• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.67-70
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• 2005

Recently, the usage of an exercising treadmill has increased in Korean homes. Along with increasing utilization of these machines, injuries relating to the inadvertent usage of the machine have gradually increased for the last several years. The purpose of this study is to identify the feature of this type of injury, thereby to help prevent and to raise an awareness of the potential injury. 25 patients who had been admitted to Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital from January 2002 through March 2004 were investigated retrospectively. Age, sex, place of injury, the area and the extent of injury, treatment and prognosis were analyzed for each case. All injuries involved in the children with an average age of 3.5 years. This new type of injury was at least a deep second-degree burn of the friction-burn type in all cases. Most of them primarily involved hands. Inattention of the guardian was the main cause of such injuries. 68% of the cases needed an operation such as a split-thickness skin graft or a full-thickness skin graft. In this study, authors reached a conclusion that such injuries may be prevented by an education of the potential risks of using a treadmill and by developing additional safety devices.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the injuries of the national elite Taekwondo players with the best performance in the international championship competition. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two athletes who got the injury in the 2011 Gyeongju World Taekwondo Championship competition were included in this sturdy. 950 members of national team of 146 countries participated in this game, 1,063 matches were performed. We analyzed the characteristics of the injuries such as injury rate by gender, age, weight class, injured region and injury type. Results: Fifty-two athletes of 950 athletes in 1,063 matches got injured and injury rate was 5.47 per 100 participants and 24.47/1,000 athlete-exposures. Injury rate of female athletes was higher than mail, but there was no significant statistical difference (p=0.512). Injury rate of over 30 years old was 17.39 per 100 participants, and injury rate of over 87 kg in male weight class and 68 to 73kg in female weight class were highest than other groups, but there was no significant statistical difference (p=0.838). Overall injury rate of the lower extremity was 13.17/1,000 A-E, higher than upper extremity or head and neck or trunk, but injury rate of the hand was 5.17/1,000 A-E, highest as a specific injured region, followed by the knee, 4.70/1,000 A-E (p=0.714). Injury rate of the sprain was 10.81/1,000 A-E, highest as an injury type, the second most common injury type was the fracture, 5.40/1,000 A-E in men, and was the contusion, 9.63/1,000 A-E in women (p=0.033). As one of the most serious injury, 4 of 8 fractures were occurred in hand. Conclusion: Overall injury rate of the elite Taekwondo players in 2011 Gyeongju World Taekwondo Championship was 5.47 per 100 participants and 24.46 per 1,000 athlete exposures. Although the most common type of injury was the sprain of the knee and ankle, the fractures were more commonly occurred in hand.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.151-155
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• 2015

The study was designed to identify any trends of injury type as it relates to the age and trade of construction workers. The participants for this study included any individual who, while working on a heavy and highway construction project in the Midwestern United States, sustained an injury during the specified time frame of when the data were collected. During this period, 143 injury reports were collected. The four trade/occupation groups with the highest injury rates were laborers, carpenters, iron workers, and operators. Data pertaining to injuries sustained by body part in each age group showed that younger workers generally suffered from finger/hand/wrist injuries due to cuts/lacerations and contusion, whereas older workers had increased sprains/strains injuries to the ankle/foot/toes, knees/lower legs, and multiple body parts caused by falls from a higher level or overexertion. Understanding these trade-related tasks can help present a more accurate depiction of the incident and identify trends and intervention methods to meet the needs of the aging workforce in the industry.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2016

The past five years, industrial accidents due to food processing machinery have been occurred 725 cases, injury by the food cutter occurred 390 cases in its. On this study, to prevent food cutter injury, an attempt is made to present the improved documentation of fundamental safety of the food cutter workplace through the injury analysis of food cutter injury and surveys on band saw machine business field. Analyzing the result of 390 cases on food cutter injury, amputation, cut, puncture occupied 75.1 percent (293 cases), compressed occupied 23.3% (91 cases), also it showed constant component without reference to gender, age, scale of work place, service period. In the survey, lack of concentration for workers have been pointed out as the biggest factor in the cause of band saw machine injury. Meanwhile, such as the EU and Japan, whereas presents safety standards about band saw machines that are tailored to each country, on the other hand, South Korea doesn't provide the standards. To prevent the food cutter injury, safety standards need to be established in consideration of amputation, cut, puncture, compressed injury and financial support is required to procure protective equipment at each place of business.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2000

