• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.742-746
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• 2008

Background: The surgical treatment of pectus carinatum is usually a modified Ravitch operation that consists of complete costal cartilage resection and sternal wedge osteotomy. We tried a simple and easy technique that is resection of only deformed, protruded costal cartilage and pre-sternal compression with using a stainless steel bar and this is done without sternal osteotomy. Therefore, we performed partial cartilage resection and pre-sternal compression with a stainless steel bar and we observed the effects and the efficiency of treatment. Material and Method: From July, 2006 to June, 2008, 10 patients with pectus carinatum underwent our modified technique of pectus carinatum surgery. The effects of surgery and the complications were reviewed. Result: 5 patients with only pectus carinatum underwent our modified technique of pectus carinatum surgery. 5 patients with pectus carinatum and pectus excavatum underwent our modified technique of pectus carinatum surgery and Nuss surgery. The mean patient age was 13.4+3.3 years old. The mean operation time was 137.6+22.9 minutes for the pectus carinatum patients and 234.0+36.5 minutes for the pectus carinatum and pectus excavatum patients. The mean length of hospitalization was 11.8+1.0 days. The Haller pectus index of pectus carinatum was $2.10{\pm}0.21$ preoperatively and this was increased to $2.53{\pm}0.07$ postoperatively. The only complication was simple partial wound disruption in 1 patient. Conclusion: We performed partial cartilage resection and pre-sternal compression with a stainless steel bar in 10 patients with pectus carinatum and its effects were good. Our modified technique of pectus carinatum is easy and simple as compared with the Ravitch operation. But removal of the stainless steel bar has not yet been performed for these patients and long-term follow up is needed to accurately evaluate the. effects of this surgery in many surgical cases.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.184-194
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• 1999

Backgrounds : The advent of penicillin has led to the marked reduction in the mortality from pneumococcal bacteremia, however, the mortality is still relatively high in this post-antibiotic era. Actually the prevalence of infection due to penicillin-resistant penumococci is increasing worldwide, and it is especially high in Korea due to irrelevant use of antibiotics. So, the high mortality of pneumococcal sepsis might be related to the emergence of penicillin-resistant strains, however, many other antibiotics, which eradicate pneumococci effectively, are available in these days. This has led us to suspect the role of penicillin-resistance in the high mortality rate. In this study, we evaluated the effect of penicillin resistance on the mortality of patients with penumococcal bacte remia. Methods: The study population consisted of 50 adult patients with penumococcal bacteremia who were admitted between Jan, 1990 and July, 1997. Medical records were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Most of the patients (96%) had underlying diseases. The most common local disease associated with pneumococcal bacteremia was pneumonia (42%), which was followed by spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (14%), cholangitis (10%), meningitis (8%), liver abscess (4%), pharyngotonsillitis (4%), sinusitis (2%) and cellulitis (2%). While the overall case-fatality rate in this study was 24%, it was higher when peumococcal bacteremia was associated with pneumonia (42%) or meningitis (50%). The rate of penicillin resistance was 40%, which was increased rapidly from 1991. The rate of penicillin resistance was significantly higher in patients with the history of recent antibiotics use and hospitalization within 3 months respectively. The clinical manifestations, that is, age, severity of underlying diseases, nosocomial infection, associated local diseases, and the presence of shock or acute renal failure were not statistically different between the patients with penicillin-resistant and -sensitive pneumococcal bacteremia. The mortality of patients infected with penicillin-resistant pneumococci was not statistically different from those with penicillin-sensitive pneumococcal bacteremia. Conclusion: Penicillin resistance is not associated with high mortality in adult patients with pneumococcal bacteremia. As the overall mortality is high, active penumococcal vaccination is recommended in patients with high risk of infection.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.74-82
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• 2010

