• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2012

Purpose: A retrospective study with a literature review was conducted to identify the clinical characteristics and prognosis after the acute ingestion of glacial acetic acid. Methods: The medical records of 20 patients,who had presented to the emergency department of Ajou University Hospital complaining of the acute ingestion of glacial acetic acid between January 2006 and December 2011, were examined retrospectively. Results: Among the 172 patients admitted for caustics injury, 20 patients ingested glacial acetic acid. The mean age of the patients was $55{\pm}23.5$, and the mean volume of the acid was $84.5{\pm}71.3$ ml. The clinical features included 1) oral ulcers in 12 patients (63.2%), 2) respiratory difficulties in 11 patients (57.9%), 3) oliguria in 8 patients (42.1%), 4) renal toxicity in 7 patients (36.8%), 5) hepatic failure in 7 patients (36.8%), 6) disseminated intravascular boagulopathyin 7 patients (36.8%), 7) low blood pressure in 8 patients (42.1%), and 8) mental changes in 9 patients (47.4%). Ten patients required endotracheal intubation. Nine patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 5 patients expired. Conclusion: The ingestion of glacial acetic acid can cause severe symptoms, such as metabolic acidosis, multiple organ failure and upper airway swelling frequently and has a high mortality rate. Therefore, aggressive treatment, including endotracheal intubation, should be considered at the early stages.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2012

Purpose: Serious acetaminophen (AAP) poisoning causes hepatotoxicity. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is the most effective therapy for AAP poisoning and can be administered orally and intravenously (IV). Several studies have compared the efficacy of these two routes of administration and the results have been controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral and IV NAC for the prevention of hepatic toxicity in Korean patients whose serum AAP levels were higher than normal. Methods: A retrospective before/after study was performed, in which the patients presented to the emergency department with an AAP overdose from February 1995 to March 2012. A 3-day oral NAC regimen was used in the beginning, and a 20-hr intravenous regimen was then used from 2007. This study assessed the complications of an AAP overdose, such as hepatotoxicity, hepatic failure and renal failure as well as the side effects of the treatment regimen. Results: A total of 41patients was enrolled in this study. The median ALT and AST were 63 (IU/L) and 57 (IU/L) for the oral NAC treated patients, and 14 (IU/L) and 20 (IU/L) for the IV NAC treated patients (p=0.004 and p=0.001, respectively). The incidence of complications was similar in the treatment groups (p=0.399). Among the patients, 7 patients developed hepatotoxicity and were treated successfully with oral or IV NAC. Conclusion: This study suggests that IV NAC and oral NAC can prevent and successfully treat hepatic toxicity in patients whose serum AAP levels are higher than normal.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.498-505
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• 1983

It has been over 20 years since successful operations of Cardiac valves at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery, college of medicine, Yonsei University. About six hundreds of patients with severely symptomatic valvular heart disease have had valve operations with complete loss or sharp decrease in their cardiac symptoms since 1956. As the number of cardiac patient increases, reoperation on valves assumes greater importance. To define the group of patients undergoing reoperations on valves and the factors influencing their survival, we have reviewed our experiences of the reoperation on valves at the Yonsei University, Severance Hospital. This is a report of 29 cases which was undergone secondary or more surgery for valvular heart disease from 1966 to 1983. The primary operations includes 159 cases of open heart surgery from 1966 to 1975 and 476 cases from 1976 to march, 1983. The secondary operations are classified into groups of secondary valvuloplasty or valvotomy [8 cases], prosthetic valve replacement following valvuloplasty or valvotomy [14 cases] and prosthetic valve rereplacement [2 case] for such as calcification, degeneration and perforation of the cusps and paravalvular leakage, of the bioprosthetic valves. The leading indication for reoperation of mitral valve was restenosis or stenoinsufficiency, The indications of aortic valve replacement was active bacterial endocarditis, medically uncontrollable prosthetic endocarditis or paravalvular leakage. Overall death rate of the reoperation was 17.4% [5 death among the 29 patients] and the leading causes of death were myocardial failure, arrhythmia, cerebral embolism, acute renal failure due to low output syndrome. And it was followed by sepsis associated with active prosthetic endocarditis. The death rate of reoperation was 4.3% in the elective cases except urgent cases and the death rate of overall cardiac valve except reoperation cases was 4.1% in the last two years. Although the general mortality of reoperation was high, both mortality rates were comparable except emergency cases due to urgent preoperative patient’s condition.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.11 s.268
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• pp.854-857
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• 2006

