• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.317-320
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• 2016

A 47-year-old woman was referred for surgical treatment of osteomyelitis of the mandible. She had already undergone three previous surgeries. Pre-anesthetic airway evaluation predicted a difficult airway, due to the thin, retro-positioned mandible, tongue, and atrophic changes in the lips and soft tissue. We inserted packing gauzes in the buccal mucosa for easier mask fitting and ventilation. During direct laryngoscopic intubation with a nasotracheal tube (NTT), fracture of a thin mandible can easily occur. Therefore, we used a fiberoptic bronchoscope to insert the NTT. After surgery, we performed a tongue-tie to protect against airway obstruction caused by the backward movement of the tongue during recovery. The patient recovered without any complications. We determined the status of the patient precisely and consequently performed thorough preparations for the surgery, allowing the patient to be anesthetized safely and recover after surgery. Careful assessment of the patient and airway prior to surgery is necessary.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.75-89
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• 2012

Purpose : This research was designed to provide basic data for advanced pre-hospital airway management by comparing the time to ventilation and success rate for tracheal intubation performed with Macintosh laryngoscope and intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway(ILMA) in a manikin. Methods : All participants were novice users among EMT-Paramedic students and were divided into two groups: (1) the group for Macintosh laryngoscope guided tracheal intubation(MLG-TI) (2) the group for ILMA guided tracheal intubation(ILMA-TI). After an introductory lecture and demonstration, each group made an attempt ten tracheal intubation to compare the ventilation time and success rate for tracheal intubation. Results : 1) There was significant difference in the time to ventilation through MLG-TI, the time to first and second ventilation through ILMA-TI of the 10 attempts. 2) The time to first ventilation through ILMA-TI was significantly shorter than that of ventilation through MLG-TI. 3) There was no significant difference between the time to ventilation through MLG-TI and the time to second ventilation through ILMA-TI. 4) The success rates of ILMA-TI were significantly higher than those of MLG-TI. Conclusion : ILMA-TI can be an alternative method for MLG-TI in advanced pre-hospital airway management.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.169-186
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the data from public information disclosure about pre-hospital advanced airway management and identify the problem by considering domestic laws and guidelines. Methods: Data were collected between 2017 and 2018 and analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Then, the problems of the analysis results based on the relevant laws and practical guidelines were reviewed. Results: The review of domestic laws and practice guidelines revealed that ambulance nurses can implement supraglottic airway device only under the following three conditions: ① smart advanced life support pilot project area, ② trained to insert I-Gel, and ③ member of a special ambulance. In total, 21,574 cases of advanced airway management (endotracheal intubation: 2,428, I-Gel: 18,502, LMA : 499, KING AIRWAY: 144) were reported. In many cases, advanced airway management was performed by ambulance nurses who did not meet the above conditions, which was in violation of laws and guidelines. In addition, the prognosis of intubated patients was not followed up. Conclusion: The Korea National Fire Agency must stop all unlicensed medical practice by untrained, uneducated, and uncertified nurses and demand quality control programs for intubated patients.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.71-80
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• 2011

Purpose : This research was designed to provide basic data for advanced pre-hospital airway management by comparing the ease of intubation, the success rate and the time for intubation performed with Macintosh Laryngoscope, Gum Elastic Bougie and Pentax AirWay Scope on the floor and table. Methods : Intubation was performed 30 times in total, including 5 times for each of intubation using Macintosh Laryngoscope, Gum Elastic Bougie and Pentax Airway Scope on the table and floor, only on subjects who passed the practice test of the national exam for paramedics. Data were collected by measuring the ease of intubation, the success rate and the time for intubation, and then analyzed by descriptive analysis, paired t-test, ANOVA using SPSS 18.0. Results : 1. There was a significant difference in the ease of intubation according to intubation devices. 2. There was a significant difference in the ease of intubation according to table height for intubation. 3. There was a significant difference in the success rate according to intubation devices. 4. There was no significant difference in the success rate according to table height for intubation. 5. There was a significant difference in the intubation time according to intubation devices. 6. There was a partially significant difference in the intubation time according to table height for intubation. Conclusion : Sufficient training not only with Macintosh Laryngoscope but also with Gum Elastic Bougie and Pentax Airway Scope could improve the survival rate by intubation in patients with difficult airway.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.172-179
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• 2023