Purpose : The Dipslide culture test is a rapid method for diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of this study is to determine the diagnostic availability of a urine Dipslide test for evaluation of UTI in febrile children. Methods : Urine specimens from 151 febrile infants were inoculated by a routine blood agar urine culture method and the Dipslide test at the same time. Following incubation for 16-24 hours, the results of the Dipslide test were read at the next visit. Both results of Dipslide and those of routine culture were compared. Results : The mean age of subjects was 15${\pm}$10.6 months. There were 150 infants (99.3%) who had fever with a mean duration of 2.6${\pm}$2.6 days. Thirty two infants (21.2%) were diagnosed as having UTI. Sensitivity and specificity of Uricult Trio CLED medium were 59.4% and 84.8%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of Uricult Trio E. coli medium were 60.0% and 96.2%, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient between results of Uricult Trio CLED medium and urine culture was 0.438 (P=0.01). Correlation between results of Uricult Trio E. coli medium and urine culture was 0.617 (P=0.01). Conclusion : The Dipslide test requires only 16-24 hours with high specificity in terms of UTI caused by E. coli without the problems associated with specimen delay. This test seems to be helpful for exclusion of UTI in febrile infants and it may reduce unnecessary hospitalization and antibiotic use. However, further studies are required before the product can be recommended as a routine diagnostic tool.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.757-762
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• 2006

Purpose : Pneumonia is one of the most common infections in children who visit emergency departments(ED), but standard clinical guidelines for children with pneumonia in Korea have not been studied. This study was performed to collect and evaluate a data-base of children with pneumonia for establishing clinical guidelines in ED. Methods : This study reviewed 304 children who were diagnosed and treated for pneumonia in the ED at one tertiary hospital between January 2003 and December 2003 retrospectively by reviewing the charts and analyzing the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and radiologic findings between an admission group and a discharge group. Results : The 2 year-5 year age group was the top of age distribution and the peak incidence of monthly distribution was December. Two hundred forty seven(81.3 percent) children were hospitalized(admission group), and the mean length of hospitalization was $7.24{\pm}3.24$ days. The most common indications of admission were fever, tachypnea and an age of less than three months. There was statistical differences in the outpatient department follow-up between the two groups(85.8 percent in admission group vs 35.1 percent in discharge group). Conclusion : More prospective studies are needed to establish clinical standard guidelines for children with pneumonia. This will be helpful in ED management and will aid the prevention of pneumonia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.330-338
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• 2009

Purpose : The causes of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) are mostly attributable to viral infection, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), influenza virus A/B (IFV A/B), or adenovirus (ADV). Several Korean studies reported human metapneumovirus (hMPV) as a common pathogen of ALRTI. However, studies on seasonal distribution and clinical differences relative to other viruses are insufficient, prompting us to perform this study. Methods : From November 2006 to October 2007, we tested nasopharyngeal aspiration specimens in children hospitalized with ALRTI with the multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to identify 6 kinds of common pathogen (hMPV, RSV, PIV, IFV A/B, and ADV). We analyzed positive rates and clinical features by respiratory chart review. Results : We detected 38 (8.4%) hMPV-positive cases out of 193 (41.8%) virus-positive specimens among 462 patients. HMPV infection prevailed from March to June with incidence peaking in April. HMPV-positive patients were aged 15 years (76.3%), and the ratio of boys to girls was 1.2:1. The median age was 27 months. HMPV primarily caused pneumonia (76.3 %) (P=0.018). Average hospitalization of HMPV-associated ALRTI patients was 5.8 days. In addition, they showed parahilar peribronchial infiltration (100%) on chest X-ray, normal white blood cell count (73.7%), and negative C-reactive protein (86.8 %) (P>0.05). All hMPV-positive patients recovered without complication. Conclusion : HMPV is a common pathogen of ALRTI in Korean children, especially in 1-5 year olds, from March to May. Immunocompetent children diagnosed with hMPV-associated ALRTI may have a good prognosis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.495-502
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• 2010

