopower to the subject who chooses his way of ending based on his sound and free will. Thirdly, some of the new LST or resuscitation technologies such as automated external defibrillators (AED) are developed in RRI framework. However, if subjects themselves choose not to apply those technologies on them, as in the case of DNR (do not resuscitate) vows, meaning of developing such technologies are to be questioned. But currently such questions regarding the limitations of RRI are seldom asked. I argue that in order to properly apply RRI framework on existing technology, we also need to consider these points.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2014

Purpose : The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors influencing using AED use in South Korea and Japan. Methods : I conducted a questionnaire survey from February 25 to March 4, 2013, receiving responses from 517 people in Korea and 520 people in Japan. The questionnaire included sociodemographic factors, history of heart disease, AED knowledge, and other variables. A logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results : Among the 517 Korean respondents, 220 (42.6%) intended to use AEDs. Among the 520 Japanese respondents, 384 (74.4%) had similar intentions. Multiple logistic regression analysis found the following significant predictors of intent to use AEDs: gender (odds ratio [OR] = 0.419), household income (OR = 0.991), and AED knowledge (OR = 2.833) in Korea; and gender (OR = 0.582), age (OR = 0.968), cardiac disease history (OR = 2.099), and AED knowledge (OR = 2.984) in Japan. Conclusion : It would be helpful to teach AED use to encourage performing public access defibrillation. In addition, it is necessary to design AED education programs based on country-specific factors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.820-829
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• 2020

Because ships have limited support from land, it is necessary to equip them with automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in preparation for the incidences of cardiac arrest patients and to properly place and manage AEDs. The seafarer must have the ability to use the AEDs. This is a study to identify the placement and management of AEDs in order to increase the utilization of AEDs in ships, analyze the ability of seafarers to use AEDs and their intention to use it, and suggest improvement plans. The study was conducted from September 9, 2019, to February 20, 2020, and a total of 244 ships and 244 seafarers were surveyed. The data were analyzed by the frequency, percentage, and chi-square test using SPSS WIN 23.0 program. As a result, most of the ships with one AED number were identified, and some ships with insufficient AED placement and management were also identified. A total of 142 seafarers (58.2 %) had experience in participating in AED education; 136 seafarers (55.7 %) had intention to use AEDs; and the most barrier factor was "I don't know how to use" (63.0 %). The intention to use AEDs was high among seafarers in the position of the captain, navigator, and deck department personnel, and when they had an experience in AED training and the training period was less than six months, they were active in using AEDs. In addition, efforts to raise an awareness and education of AEDs are required for occupational groups other than navigators who are not willing to use AEDs in ships, and it is necessary to review appropriate retraining cycles through an evaluation of the seafarer's ability to use AEDs.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.97-111
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• 2022

Purpose: Automated External Defibrillator (AED) usage in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) improves the survival of patients. In Singapore, public AEDs are protected by locked boxes with a 'break glass' mechanism to deter theft. Community responders have sustained injuries while breaking glass to retrieve AEDs. This unprecedented study aimed to elucidate the factors influencing successful retrieval of an AED and to document the prevalence of injuries. Methods: A survey was created and distributed. Participants were required to have responded to an OHCA in the past 12 months. Comparison tests were performed with the Fischer-Freeman-Halton Exact test or Pearson chi square test at 5% significance levels, and with multiple logistic regression with a logit link function. Results: Eighty-eight participants were eligible. The success of retrieving an AED was found not to be impacted by occupation, age, gender or time. Participants who responded to an OHCA because of activation by the myResponder App were more likely to retrieve an AED successfully. (AOR 11.111, 95% CI: 2.141-58.824) Conclusion: Use of the myResponder mobile application is associated with the greater success of retrieving an AED. Successful retrieval of an AED is not impacted by time, gender, age, or the occupation of the responder. Community responders in Singapore remain motivated to respond to Cardiac Arrests despite risk of injury.