Purpose: Out-of-hospital traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) often has a poor prognosis despite rescue efforts. Although the incidence and mortality of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have increased, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has decreased in some countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the prehospital setting, immediate treatment of cardiac arrest is required without knowing the patient's COVID-19 status. Because COVID-19 is usually transmitted through the respiratory tract, airway management can put medical personnel at risk for infection. This study explored whether on-scene treatments involving CPR for TCA patients changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. Methods: This retrospective study used data from emergency medical services (EMS) run sheets in Gangwon Province from January 2019 to December 2021. Patients whose initial problem was cardiac arrest and who received CPR were included. Data in 2019 were classified as pre-COVID-19 and all subsequent data (from 2020 and 2021) as post-COVID-19. Age, sex, possible cause of cardiac arrest, and treatments including airway maneuvers, oropharyngeal airway (OPA) or i-gel insertion, endotracheal intubation (ETI), bag-valve mask (BVM) ventilation, intravenous (IV) line establishment, neck collar application, and wound dressing with hemostasis were investigated. Results: During the study period, 2,007 patients received CPR, of whom 596 patients had TCA and 367 had disease-origin cardiac arrest (DCA). Among the patients with TCA, 192 (32.2%) were pre-COVID-19 and 404 (67.8%) were post-COVID-19. In the TCA group, prehospital treatments did not decrease. The average frequencies were 59.7% for airway maneuvers, 47.5% for OPA, 57.4% for BVM, and 51.3% for neck collar application. The rates of ETI, i-gel insertion, and IV-line establishment increased. The treatment rate for TCA was significantly higher than that for DCA. Conclusions: Prehospital treatments by EMS workers for patients with TCA did not decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the rates of ETI, i-gel insertion, and IV-line establishment increased.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.7-16
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• 2021

Purpose: The I-gel device is Korea's most frequently used airway management method during pre-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aimed to compare changes in ventilation volume according to the fixation method with a simulated manikin. Methods: We placed I-gel into an advanced life support simulator and compared tape and band fixation conditions. CPR was performed according to the 2020 Korean CPR guidelines, using a mechanical chest compression device and an adult bag. The positional shift of I-gel and the ventilation volume of the simulated manikin were measured after performing CPR for 20 minutes. Five trials were carried out in each setting. Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS 27.0. P < .05 was considered significant. Results: Positional shift after 20 minutes of CPR was as follows: tape fixation, 7.2 ± 0.2 mm; band fixation, no change, indicating a significant difference between the two groups (p=.003). The mean ventilation volume was tape fixation, 482.63 ± 30.84 mL; band fixation, 544.96 ± 22.98 mL, showing a significant difference (p=.002). Conclusion: When using the I-gel during pre-hospital CPR, using a band-type fixing device with elasticity rather than fixing the tape provides stable and appropriate ventilation by maintaining the fixed position.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.5-18
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• 2010

Objective : This study compares Video laryngoscope and Direct laryngoscope in tracheal Intubation on rapidity and accuracy by paramedic and aims to improve efficiency of airway management and survival rate in pre-hospital treatment for the patients with severe trauma, cardiac arrest or dyspnea caused by acute diseases. Methods : 60 paramedics were recruited from 13 fire stations located in C province. With the consent of the paramedics, likelihood ratio test was carried out and they were divided into two different groups; DL group (30) and GVL group (30). Regarding intubation conditions, difficult airway grade I, grade II and grade III as well as sniffing position and neutral position were examined. This study also compared between ambulance in motion and in stand still. Frequency, average and standard deviation were analyzed with statistics program, SPSS WIN 17.0 and repeated measure design was introduced to examine inter-relations between position, grade and groups. Results : Intubation was performed more rapidly in neutral position and GVL than in sniffing position and DL(F = 15.260, p = .000). Rapidity value was better with grade I and grade II than grade III and better with GVL than DL(F = 32.629, p = .000). Accuracy value was higher with neutral position and GVL than sniffing position and DL(F = 5.008, p = .011). grade III was less accurate than grade I, grade II and GVL was more accurate than DL(F = 10.966, p = .000). Ambulance motion status did not show any statistically significant differences in accuracy and rapidity. Conclusion : Given this study results, neutral position is better for the patient with severe trauma. For a better survival, GVL intubation can be considered since GVL can enhance accuracy as well as rapidity regarding difficult airway. Since there is no significant differences in ambulance motion factors, intubation can be recommended even in moving ambulance for shortening traveling time to a hospital.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.19-28
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• 2012