Purpose : Sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the newborn, particularly in preterm. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence rate, causative pathogens and clinical features of neonatal sepsis in one neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for 6 years. Methods : This study was retrospectively performed to review the clinical and laboratory characteristics including sex, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, length of hospitalization, length of total parenteral nutrition, presence of central venous catheter, underlying diseases, laboratory findings, microorganisms isolated from blood culture, complications and mortality in 175 patients between January 2003 and December 2008. Results : 1) Sepsis was present in 175 of 3,747 infants for 6 years. There were more gram-positive organisms. 2) The gram-negatives were more prevalent in preterm. There were no significant differences of other clinical features between two groups. 3) Underlying diseases were found in 73.7%, and the most common disease was cardiovascular disease. The most common organisms of gram-positives and gram-negatives were methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Serratia marcescens. 4) There was statistically significant difference on platelet counts between two groups (P<0.05). 5) Complications were found in 18.3% and septic shock was the most common. MRSA was the most common pathogen in sepsis with complication. 6) The mortality rate was 7.4%. 7) There were differences in monthly blood stream infection/1,000 patient-days. Conclusion : The studies about the factors that can influence neonatal sepsis will contribute to decrease the infection rates in NICUs.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.82-88
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• 2008

Background: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a serious disease originating in odontogenic or oropharyngeal infection with high mortality despite adequate antibiotics and aggressive surgery. We analyzed results of treatment for DNM. Material and Method: We studied 8 cases diagnosed as DNM from 1998 to 2007. All patients received emergent surgical drainage and debridement with broad spectrum antibiotics just after diagnosis. Antibiotics were changed after bacterial susceptibility testing. The surgical approach included 2 cases of cervicotomy, 6 cases of cervicotomy, and a thoracotomy. Result: The interval between symptom onset and hospitalization was $4.6{\pm}1.8$ days ($1{\sim}9$ day). DNM originated in 4 cases of odontogenic infection (50%), 2 cases of oropharyngeal infection (25%), and 2 cases of unknown origin (25%). Causative organisms were found in 6 cases; Streptococcus in 4 cases, Staphylococcus in 1 case, and Klebsiella in 1 case. The Endo DNM classification was type I (2 cases), IIA (3 cases), and IIB (3 cases). The incidence of thoracotomy was 75%. The surgical mortality rate was 25% (2/8). The cause of death was multiple organ failure caused by septic shock. All mortality cases received only cervicotomy and aggravated infections after initial drainage. Conclusion: Early diagnosis, immediate surgical drainage, and adequate antibiotics, including covered anaerobes, are required. Thoracotomy should be performed with cervicotomy even for localized DNM.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.232-237
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• 2004

Purpose: DNR order is generally accepted for cancer patients near the end of life at Hospice Ward. It means not only no CPR when cardiopulmonary arrest develops but no aggressive meaningless medical interventions. Usually on admission, we discuss with the patients' family about DNR order at the Hospice Ward. Recently, we experienced a terminal lung cancer patient who had been on the ventilator for two months after pulmonary arrest. CPR and artificial ventilation were performed because patient's family refused DNR order. There is no consensus when, who, and how DNR order could be written for terminal cancer patients in Korea, yet. Methods: Hospice charts of 60 patients who admitted between Jan and Jun 2003 to Hospice Ward were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The median age was 66(range $31{\sim}93$) and there were 31 males and 29 females. Their underlying cancers were lung (12), stomach (12), biliary tract (7), colon (6), pancreas (4) and others (19). The persons who signed DNR order were son (22), spouse(19), daughter (16) and others (3). But, there was no patients who signed DNR order by oneself. Thirty families of 60 patients signed on day of admission and 30 signed during hospitalization when there were symptom aggravation (19), vital sign change (4), organ failure (3) and others (4). There were 13 patients who died within 5 days after DNR order. Most of patients died at our hospice ward, except in 1 patient. The level of care was mostly 1, except in 2 patients. (We set level of care as 3 categories. Level 1 is general medical care: 2 is general nursing care: 3 is terminal care.) Conclusion: We have to consider carefully discussing DNR order with terminal cancer patients in the future & values on withholding futile intervention.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2007