Purpose : We performed this study in order to analyze the clinical results of functioning gracilis musculocutaneous free flap transplantation for reconstructon of hand function in cases of Volkmann's ischemic contracture and massive soft tissue injury of forearm. Materials and methods : 18 cases were reviewed with 5 yeas of mean follow up period. We evaluated total active motion of the finger joints and wrist, pinch and grip strength. Results : The flap were survived in 17 cases and 1 case was failed due to infection. The sum of active motion of finger joints(TAM) was improved from 0 to $173.8^{\circ}$. The average grip and pinch strength was improved from 0 kg to $2.7{\pm}2.1kg$ and from 0 kg to $2.4{\pm}1.6kg$. Conclusion : The results in most cases were acceptable in relatively long term follow-up. It may be an option for reconstruction of hand function in cases of Volkmann's ischemic contracture and traumatic upper extremity injury.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.245-249
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• 2010

Purpose: High-pressure injection injury is caused by accidental injection of the high-pressure injection devices in industry. The initial benign appearance of the wound fools patients into delays in an adequate treatment. And it can result in disastrous outcomes such as necrosis and amputation. To avoid the poor prognosis, the injuries require a prompt surgical intervention. The purpose of this article is to recognize the poor outcome of the highpressure injection injury and to introduce an adequate treatment in need. Methods: We have 4 cases of the high-pressure injection injuries in the hand from April, 2005 to March, 2009. Average age is 39 years (30 - 49 years old), 2 cases are the palm of dominant hand, 1 case is the thumb of dominant hand, and 1 case is the palm of non-dominant hand, respectively. We followed up these patients for 20 months on average. In 3 cases, the immediate, aggressive surgical intervention was carried out, but the other one was delayed in early adequate treatment. The wounds were covered by local advancement flap, anterolateral thigh free flap, conservative treatment with antibiotics and dressing. Results: No pathogens after culture were found nor any findings of fracture in imaging study. Conservative treatment, local advancement flap and anterolateral thigh free flap for the open wound resulted in a desirable aesthetic outcome. In a long-term follow up, functional capability of the patient was also satisfactory. Conclusion: Upon initial evaluation, most high-pressure injection injuries present as innocuous wounds with very few symptoms and result in delaying the proper management. And the majority of high-pressure injection injuries will produce significant morbidity to the hand, amputation. And the initial aggressive surgical debridement was needed to prevent the poor outcome. The key to success in treating high-pressure injection injuries of the hand is the prompt aggressive surgical intervention.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 2013

Background Measuring grip and pinch strength is an important part of hand injury evaluation. Currently, there are no standardized values of normal grip and pinch strength among the Korean population, and lack of such data prevents objective evaluation of post-surgical recovery in strength. This study was designed to establish the normal values of grip and pinch strength among the healthy Korean population and to identify any dependent variables affecting grip and pinch strength. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out. The inclusion criterion was being a healthy Korean person without a previous history of hand trauma. The grip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer. Pulp and key pinch strength were measured with a hydraulic pinch gauge. Intra-individual and inter-individual variations in these variables were analyzed in a standardized statistical manner. Results There were a total of 336 healthy participants between 13 and 77 years of age. As would be expected in any given population, the mean grip and pinch strength was greater in the right hand than the left. Male participants (137) showed mean strengths greater than female participants (199) when adjusted for age. Among the male participants, anthropometric variables correlated positively with grip strength, but no such correlations were identifiable in female participants in a statistically significant way. Conclusions Objective measurements of hand strength are an important component of hand injury evaluation, and population-specific normative data are essential for clinical and research purposes. This study reports updated normative hand strengths of the South Korean population in the 21st century.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.121-127
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• 1996

