• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.177-180
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• 2000

Backgrounds： Patients with respiratory failure may require prolonged mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal time for tracheostomy and complications of tracheostomy. Methods : All medical records of 27 patients who underwent tracheostomy in department of thoracic & cardiovascular surgery at Yondong Severance hospital between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 1998, were reviewed. Variables analyzed include underlying disease, primary indication of tracheostomy, interval from 1st intubation to tracheostomy, duration from tracheostomy to weaning ventilator, duration of decannulation, and complication. There were 18 men and 9 women. Mean age at the time of the tracheostomy was 54 years (rage, 11 to 64 yeras). Results : Underlying diseases included lung cancer in 14 patients (51.9%), trauma in 8 patients (29.6%), and TE fistula in 2 patients. The indication for tracheostomy were as follows: prolonged mechanical ventilation in 13 patients, purpose of bronchial toilet in 9 patients, and tracheal stenosis in 5 patients. The mean interval between the first intubation and tracheostomy was 8.1 days. The mean duration from tracheostomy to weaning ventilator was 10.1 days. Conclusions : Timing of tracheostomy Is very important. Tracheostomy may benefit patients because it can accelerate the process of weaning and thus lead to a reduction in the duration of ventilation, length of hospitalization, and cost.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.31-45
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• 2001

With an economic development and epidemiologic transition, the burden of disease due to chronic diseases and accidents is increasing. However, in most of developing countries, long-term care facilities are not available, therefore acute care facilities should provide both acute and long-term care services. It is also true in Korea. The demand for long-term care services needs to be estimated to establish the adequate supply system of health resources. This article introduces the reclassification methodology of inpatients' healthcare utilization to acute and long-term care services. All discharged patients from hospitals for one month were analyzed. The distribution of inpatients' hospital days were fitted to Chi-squared distribution by ICD disease categories, and they were grouped in five clusters. For each cluster, the lower and upper limit of classification criteria to acute and long-term care services were chosen. Summarizing all hospital days corresponding to acute and long-term care respectively, 24 to 28 percent of inpatient services fumed out to be long-term care services. The study results are consistent with those of the existing studies. They can be used practically in the allocation of long-term care resources.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the types of venous access devices (VAD) for cancer patients and investigate the factors related to the insertions of central venous catheter (CVC) in cancer patients. Methods: The subjects were 379 cancer patients. A retrospective review of all patients who were discharged from a cancer unit from November 1st to 21st in 2008 was done using a structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 82 CVC (21.6%) was inserted among 379 patients for administering anticancer therapy. There were statistically significant differences in age, length of stay (LOS), cumulative LOS, medical department, history of CVC insertion, cancer category, and albumin level between patients using peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters and CVC. In addition, factors influencing the use of CVC were LOS (odds ratio [OR]=0.286, confidence interval [CI]=1.043-1.124), history of CVC insertion (OR=3.920, CI=0.128-0.637), albumin level (OR=1.010, CI=1.879-8.179), cumulative LOS (OR=1.010, CI=1.001-1.018), and hematological diseases (OR=4.863, CI=2.162-10.925). Conclusion: We found that central venous catheterization for anticancer therapy was minimal even though CVC was safe and effective device for IV access. It is necessary to develop a strategy to use VADs efficiently and timely for cancer patients.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.229-242
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• 2023

Purpose: The electronic frailty index (eFI), which is derived from electronic health records, has been recommended as screening tool for frailty due to its accessibility and ease of use. The objective of this systematic review was to identify the prevalence of frailty assessed by the eFI and its influence on health outcomes in older adults with chronic diseases. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Cochrane, Google search, and nursing journals in Korean from January 2016 to December 2022. Results: Twelve studies were analyzed. The eFI score, based on routine clinical data, was associated with adverse health outcomes. The most frequent outcome studied was mortality, and the eFI was associated with increased mortality in nine studies. Other outcomes studied included hospitalization, length of stay, readmission, and institutionalization in relation to hospital care usage, and cardiovascular events, stroke, GI bleeding, falls, and instrumental activities of daily life as health conditions. Conclusion: Early identification of frailty in older adults with chronic diseases can decrease the burden of disease and adverse health outcomes. The eFI has a good discriminative capacity to identify frail older adults with chronic diseases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.122-127
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• 1994

