• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2014

Purpose: The objective of this study was to develop a new scoring tool that is comprehensively applicable and predicts fatality within 24 h of intoxication. Methods: This was a cohort study conducted in two emergency medical centers from 2011 to 2012. We identified factors associated with severe/fatality. Through a discriminant analysis, we devised the aBIG (age, Base deficit, Infection, and Glasgow coma scale) score. To compare the ability of aBIG to predict intoxication severity with that of previous scoring systems such as APACHE II, MODS, SAPS IIe, and SOFA, we determined the receiver operating characteristic curves of each variable in predicting severe-to-fatal toxicity. Results: Compared with the mild/moderate toxicity group (n=211), the severe/fatal group (n=143) had higher incidences of metabolic acidosis, infection, serious mental change, QTc prolongation and hepato-renal failure. Age, base deficit, infection-WBC count, and Glasgow Coma Scale were independently associated with severe/fatal poisoning. These variables were combined into the poisoning "aBIG" score [$0.28{\times}$Age group+$0.38{\times}WBC$ count/$10^3+0.52{\times}$Base deficit+$0.64{\times}$(15-GCS)], which were each calculated to have an area under the curve of 0.904 (95% confidence interval: 0.868-0.933). The aBIG poisoning score had an equivalent level of severity predictability as APACHE II and a superior than MODS, SOFA, and SAPS IIe. Conclusion: We developed a simplified scoring system using the four variables of age, base deficit, infected leukocytosis, and GCS. The poisoning aBIG score was a simple method that could be performed rapidly on admission to evaluate severity of illness and predict fatal severity in patients with acute intoxications.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 2014

Background: The diagnostic criteria of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) have mainly focused on dichotomous (yes/no) categorization, which makes it difficult to compare the inter-patient's condition and to evaluate the intra-patient's subtle severity over the course of time. To overcome this limitation, many efforts have been made to create laboratory methods or scoring systems to reflect the severity of CRPS; measurement of the skin temperature asymmetry is one of the former, and the CRPS severity score (CSS) is one of the latter. However, there has been no study on the correlations among the CSS, temperature asymmetry and subjective pain score. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is any correlation between the CSS, skin temperature asymmetry and subjective pain score. Methods: Patients affected with CRPS in a unilateral limb were included in this study. After making a diagnosis of CRPS according to the Budapest criteria, the CSS and skin temperature difference between the affected and unaffected limb (${\Delta}T$) was measured in each patient. Finally, we conducted a correlation analysis among the CSS, ${\Delta}T$ and visual analogue scale (VAS) score of the patients. Results: A total of 42 patients were included in this study. There was no significant correlation between the ${\Delta}T$ and VAS score (Spearman's rho = 0.066, P = 0.677). Also, the CSS and VAS score showed no significant correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.163, P = 0.303). Conclusions: The ${\Delta}T$ and CSS do not seem to reflect the degree of subjective pain in CRPS patients.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.241-257
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• 2000

Rheumatoid arthritis as one of the chronic illness requiring management in long period of time puts great burden to patients, their family and society. For patients with chronic illnesses, providing a social support is important and the most important source comes from spouses. Therefore we assessed burden of husbands of female rheumatoid arthritic patients and also found out the factors affecting burden. The sample of study was 107 female rheumatoid arthritic patients and their spouses. The tool of assessing spouses' burden was the revised version of subjective and objective parameters developed by Montgomery et al.(1985). The results are as follows: 1. General characteristics of patients and spouses: The mean age of the patients was 48 years. Educational level of patients was high school 41.1%. The mean age of the spouses was 51years. Educational level of spouses was mostly high school(40.2%) and college(29.9%) graduate. The mean marital period was 23.4years. Average income per month was 1,609,000 won. The average duration since diagnosis was 9.4years. As a therapy, 67.3% chose standard drug therapy. Average rating of discomfort by patient was 3.05(range 1-5) and that of severity was 3.48 and that of dependency was 2.58. The husband's rating of their spouses disease severity was 3.68. 2. Husbands' burden: The average burden in subjective items was 21.61(range 6-36) and objective items was 35.24(range 10-60). The average of total burden was 56.59(range 16-96). 3. Husband's total burden correlated with patient's age, educational level of patients, therapy method, patient's level of discomfort, patient's severity, patient's level of dependence, husband's recognition of level of severity in statistical level. Husband's objective burden correlated with patient's age, educational level of patient, patient's level of discomfort, husband's recognition of level of severity. Husband's subjective burden correlated with patient's age, educational level of patients, therapy method, patient's severity, patient's level of dependence, husband's recognition of level of severity. 4. Linear correlation analysis on burden: The husbands' total burden is explained in 37 7% by husband's recognition of level of severity and husband's age. The husbands' objective burden is explained in 31.2% by patient's level of dependence, husband's age, husband's recognition of level of severity. The husbands' subjective burden is explained in 26.7% by husband's recognition of level of severity and patient's age. In conclusion, husbands' level of burden is affected by many factors and therefore nursing strategy for relieving burden of middle aged husbands should be individualized taking these factors into consideration.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.6
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• pp.450-455
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• 2010