Peripheral nerve injury occurs mostly by trauma and is usually associated with fracture of bone and joint, muscular injury and tendon injury and it also evokes paralysis and anesthesia. When treatment of peripheral nerve injury is considered,, the modality of treatment is decided by the general condition of the patient, type of injury, associated injuries and the condition of wound. To get the maximum results, surgical treatment and reconstruction and rehabilitation should all go in hand-in-hand. From January 1985 to December 1994, we observed 61 patients that had operation without reconstruction due to peripheral nerve injury with a follow-up period of more than 1 year. Among the 61 patients, 44 were men(72%) and 17 were women(28%). Follow-up period was average 19 months. Age distribution was mostly in their twenties with a mean age of 28 years. Time interval of operation after injury was average 11 months. Trauma was the main cause of peripheral nerve injuries with a proportion of 87%. 31 patients had neurorrhaphy, in which case 14 patients had stay suture and 17 patients did not. 14 patients had nerve graft, and 16 patients had neurolysis. We used our scales to compare the results of surgery on the basis of British Research Council System. We gave scores to every sensory and motor scale to estimate functional improvement and emphasized on motor functional improvement. The total score = sensory score + ($2{\times}motor$ score). We considered 8-9 points as excellent, 6-7 points as good, 2-5 points as fair, 0-1 points as poor result. We considered excellent and good as much improved. Excellent and good results were obtained in 13 out of 14 neurorrhaphy with stay suture(93%), 12 out of 17 neurorrhaphy without stay suture(71%), 6 out of 14 nerve graft(43%), 12 out of 16 neurolysis(75%). Among the patients with neurorrhaphy done within 3 months, 11 out of 14(86%) showed improvement, but among the patients after 4 months 3 out of 17(76%) showed improvement. 84% of improvement was observed in the patients with time interval from injury to surgery within 3 months, and 64% in the patients with time interval after 4 months. In the aspect of age, 77% with the age below 20 years, 70% with the age between 21 and 30 years, 66% with the age above 31 years showed improvement. We conclude that considering degree of injury, time interval from injury and age with the adequate method of treatment, we can obtain good results from surgery.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.56-60
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• 2012

Purpose: Thumb reconstruction plays most important role in hand injuries because total loss of a thumb constitutes about 40% disability in the hand. The reconstruction can be accomplished by pollicization, free toe-to-thumb transfer, wrap around procedure and lengthening extraction. However, we sometimes need consecutive or double free flaps in the reconstruction of mutilating hand injuries. Methods: We reconstructed a mutilating hand injury in a 54-years old man. Because of severe crushing injury of right thumb and index fingers, we reconstructed a thumb with pollicization using nearly amputated middle finger. Although it survived completely, the adjacent soft tissues which had been covered by fillet flap from the space past was necrosed on 1 month. We debrided the necrotic tissues and covered it with anteromedial thigh perforator free flap consecutively because he had an anatomical variation in branches of lateral femoral circumflex artery. Results: He had an uneventful postoperative course without any complication such as infection, dehiscence and flap necrosis. Three months later, he had undergone tenolysis and defatting procedure of flap site. He recovered the some amount of grip function and was happy with the result. Conclusion: In severe hand trauma including thumb amputation, thumb reconstruction using pollicization and perforator free flap could be an alternative option. It provides minimal donor site morbidity and an acceptable functional result.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.24-28
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• 2013

Purpose: Soft tissue defect of the hand, which cannot be covered with skin graft or local flap, is usually reconstructed using a free flap. Temporoparietal fascial free flap is one of the best alternatives for functional reconstruction of the hand with exposed tendons, bones, and joints. Materials and Methods: We have experienced four cases of reconstruction using a temporoparietal fascial flap with a skin graft and followed up for 20 years. We conducted a retrospective review of the patients' clinical charts and photos. Results: At the time of initial injury, the average age of patients was 50.3 (39~62) years. The radial artery was used for reconstruction of the dorsal side of the hand, whereas the ulnar artery was used for that of the volar side of the wrist. Short term complication such as skin graft loss and donor site alopecia occurred. However, during the long term follow-up period, no change of flap volume was noted, and full range of motion in the adjacent joint was maintained. In addition, hyperpigmentation of the grafted skin on the flap disappeared gradually. Conclusion: Selection of the optimal flap is important for reconstruction of the hand without functional limitation. We obtained satisfactory soft tissue coverage and functional outcomes using a temporoparietal fascial free flap and followed up for 20 years.