The patient was an eight-year-old female. She was diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy. She was supported with bi-ventricular assist because of heart failure for 15 days. After 7 days, she was suffered from prerenal type ARF and support with continuous veno-veno hemodyalisis(CVVHD). And then heart transplantation was performed, heart donor's blood type was A. Immune suppressants were used after due consideration for renal toxicity. ARF was resolved on post operative $14^{th}$ day. She was discharged on post operative $52^{nd}$ day without any specific post operative complication. She has been followed up without any immune rejection reaction upto 14 months.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2012

Tyrosinemia type I is an autosomal recessive inborn error of tyrosine metabolism that caused a mutation. Clinical symptoms include progressive liver damage with liver failure, coagulopathy, hypophosphataemic rickets, renal tubular dysfunction and a high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. If left untreated, the affected infants may die from liver failure within the first year of life. PharmacoloIcal therapy with 2-(2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC) has offered an effective therapeutic option in addition to dietary restriction of tyrosine and phenylalanine. As prognosis of tyrosinemia type I is improving with early diagnosis and early treatments, it meets the criteria for a condition that would benefit from newborn screening. We report a case of tyrosinemia type I diagnosed by newborn screening and successive biochemical analysis of plasma and urine, treated by dietary restriction and NTBC.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.36-39
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• 2015

Copper sulfate is a copper compound used widely in the chemical and agriculture industries. Most intoxication occurs in developing countries of Southeast Asia particularly India, but rarely occurs in Western countries. The early symptoms of intoxication are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps, and the most distinguishable clue is bluish vomiting. The clinical signs of copper sulfate intoxication can vary according to the amount ingested. A 75-year old man came to our emergency room because he had taken approximately 250 ml copper sulfate per oral. His Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was 14 and vital signs were blood pressure 173/111 mmHg, pulse rate 24 bpm, respiration rate 24 bpm, and body temperature $36.1^{\circ}$ .... Arterial blood gas analysis (ABGa) showed mild hypoxemia and just improved after 2 L/min oxygen supply via nasal cannula. Other laboratory tests and chest CT scan showed no clinical significance. Three hours later, the patient's mental status showed sudden deterioration (GCS 11), and ABGa showed hypercarbia. He was arrested and his spontaneous circulation returned after 8 minutes CPR. However, 22 minutes later, he was arrested again and returned after 3 minutes CPR. The family did not want additional resuscitation, so that he died 5 hours after ED visit. In my knowledge, early deaths are the consequence of shock, while late mortality is related to renal and hepatic failure. However, as this case shows, consideration of early definite airway preservation is reasonable in a case of supposed copper sulfate intoxication, because the patients can show rapid deterioration even when serious clinical manifestation are not presented initially.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.377-382
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• 2012

Purpose: This single-center study aimed to assess the clinical features and surgical approaches and outcomes of complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Methods: TGA patients who had undergone surgical correction at the Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 2000 to December 2010, were retrospectively evaluated for patient characteristics, clinical manifestation, preoperative management, intraoperative findings, postoperative progress, and follow-up status. Results: Twenty-eight patients (17 boys and 11 girls, mean age=$10.6{\pm}21.5$ days) were included and were categorized as follows: group I, TGA with intact ventricular septum (n=13); group II, TGA with ventricular septal defect (VSD, n=12); and group III, TGA/VSD with pulmonary stenosis (n=3). Group I underwent the most intensive preoperative management (balloon atrial septostomy and prostaglandin E1 medication). Group II showed the highest incidence of heart failure (P<0.05). Usual and unusual coronary anatomy patterns were observed in 20 (71%) and 8 patients, respectively. Arterial and half-turned truncal switch operations were performed in 25 and 3 patients (Group III), respectively. Postoperative complications included cardiac arrhythmias (8 patients), central nervous system complications (3 patients), acute renal failure (1 patient), infections (3 patients), and cardiac tamponade (1 patient), and no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups. Group II showed the mildest aortic regurgitation on follow-up echocardiograms (P<0.05). One patient underwent reoperation, and 1 died. The overall mortality rate was 4%. Conclusion: Our study showed favorable results in all the groups and no significant difference in postoperative complication, reoperation, and mortality among the groups. However, our results were inadequate to evaluate the risk factors for reoperation and mortality owing to the small number of patients and short follow-up duration.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 1986

