• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2014

Purpose: We investigated the safety and efficacy of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in terminally ill cancer patients. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients who underwent PICC at the hospice-palliative division of KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) Medical Center between January 2013 and December 2013. All PICCs were inserted by an interventional radiologist. Results: A total of 30 terminally ill cancer patients received the PICC procedure during the study period. Including one patient who had had two PICC insertions during the period, we analyzed a total of 31 episodes of catheterization and 571 PICC days. The median catheter life span was 14.0 days (range, 1~90 days). In 25 cases, catheters were maintained until the intended time (discharge, transfer, or death), while they were removed prematurely in six other cases (19%; 10.5/1000 PICC days). Thus, the catheter maintenance success rate was 81%. Of those six premature PICC removal cases, self-removal due to delirium occurred in four cases (13%; 7.0/1000 PICC days), and catheter-related blood stream infection and thrombosis were reported in one case, each (3%; 1.8/1000 PICC days). Complication cases totaled eight (26%; 14.1/1000 PICC days). The time to complication development ranged from two to 14 days and the median was seven days. There was no PICC complication-related death. Conclusion: Considering characteristics of terminally ill cancer patients, such as a poor general condition, vulnerability to trivial damage, and a limited period of survival, PICC could be a safe intravenous procedure.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.449-453
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• 2002

Purpose : Arterial blood gas analysis is frequently performed in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to evaluate ventilation and the metabolic state of critically ill infants. In occasions when umbilical arterial catheterization is not available, frequent arterial puncture is mandatory. This requires some technical skill and may occasionally have side effects. So we studied the validity of capillary blood gas analysis which can be performed conveniently compared with arterial blood. Methods : Twenty-four neonates admitted to NICU during April to Aug. 2001 were studied. They were more than two weeks old without indwelling arterial catheters. Thirty-six times, simultaneous arterial, and capillary blood gases were drawn by puncture and the pH, $pCO_2$ and $pO_2$ of each sample was measured. Blood pressure and body temperature was checked before sampling to rule out impaired peripheral circulation. Capillary blood was collected from warmed heels. Results : There was a strong correlation between capillary and arterial pH(r=0.91, P<0.05). The absolute value of the difference between arterial and capillary pH was less than 0.05. Also capillary $pCO_2$ showed correlation with arterial $pCO_2$(r=0.77, P<0.05). Despite a statistically significant correlation between capillary and arterial $pO_2$(r=0.68, P<0.05), the absolute value of the difference was more than 10 mmHg in 92% of cases. Conclusion : Capillary blood gases accurately reflected arterial pH and $pCO_2$ and showed a relative correlation with $pO_2$. Capillary blood gas analysis can be a useful alternative to arterial blood when continuation of the umbilical arterial catheter is no longer available.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2012

Purpose: We investigated the clinical presentation of febrile pediatric patients with acute pyelonephritis (APN) with a mixed urine culture from an aseptic urine sample, and compared with that of those with a single culture. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 95 patients diagnosed as APN with fever between January 2008 and October 2010 at Korea University Medical Center. We classified the patients with APN into two groups with a positive single culture (S group) and a positive mixed culture (M group) from an aseptic urine sample of suprapubic bladder aspiration or urethral catheterization and compared the fever duration, laboratory markers such as serum white blood cell (WBC) counts and C-reactive protein (CRP) values in peripheral blood, and the presence of hydronephrosis, renal scar and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) between the two groups (If presence of hydronephrosis, scar and VUR=1 and no=0). Results: Total pediatric patients with febrile APN were 95 patients, a positive S group was 89 patients and a positive M group was 6 patients. Fever duration (S vs. M, $4.7{\pm}3.1$ vs. $6{\pm}5.7$ days), serum WBC (S vs. M, $18,630{\pm}6,483$ vs. $20,153{\pm}7,660/{\mu}L$) and CRP (S vs. M, $100.6{\pm}2.46$ vs. $81.1{\pm}0.09\;mg/L$) values, and the presence of hydronephrosis, renal scar and VUR were not different between the two groups. Conclusion: Our data shows that there were no specific differences of clinical manifestation between a positive single urine culture and a positive mixed urine culture in pediatric APN. A mixed urine culture from an aseptic urine sample should be interpreted cautiously.