• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.64 no.2
• /
• pp.125-132
• /
• 2008

Background: In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are elevated and an increase of CRP is more exaggerated in the acute exacerbation form of COPD (AECOPD) than in stable COPD. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a common complication of COPD. An increased level of CRP is known to be associated with the risk of systemic cardio-vascular disorders. However, few findings are available on the potential role of CRP in pulmonary arterial hypertension due to COPD. Methods: This study was performed prospectively and the study population was composed of 72 patients that were hospitalized due to AECOPD. After receiving acute management for AECOPD, serum CRP levels were evaluated, arterial oxygen pressure ($PaO_2$), was measured, and the existence of pulmonary arterial hypertension under room air inhalation was determined in the patients. Results: The number of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension was 47 (65.3%)., There was an increased prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension and an increase of serum CRP levels in patients with the higher stages of COPD (e.g., patients with stage 3 and stage 4 disease; P<0.05). The mean serum CRP levels of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and without pulmonary arterial hypertension were $37.6{\pm}7.4mg/L$ and $19.9{\pm}6.6mg/L$, respectively (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference of the mean values of $PaO_2$ between patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and without pulmonary arterial hypertension statistically ($77.8{\pm}3.6mmHg$ versus $87.2{\pm}6.0mmHg). Conclusion: We conclude that higher serum levels of CRP can be a sign for pulmonary arterial hypertension in AECOPD patients.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.85-95
• /
• 1996

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS) in childhood is unique and different n-om that in adulthood in several aspects, including pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, complications, management, and prognosis. Characteristic features of childhood OSAS in comparison with the adult form are the variety of severe complications such as developmental delay, more prominent behavioral and cognitive impairments, vivid cardiovascular symptoms, and increased death risk, warranting a special attention to the possible diagnosis of OSAS in children who snore. However, the childhood OSAS is often neglected and unrecognized. We, therefore, report a case of very severe OSAS in a 5-year-old boy who was sucessfully treated with continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) treatment. Interestingly, the patient was comor-bid with the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Prior to the initial visit to us, adenotonsillectomy had been done at the age of 4 with no significant improvement of apneic symptoms and heavy snoring. On the initial diagnostic procedures, marked degree of snoring was audible even in the daytime wake state and the patient was observed to be very hyperactive. Increased pulmonary vascularity with borderline cardiomegaly was noted on chest X-ray. The baseline polysomnography revealed that the patient was very sleep-apneic and snored very heavily, with the respiratory disturbance index(RDI) of 46.9 per hour of sleep, the mean SaO2 of 78.8%, and the lowest SaO2 of 40.0%(the lowest detectable oxygen level by the applied oxymeter). The second night polysomnography was done for CPAP titration and the optimal pressure turned out to be $8.0\;cmH_2O$. The applied CPAP treatment was well tolerated by the patient and was found to be very effective in alleviating heavy snoring and severe repetitive sleep apneas. After 18 months of the CPAP treatment, the patient was followed up with nocturnal polysomnography(baseline and CPAP nights) and clinical examination. Sleep apneas were still present without CPAP on the baseline night. However, the severity of OSAS was significantly decreased(RDI of 15.7, mean SaO2 of 96.2%, and the lowest SaO2 of 83.0%), compared to the initial polysomnographic findings before initiation of long-term CPAP treatment. Wechsler intelligence tests done before and after the CPAP treatment were compared with each other and surprising improvement of intelligence(total 9 points, performance 16 points) was noted. Clinically he was found to be markedly improved in his attention deficit hyperactive behavior after CPAP treatment, but with minimal change of TOVA(test of variables of attention) scores except conversion of reaction time score into normal range. On the chest X-ray taken after 18 months of CPAP application, the initial cardiopulmonary abnormalities were not found at all. We found that the CPAP treatment in a young child is very effective, safe, and well-tolerated and also improves the co-morbid attention deficit hyperactive symptoms. Overall, the growth and development of the child has been facilitated with the long-term use of CPAP. Cardiovascular complications induced by OSAS have been also normalized with CPAP treatment. We suggest that early diagnosis and active treatment intervention of OSAS in children are crucial in preventing and ameliorating possible serious complications caused by repetitive sleep apneas and consequent hypoxic damage during sleep.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.210-218
• /
• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and nursing activities of severe trauma patients regarding damaged body parts in Busan Regional Emergency Medical Center. Methods: A survey using a 'trauma patient information questionnaire and a list of nurse activities' was conducted with 133 patients over 15 points ISS on EMR from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. Results: Almost all of the subjects were men, and the mean age was 48.8. The amount of road traffic accidents was 60.4%, and the mean RTS and ISS were 6.08, and 23.14 points. Nursing activities in common were airway management, assessment of LOC & GCS, and EKG monitoring. Most of head and neck trauma patients were cared for manasing using intracranial pressure: each patience had the following assessed: pupil size and light reflex, they were checked the leak of CSF, kept $30^{\circ}$ head elevation, and administered medications. Some of chest trauma patients were treated for chest tube and central venous catheter insertion. Partial abdominal trauma patients were administered analgesic and cared for using arterial pressure measurement. Part of the limbs and pelvis trauma patients were given a blood transfusion. Conclusion: Based on the results, the characteristics and nursing activities were specific according to the specific damaged body parts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.28-32
• /
• 2005