A retrospective study of 737 consecutive patients surviving the first 24 hours who underwent valve replacement surgery from July 1980 to June 1993 was undertaken to determine the prevalence, variables that could be used to predict outcome and results of therapy for postoperative acute renal failure[ARF]. Twenty-one patients[2.8 %] developed acute renal failure. Positive risk factors noted in the development of postoperative renal failure included age, New York Heart Association class III & IV, endocarditis and elevated preoperative concentration of serum creatinine. The duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamping and the total duration of the operation also closely correlated with the incidence of ARF. The mortality rate for established ARF was 38.1% and ARF was associated with a significant increase in the length of hospitalization, ventilator support and intensive care unit stay. The incidence and mortality rate of oliguric renal failure was 38.1% and 85.7%. The highest mortality rate was associated with two or more postoperative complications and serum creatinine value exceeded 5 mg/dl. We concluded that therapy should be aimed at prevention of oliguric renal failure, or at least its conversion to nonoliguric renal failure, and early institution of renal replacement therapy with intensive support probably gives the best chance for survival.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.49-61
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• 1971

The purpose of this study is to observe the administering of analgesics and sedatives to cases of surgery, the influence of the patients'situational variables on the use of these drugs, and the required number of recovery days in relation to the patients'situational variables and general conditions. Fifty patients in the age range of 15 through 65 who had undergone general surgery at Seoul national University Hospital. Woo Sok University Hospital and Koryo Hospital between May and August of 1971 were chosen for this study. They were observed with regard to the frequency of postoperative uses of analgesics and sedatives age, the required period of recovery in comparison with the situational variables of patients such as sex, age, marital status, the type and duration of anesthesia, experience of previous operation, history of other diseases, preoperative period of hospitalizations and the general conditions of patients such as sleep, stomach condition, bowel condition, urination, interest in surroundings, strength and energy, self-assistance and appetite. The study results were reviewed in a statistical method to obtain the following findings: 1. There was a significant decrease in the frequency of analgesic uses according to the number of days passed after operation. 2. The mean postoperative recovery days were 5.31 days and mote than half of the patients have never used analgesics until recovery. 3. There was a significant decrease in the frequency of sedative uses according to the number of days passed after operation. 4. The rank-order correlation between the frequency of analgesic use and that of sedative use following surgery observes in relation to the number of postoperative days was a low and negative one. 5. All of the patients except one hate used sedatives only once a day for the whole recovery period. 6. The longer they stayed in the hospital before surgery, the less have they used analgesics after surgery. 7. There were significant differences in use of analgesics after surgery by age groups; the 25-44 age group used more analgesics than the 15-24 and 45-65 age groups. 8. There were no significant differences in use of analgesics after surgery by all situational variables except the number of days of hospitalization and age. 9. The longer they stayed in the hospital before surgery, the earlier have they recovered from the surgery. 10. There were no significant differences in the number of required recovery days by all situational variables except the length of preoperative hospitalization. 11. There were no significant differences in the number of required postoperative recordedly days by the general conditions of patients.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.120-131
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of implementing a clinical pathways (CPs) on the clinical outcomes and costs of patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who were newly diagnosed with primary breast cancer at the Samsung Medical Center between 2014 and 2019 (N=8482; 2931 patients in the pre-path and 5551 patients in the post-path). Clinical outcomes included reoperation during hospitalization, readmission, and emergency room visits within 30 days of discharge. The cost data for each unit were obtained from an activity-based management accounting system. We performed an interrupted time series analysis. Results: The post-path period showed a significantly shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) than the pre-path period (6.3 days in pre-path vs. 5.0 days in post-path; -1.3 days' difference; p=.001), and fewer reoperations during hospitalization and within 30 days after discharge than the pre-path period. After adjusting for inflation rates and relative value scores, the model demonstrated savings of $146 per patient in the post-path for total costs, and $537 per patient for patient out-of-pocket costs (p=.001). Conclusion: CPs can help reduce costs without compromising the quality of care by reducing the number of reoperations, readmissions, and complications.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.736-745
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• 2020