Purpose : In spite of medical advances, empyema is a serious complication of pneumonia in children. Vaccination practices and antibiotic prescribing practices promote the change of clinical manifestations of empyema and causative organisms. So we made a nationwide clinical observation of 122 cases of empyema in children from 32 hospitals during the 5 year period from September 1999 to August 2004. Methods : Demographic data, and clinical information on the course and management of empyema patients were collected retrospectively from medical records in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Korea. Results : One hundred twenty two patients were enrolled from 35 hospitals. The most frequent age group was 1-3 years, accounting for 48 percent of all cases. The male to female sex ratio was 1.2:1. The main symptoms were cough, fever, respiratory difficulty, lethargy and chest pain in order of frequency. Hematologic findings on admission revealed decreased hemoglobin levels ($10.4{\pm}1.6g/dL$) and increased leukocyte counts ($16,234.3{\pm}10,601.8/{\mu}L$). Pleural fluid obtained from patients showed high leukocyte counts ($30,365.8{\pm}64,073.0/{\mu}L$), high protein levels ($522.3{\pm}1582.3g/dL$), and low glucose levels ($88.1{\pm}523.5mg/dL$). Findings from pleural fluid cultures were positive in 80 cases(65.6 percent). The most common causative agent was Streptococcus pneumoniae. The majority of patients were treated with antibiotics and closed drainage. Some patients needed open drainage (16.4 percent) or decortication (3.3 percent). The mean duration of hospitalization was $28.6{\pm}15.3days$. Conclusion : We analyzed childhood empyema patients during a period of 5 years in Korean children. The most frequent age group was 1-3 years and the most common causative agent was Streptococcus pneumoniaeiae. The majority of patients were treated with antibiotics and close drainage.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.598-604
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• 2008

Background: The improvements in endoscopic equipment and surgical robots has encouraged the performance of minimally invasive cardiac operations. Yet only a few Korean studies have compared this procedure with the sternotomy approach. Material and Method: Between December 2005 and July 2007, 48 patients (group A) underwent minimally invasive cardiac surgery with AESOP through a small right thoracotomy. During the same period, 50 patients (group B) underwent conventional surgery. We compared the operative time, the operative results, the post-operative pain and the recovery of both groups. Result: There was no hospital mortality and there were no significant differences in the incidence of operative complications between the two groups. The operative $(292.7{\pm}61.7\;and\;264.0{\pm}47.9min$, respectively; p=0.01) and CPB times ($128.4{\pm}37.6\;and\;101.7{\pm}32.5min$, respectively; <0.01) were longer for group A, whereas there was no difference between the aortic cross clamp times ($82.1{\pm}35.0\;and\;87.8{\pm}113.5min$, respectively; p=0.74) and ventilator times ($18.0{\pm}18.4\;and\;19.7{\pm}9.7$ hr, respectively; p=0.57) between the groups. The stay on the ICU $(53.2{\pm}40.2\;and\;72.8{\pm}42.1hr$, respectively; p=0.02) and the hospitalization time ($9.7{\pm}7.2\;and\;14.8{\pm}11.9days$, respectively; p=0.01) were shorter for group A. The Patients in group B had more transfusions, but the difference was not significant. For the overall operative intervals, which ranged from one to four weeks, the pair score was significantly lower for the patients of group A than for the patients of group B. In terms of the postoperative activities, which were measured by the Duke Activity Scale questionnaire, the functional status score was clearly higher for group A compared to group B. The analysis showed no difference in the severity of either post-repair of mitral ($0.7{\pm}1.0\;and\;0.9{\pm}0.9$, respectively; p=0.60) and tricuspid regurgitation ($1.0{\pm}0.9\;and\;1.1{\pm}1.0$, respectively; p=0.89). In both groups, there were no valve related complications, except for one patient with paravalvular leakage in each group. Conclusion: These results show that compared with the median sternotomy patients, the patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery enjoyed significant postoperative advantages such as less pain, a more rapid return to full activity, improved cosmetics and a reduced hospital stay. The minimally invasive surgery can be done with similar clinical safety compared to the conventional surgery that's done through a median sternotomy.