Background and Objectives : The most important two factors of the voice production are the respiratory function which is the power source of voice and the glottic closure that transform the air flow into sound signals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between trained singers and untrained controls under varying intensity at a constant vocal pitch by simulataneous using the airway interruption method and electroglottography(EGG). Materials and Methods : Under two different intensity condition at a constant vocal pitch(/G/), 20(Male 10, Female 10) trained singers were studied. Mean flow rate(MFR), subglottic pressure(Psub) and intensity were measured with aerodynamic test using the Phonatory function analyzer. Closed quotients(CQ), jitter and shimmer were also investigated by electroglottography using Lx speech studio. These data were compared with that of normal controls. Results : MFR and Psub were increased on high intensity condition in all subject groups but there was no statistically significance. Statistically significant increasing of CQ. were observed in male trained singers on high intensity condition (untrained male : 51.31${\pm}$3.70%, trained male :55.52${\pm}$6.07%, p=.039). Shimmer percent, one of the phonatory stability parameters, was also decreased statistically in all subject groups(p<.001). Conclusion : The trained singers' phonation was more efficient than untrained singers. The result means that the trained singers can increase the loudness with little changing of mean flow rate, subglottic pressure but more increasing of glottic closed quotients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.48 no.12
• /
• pp.1310-1316
• /
• 2005

Mechanical ventilation in children has some differences compared to in neonates or in adults. The indication of mechanical ventilation can be classified into two groups, hypercapnic respiratory failure and hypoxemic respiratory failure. The strategies of mechanical ventilation should be different in these two groups. In hypercapnic respiratory failure, volume target ventilation with constant flow is favorable and pressure target ventilation with constant pressure is preferred in hypoxemic respiratory failure. For oxygenation, fraction of inspired oxygen($FiO_2$) and mean airway pressure(MAP) can be adjusted. MAP is more important than FiO2. Positive end expiratory pressure(PEEP) is the most potent determinant of MAP. The optimal relationship of $FiO_2$ and PEEP is PEEP≒$FiO_2{\times}20$. For ventilation, minute volume of ventilation(MV) product of tidal volume(TV) and ventilation frequency is the most important factor. TV has an maximum value up to 15 mL/kg to avoid the volutrauma, so ventilation frequency is more important. The time constant(TC) in children is usually 0.15-0.2. Adequate inspiratory time is 3TC, and expiratory time should be more than 5TC. In some severe respiratory failure, to get 8TC for one cycle is impossible because of higher frequency. In such case, permissive hypercapnia can be considered. The strategy of mechanical ventilation should be adjusted gradually even in the same patient according to the status of the patient. Mechanical ventilators and ventilation modes are progressing with advances in engineering. But the most important thing in mechanical ventilation is profound understanding about the basic pulmonary mechanics and classic ventilation modes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.332-345
• /
• 2023

Objectives: We examined the association of hearing with cardio-metabolic diseases, dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus according to the personal and occupational characteristics of workers exposed to noise. Methods: The subjects of the study were 237,028 workers who underwent 2, 3, and 4 kHz airway pure tone audiometry in 2015 and who underwent clinical tests to diagnose cardiovascular-metabolic diseases. Cardiovascular-metabolic diseases were defined using reference values for respective items including blood pressure (systolic/diastolic), fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. The airway pure tone hearing threshold of 2, 3, and 4 kHz, the average threshold of 2-3-4 kHz, and the hearing loss by the average threshold of the primary examination were distinguished. Results: Workers with cardiovascular-metabolic disease had significantly higher average hearing thresholds and higher rates of hearing loss. Logistic regression analysis, which adjusted for demographic variables of gender and age and occupational variables such as workplace size, industry, and type of work, and cardiovascular-metabolic disease as independent variables, showed that the odds ratio of hypertension to hearing loss in the mid-frequency was 1.239 (95% confidence interval: 1.118-1.374). For hypertension was 1.159 (1.107-1.214) and for diabetes it was 1.166 (1.104-1.230) for hearing loss in the high-frequency. Hearing loss measured by mean hearing was 1.178 (1.105-1.256) for hypertension and 1.181 (1.097-1.271) for diabetes. Conclusions: Cardiovascular-metabolic diseases in noise-exposed workers are associated with an increased risk of hearing loss and should be accompanied by bio-monitoring of cardiovascular-metabolic diseases in addition to auditory surveillance.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.43-50
• /
• 2000