Purpose : The present study was designed to provide basic data for advanced pre-hospital airway management by comparing the insertion time and success rate between laryngeal tube suction II (LTS II) and laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in a manikin. Methods : A total of 32 participants were novice users to both of devices among paramedic students. After taking the introductory lecture and demonstrations, the participants made an attempt to insert the LTS II and LMA to compare the insertion time and success rate. They marked the easiness of insertion of the score ranged from 1 to 10 score scale and preference of the two devices. Results : The insertion time of the LTS II was significantly shorter than that of the LMA (p =.000). There was no significant difference between LTS II and LMA in the success rate. In the easiness of insertion, the score of LTS II $(8.47{\pm}1.41score)$ was significantly higher than that of LMA $(7.19{\pm}1.98score)$(p =.001). The preference of LTS II (75%) was much higher than that of LMA (25%). Conclusion : The manikin study data showed that the LTS II may be a good alternative airway device for providing and maintaining a patent airway.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.612-617
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• 2012

Background Packing after closed reduction of a nasal bone fracture causes inconvenient nasal obstruction in patients. We packed the superior meatus with Vaseline gauze to support the nasal bone, and packed the middle nasal meatus with a Doyle Combo Splint consisting of an airway tube, a silastic sheet, and an expandable sponge to reduce the inconvenience. In addition, we aimed to objectively identify whether this method not only enables nasal respiration but also sufficiently supports the reduced nasal bone. Methods Nasal ventilation was measured via spirometry 1 day before surgery and compared to 1 day after surgery. To compare support of the reduced nasal bone by the 2 methods, 2 plastic surgeons assessed the displacementon X-rays taken after the surgery and after removing the packing. The extent of nasal obstruction, dry mouth, sleep disturbance, headache, and swallowing difficulty were compared with visual analog scales (VAS) on a pre-discharge survey. Results In the experimental group, the nasal respiration volume 1 day after surgery remained at $71.3%{\pm}6.84%$ on average compared to 1 day prior to surgery. Support of the reduced bone in the experimental group ($2.80{\pm}0.4$) was not significantly different from the control group ($2.88{\pm}0.33$). The VAS scores for all survey items were lower in the experimental group than in the control group, where a lower score indicated a lower level of inconvenience. Conclusions The nasal cavity packing described here maintained objective measures of nasal respiration and supported the reduced bone similar to conventional methods. Maintaining nasal respiration reduced the inconvenience to patients, which demonstrates that this packing method is useful.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2012

The Fontan operation is a heart operation used to treat complex congenital heart defects like tricuspid atresia, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, pulmonary atresia and single ventricle. A single ventricle is dedicated to pumping oxygenated blood to the systemic circulation and the entire systemic venous return reaches the pulmonary arterial system without the direct influence of a pumping chamber. In the patient with Fontan operation, it is important to achieve adequate pulmonary blood flow and cardiac output in anesthetic management. In this case, a 10-year-old boy (19.6 kg, 114 cm) with cleft palate, cerebral palsy and severe mental retardation, who underwent a Fontan operation when he was 4 years old, was presented for deep sedation. Because he was suffering from eating disorder with cleft palate, the orthodontist and the plastic surgeon planned to insert intraoral orthodontic device before cleft palate repair. But it was impossible to open his mouth for alginate impression procedure. After careful pre-anesthesia evaluation we planned to administer deep sedation with propofol infusion. After Intravenous catheter insertion, we started propofol intravenous infusion with the formula of a loading dose of 1.0 mg/kg followed by an infusion rate of 6.0 mg/kg/hr with syringe pump. His blood pressure was remained around 80/40 mmHg after loss of consciousness, but he could not maintain his airway patent. So we lowered the infusion rate to 3.0 mg/kg/hr, immediately. The oxygen saturation was maintained above 95% with nasal oxygen supply, and blood pressure was maintained around 100-80/60-40 mmHg. After the sedation of 110 minutes with propofol (the infusion rate to 3.0-5.0 mg/kg/hr), he fully regained consciousness, and was discharged without complication after 1 hour observation. In case of post-Fontan patient, intravenous deep sedation with propofol was safe and effective method of behavioral management during dental treatment.