Aggressive revascularization of the ischemic lower extremities in atherosclerotic, occlusive diseases or acute embolic arterial occlusion due to cardiac valvular disease by thromboembolectomy or an arterial bypass operation has been advocated by some authors. We have performed 68 first time vascular operations, including thromboembolectomies on RR patients with ischemic lower extremities, within an 11-year-and-6-month period, from January 1974 to June 1984. We have reviewed and analyzed our vascular operative procedures and post operative results. The patients upon whom thromboembolectomies were performed were 42 males and 13 females ranging from 5 to 72 years of age. The major arterial occlusive sites were common iliac artery in 20 cases, femoral artery in 21 cases, popliteal artery in 8 cases, common iliac artery and femoral artery in 4 cases, and femoral artery and popliteal artery in 3 cases. The underlying causes of arterial occlusive disease were atherosclerosis obliterans in 34 cases; Buerger`s disease in 3 cases; emboli due to cardiac valvular disease in 13 cases; and vascular trauma in 4 cases, including cardiac catheterization in I of those cases. Arterial bypass operations with autogenous or artificial vascular prosthesis were done in 31 cases. Amputations were done on 2 patients carrying out any more vascular operative procedures would have been of no benefit to them. Our bypass operations for ischemic lower extremities were classified as follows: those done between the abdominal aorta and the femoral artery in 17 cases, including those done between the aorta and the bifemoral arteries with a Y graft in four of those cases and long ones done from the axillary to the femoral artery in 4 cases. Five patients died in the hospital following vascular surgery for ischemic lower extremities, the causes of death were not directly related to the vascular reconstructive operative procedures. The leading causes of death were respiratory failure due to metastatic lung carcinoma: renal failure due to complications from atherosclerosis obliterans; sepsis from open, contaminated fractures of the tibia and fibula; and myocardial failures due to open heart surgery in one case and reconstructive surgery of the ascending aorta in another.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2016

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a well-recognized congenital heart disease. Despite improvements in the outcomes of surgical repair, the optimal timing of surgery and type of surgical management of patients with TOF remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess outcomes following the repair of TOF in infants depending on the surgical procedure used. Methods: This study involved the retrospective review of 120 patients who underwent TOF repair between 2010 and 2013. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the surgical procedure that they underwent. Corrective surgery was done via the transventricular approach (n=40), the transatrial approach (n=40), or a combined atrioventricular approach (n=40). Demographic data and the outcomes of the surgical procedures were compared among the groups. Results: In the atrioventricular group, the incidence of the following complications was found to be significantly lower than in the other groups: complete heart block (p=0.034), right ventricular failure (p=0.027) and mediastinal bleeding (p=0.007). Patients in the atrioventricular group had a better postoperative right ventricular ejection fraction (p=0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed among the three surgical groups in the occurrence of tachycardia, renal failure, and tricuspid incompetence. The one-year survival rates in the three groups were 95%, 90%, and 97.5%, respectively (p=0.395). Conclusion: Combined atrioventricular repair of TOF in infancy can be safely performed, with acceptable surgical risk, a low incidence of reoperation, good ventricular function outcomes, and an excellent survival rate.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.245-250
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• 2001

Paraquat is one of the widely used herbicides. But it is fatal, if it is consumed by people. Paraquat poisoning causes acute renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, and progressive respiratory failure. There are no effective antidotes to paraquat. This report is about one case's treatment for acute hepatitis caused by paraquat. The patient was hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University Oriental Medical Hospital in Chonju. The patient received the following treatments while in an acute stage : Gamdutanggamibang(甘豆湯加味方), which consists of Radix glycyrrhizae(甘草), Semen mungo(綠豆), burned powder of Rhizoma rhei(大黃炒炭末), Succus phyllostachyos(竹瀝), chinese ink(墨汁) and fluid therapy. The patient received Sagunjatanggamibang(四君子湯加味方) while in a chronic stage. The patient improved faster with the above treatments than with the conventional treatment. We hope that this report will help widening the clinical range of oriental medicine, and improve systemic efforts in treating paraquat poisoning cases.