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS) is known to be associated with the changes of autonomic nervous system (ANS). Nasal continuous positive airway pressure(nCPAP) treatment was found to correct abnormal ANS changes in OSAS but it remains to be further clarified. We aimed to assess the effects of nCPAP on ANS manifested on electrocardiogram, using spectrum analysis in the subjects with OSAS. Methods: Digital polysomnography was performed in 18 patients with OSAS(mean age $43.7{\pm}16.6$ years ; 17 males, 1 female ; mean respiratory disturbance index (RDI) $48.6{\pm}20.9$) for one baseline and another CPAP nights. From each night, 300 continuous beats of ECGs without artifact were chosen from both stage 2 sleep and REM sleep and they were used for power spectrum analysis. We compared between baseline and CPAP nights the heart rate variability including VLF(very low frequency power), LF (low frequency power), HF(high frequency power), R-R means, R-R variance, and LF/HF ratio, using Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results: In all patients, nCPAP proved to be effective in relieving apneas and snoring. During nCPAP night compared with baseline night, decreases in VLF(p<0.05), LF(p<0.01), and R-R variance(p<0.05) were found in stage 2 sleep, and decreased LF(p<0.05) was found in REM sleep. No significant differences in each sleep stage were found in other variables between the two nights. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that OSAS increases the activity of sympathetic nervous system and nCPAP application effectively decreases the activity. And nCPAP does not appear to influence the parasympathetic nervous activity in OSAS.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2005.05a
• /
• pp.869-872
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this study is on the prediction of the acoustic performance of the lined rectangular plenum chamber which can be used in the HVAC systems. The lined plenum chamber is modeled as a piston driven rectangular tube without mean flow and the acoustic pressure in the lined chamber is obtained by superposing the three dimensional pressure due to each of uniformly and harmonically fluctuating pistons. The arbitrary locations of inlet/outlet ports as well as the acoustic higher order modes generated at the area discontinuities of the port chamber interfaces are taken into consideration. The four-pole parameters can be derived by imposing the proper boundary conditions on each inlet and outlet ports. The lining material on the internal wall is assumed to be a bulk-reacting model. A single weak variation statement which satisfies the fluctuating rigid piston condition and the pressure and displacement continuity condition at the interface between the lining material and the airway was developed. The set of cosine functions were used as the admissible function when applying the Rayleigh-Ritz method. Computed results are compared with those predicted by using the locally-reacting lining material and experimental results, respectively. There are a good agreement shown between the results by the Rayleigh-Ritz method and the experiment results. The derived transfer matrices can be easily combined with other four-pole parameters of different types of mufflers for the calculation of the whole system performance.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.253.1-262
• /
• 1997

Hypothermia during lung preservation decreases metabolic processes. After the rabbit lung was flushed with modified Euro-Collins solution, heart-lung block was harvested and the left lung was assessed after ligation of the right pulmonary artery and right main-stem bronchus. Heart-lung block was immersed in the same solution for 6 hours. The modified Euro-Collins solution and storage temperature of group 1(10 cases) was 4t, roup 2(10 cases) was l$0^{\circ}C$. On completion of the storage period, the left lung was ventilated and reperfused with blood u:high used a cross-circulating paracorporeal rabbit as a "biologic deoxygenator" for 60 minutes. Pulmonary artery pressure, airway pressure, difference in oxygen tension between mow and outflow perfusate and degree of pulmonary edema were assessed at 10-minute intervals while the left lung was ventilated at 0.8 of the inspired oxygen fraction. The mean pulmonary venous oxygen tensions at 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion were 209.52$\pm$42.46 and 103.48$\pm$ 15.96 mmHg in group I versus 247.78$\pm$36.19 and 147.91 $\pm$ 11.07 mmHg in group II(p=0.049, (0.0001). The mean alveolar-arterial oxygen differences at 20 and 60 minutes after reperfusion were 357. 95$\pm$ 12.84 and 437.31 14.26 mmHg in group I versus 310.88$\pm$3).47 and )90.93$\pm$ 15.86 mmHg in group II (p=0.0092, (0.0001). The mean pulmonary arterial pressures at 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion were 40.56$\pm$ 18.66 and 87. 2$\pm$ 17.22 mmHg in group I versus 31.22$\pm$6.84 and 65.78$\pm$ 11.02 mmHg in group rl (p : 0.048, 0.0062). The mean pulmonary vascular resistances at 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion were 2.69$\pm$0.85 and 4.36$\pm$0.86 mmHg/ml/min in group I versus 1.99$\pm$0.39 and 3.29$\pm$0.55 mmHg/ml/min in group II(p : 0.0323, 0.0062). There were no difference between groups in peak airway pressure, lung compliance and degree of pulmonary edema. In conclusion that preservation of lung at l$0^{\circ}C$ was superior to preservation at 4$^{\circ}C$.}C$.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.32-42
• /
• 1996