Objective: To identify the initial chest computed tomography (CT) findings and clinical characteristics associated with the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Materials and Methods: Baseline CT scans and clinical and laboratory data of 72 patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia (39 men, 46.2 ± 15.9 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline CT findings including lobar distribution, presence of ground glass opacities, consolidation, linear opacities, and lung severity score were evaluated. The outcome event was recovery with hospital discharge. The time from symptom onset to discharge or the end of follow-up (for those remained hospitalized) was recorded. Data were censored in events such as death or discharge without recovery. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to explore the association between initial CT, clinical or laboratory findings, and discharge with recovery, whereby hazard ratio (HR) values < 1 indicated a lower rate of discharge at four weeks and longer time until discharge. Results: Thirty-two patients recovered and were discharged during the study period with a median length of admission of 16 days (range, 9 to 25 days), while the rest remained hospitalized at the end of this study (median, 17.5 days; range, 4 to 27 days). None died during the study period. After controlling for age, onset time, lesion characteristics, number of lung lobes affected, and bilateral involvement, the lung severity score on baseline CT (> 4 vs. ≤ 4 [reference]: adjusted HR = 0.41 [95% confidence interval, CI = 0.18-0.92], p = 0.031) and initial lymphocyte count (reduced vs. normal or elevated [reference]: adjusted HR = 0.14 [95% CI = 0.03-0.60], p = 0.008) were two significant independent factors that influenced recovery and discharge. Conclusion: Lung severity score > 4 and reduced lymphocyte count at initial evaluation were independently associated with a significantly lower rate of recovery and discharge and extended hospitalization in patients admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.829-839
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: There is limited data on the impact of type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from January 2019 to December 2020 was queried to identify T2MI hospitalizations based on the appropriate International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision-Clinical Modification codes. Monthly trends of COVID-19 and T2MI hospitalizations were evaluated using Joinpoint regression analysis. In addition, the multivariate logistic and linear regression analysis was used to compare inhospital mortality, coronary angiography use, and resource utilization between 2019 and 2020. Results: A total of 743,535 patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of T2MI were identified in the years 2019 (n=331,180) and 2020 (n=412,355). There was an increasing trend in T2MI hospitalizations throughout the study period corresponding to the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in 2020. The adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality associated with T2MI hospitalizations were significantly higher in 2020 compared with 2019 (11.1% vs. 8.1%: adjusted odds ratio, 1.19 [1.13-1.26]; p<0.01). In addition, T2MI hospitalizations were associated with lower odds of coronary angiography and higher total hospitalization charges, with no difference in the length of stay in 2020 compared with 2019. Conclusions: We found a significant increase in T2MI hospitalizations with higher in-hospital mortality, total hospitalization costs, and lower coronary angiography use during the early COVID-19 pandemic corresponding to the trends in the rise of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Further research into the factors associated with increased mortality can increase our preparedness for future pandemics.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.103-116
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was performed to assess the effectiveness of conservative Korean traditional medical treatment on lumbar intervertebral disc herniation in 12 adolescents. Methods : Data were collected from adolescent patients diagnosed with lumbar intervertebral herniation by MRI, hospitalized at Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015. A total of 12 patients were included in the study. Patients were treated by acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, chuna manual therapy, physical therapy during hospitalization period. To measure treatment outcomes, a verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), range of motion (ROM), Straight leg raising test (SLR), and EQ-5D were used. Results : The average age of the participants was $16.05{\pm}1.62$. The average of duration of symptom was $19.25{\pm}26.83(weeks)$ and the average length of hospitalization was $23.8{\pm}16.4(days)$. 2 patients (17 %) suffered from only lumbar pain, while 10 patients (83 %) suffered from lumbar and leg pain. No participant suffered from only leg pain. 8 patients (67 %) were diagnosed with disc herniation in one segment, and 4 patients (33 %) were diagnosed with disc herniation in multiple segments. A total of 17 disc segments (28 %) were herniated. The most herniated lumbar level was L4-5. 3 segments were diagnosed with bulging (17 %), 6 with protrusion (35 %), and 8 with extrusion (47 %). Extrusion was the most frequent herniated type. After treatment, the average VNRS of lumbar pain significantly decreased from $5.58{\pm}1.62$ to $2.91{\pm}1.56$ (p<0.001) and the average VNRS of leg pain significantly decreased from $5.16{\pm}2.51$ to $3.08{\pm}1.8$ (p<0.001). ODI significantly decreased from $48.87{\pm}18.72$ to $28.57{\pm}15.05$ (p<0.05), and EQ-5D significantly increased $0.58{\pm}0.31$ to $0.80{\pm}0.12$ (p<0.05). Range of flexion significantly improved from $61.25{\pm}32.62$ to $68.33{\pm}26.22$ (p<0.05). Conclusion : Conservative Korean Traditional Medical Treatment may be effective in the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation in adolescence. However, more case reports and clinical research are needed.