Objectives : Upper airway resistance syndrome(UARS) is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by abnormal negative intrathoracic pressure during sleep. Abnormally increased negative intrathoracic pressure results in microarousal and sleep fragmentation which underlay UARS-associated complaints of daytime fatigue and sleepiness. Although daytime dysfunction in patients with UARS is comparable to that of sleep apnea syndrome, UARS has been relatively unnoticed in clinical setting. That is why UARS is apt to be excluded in diagnosing of sleep-related breathing disorders since its respiratory disturbance index and arterial oxygen saturation are within normal limits. The current study presents a summary of clinical and polysomnographic characteristics found in patients with UARS. The present study aims (1) to explore characteristics of patients diagnosed with UARS, (2) to characterize the polysomnographic findings of UARS patients, and (3) to enhance the understanding of UARS through those clinical and laboratory characteristics. Methods : This was a retrospective study of 20 UARS patients (male 15, female 5) and 30 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients (male 21, female 9) at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic. We diagnosed patients as having UARS when they met critenia, RDI < 5 characteristic findings of an elevated esophageal pressure($<-10\;cmH_2O$), frequent arousals secondary to an elevated esophageal pressure, and symptoms of daytime fatigue and sleepiness. We used polysomnographic value, which is standardized by Williams et al(1974), as normal control. Statiotical test were done with student t-tests. Results : (1) Mean age of UARS was $41.0\;{\pm}\;14.8$ years and OSA was $50.9\;{\pm}\;12.0$ years. UARS subject was significantly younger than OSA subject (p<0.05). (2) The total score of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was UARS $9.7\;{\pm}\;6.3$ and OSAS $11.2\;{\pm}\;6.3$. There was no significant difference between two groups. (3) The mean body mass index was UARS $28.1\;{\pm}\;5.7\;kg/m^2$ and OSAS $32.9\;{\pm}\;7.0\;kg/m^2$. UARS had significantly lower meen body man index than OSAS subjects (p<0.05). (4) The polysomnographic parameters of UARS were not significantly different from those of OSA except RDI(p<0.001), $SaO_2$ (p<0.001) and slow wave sleep latency (p<0.05). (5) Compared with normal control, Total sleep time in UARS subjects was significantly shorter (p<0.001), sleep efficiency index was significantly lower (p<0.001), total awakening percentage was significantly higher (p<0.001), and sleep stage 1 (p<0.001) were significantly higher. (6) OSA patients showed poor sleep quality and distinct abnormal sleep architectures compared with normal control. Conclusions : Conclusions from the above results are as follows : (1) UARS patients were younger and had lower body mass index when umpared with OSA patients. (2) The quality of sleep and sleep architectures of the UARS and OSA patients are significantly different from those of normal control. (3) ESS scores and awakening frequencies of UARS are similar with those of OSA, suggesting that daytime dysfunction of UARS patients may be comparable to those of OSA patients. (4) The RDI and the $SaO_2$ which are important indicators in diagnosing sleep-related breathing disorders, of UARS subjects are close to normal value. (5) According to the the above results, we unclude that despite the absence of $SaO_2$ drops and the absence of an elevated number of apnea and hypopnea, subjects developed clinical complaints which were associated with laborious breathing, elevated Pes nadir, and frequently snoring. (6) Accordingly, we suggest including LIARS in the differential diagnosis list when sleep related breathing disorder is suspected clinically and overnight polysomnographic findings except snoring and frequent microarousal are within normal limits.