Background: High cortisol levels are frequently observed in patients with severe infections are of prognostic value in sepsis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum cortisol in assessment for the severity of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: This study analyzed the results of 52 CAP subjects admitted in Changwon Fatima Hospital between July 2008 to May 2010. Total serum cortisol, infection markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and CURB (Confusion, Uremia, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure)-65 were examined retrospectively. Results: In clinically unstable subjects on admission day 4, baseline serum cortisol, CURB-65, and CRP were elevated significantly compared to those of stable subjects. Area under curve (AUC) of cortisol, CRP, and CURB-65 from ROC curves were 0.847, 0.783, and 0.724 respectively. In the subjects with serum cortisol ${\geq}22.82{\mu}g/dL$, CRP, PCT, CURB-65 score, and mortality were significantly elevated. Conclusion: These findings suggest that measurement of serum cortisol in early stage may provide helpful information in the assessment of CAP severity.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to understand the general characteristics and biomarkers of inflammation in adult patients who visited the emergency department with fever and to determine whether the severity of clinical symptoms varies according to cancer diagnosis. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from 4,002 adult patients with fever who visited the emergency department at a tertiary hospital from January 2018 to December 2018 using medical records. Results: On average, cancer patients were older than non-cancer patients (p < .001), and differences were observed between cancer and non-cancer patients in the origin of fever and biomarkers associated with inflammation. A higher proportion of cancer patients than non-cancer patients had a Korean Triage and Acuity Scale level of 1 to 3 (p < .001), and more cancer patients than non-cancer patients met two or more criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (p = .001). More life-saving interventions in the emergency department were required in cancer patients than in non-cancer patients (p < .001), and cancer patients spent more time in the emergency department than non-cancer patients (p < .001). Conclusion: This study showed that the general characteristics and biomarkers of inflammation differed among adult patients with fever depending on cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, among adult patients with fever, cancer patients had more severe clinical symptoms than non-cancer patients. The results of this study are hoped to be helpful as a basis of nursing knowledge for adult patients with fever in the emergency department and as evidence for the classification of severity in patients with fever according to cancer diagnosis.

• Acute and Critical Care
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.216-221
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• 2018

Background: In this study, we analyze the performance of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE IV, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3, and Mortality Probability Model $(MPM)_0$ III in order to determine which system best implements data related to the severity of medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods: The present study was a retrospective investigation analyzing the discrimination and calibration of APACHE II, APACHE IV, SAPS 3, and $MPM_0$ III when used to evaluate medical ICU patients. Data were collected for 788 patients admitted to the ICU from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. All patients were aged 18 years or older with ICU stays of at least 24 hours. The discrimination abilities of the three systems were evaluated using c-statistics, while calibration was evaluated by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. A severity correction model was created using logistics regression analysis. Results: For the APACHE IV, SAPS 3, $MPM_0$ III, and APACHE II systems, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.745 for APACHE IV, resulting in the highest discrimination among all four scoring systems. The value was 0.729 for APACHE II, 0.700 for SAP 3, and 0.670 for $MPM_0$ III. All severity scoring systems showed good calibrations: APACHE II (chi-square, 12.540; P=0.129), APACHE IV (chi-square, 6.959; P=0.541), SAPS 3 (chi-square, 9.290; P=0.318), and $MPM_0$ III (chi-square, 11.128; P=0.133). Conclusions: APACHE IV provided the best discrimination and calibration abilities and was useful for quality assessment and predicting mortality in medical ICU patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.122-136
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• 2000

Chronic illness requiring attention and management during a long period of time puts great burden onto patients, their family and society. For patients with chronic illnesses, providing social support is the most important, and the fundamental support comes from their spouses. Amount and quality of support from spouses seems to differentiated according to the sex of patients. Female patients tend to believe that their spouses are not very supportive. Therefore, the researchers assessed the burden of husbands of female arthritis patients to discover the factors that result in greater burden. Also, they developed a theoretical model of husbands′ care for their wives through a qualitative research into husbands′ experience. Method 1: The study material was 650 female arthritis patients registered in an arthritis clinic. The questionnaire about the disease experience of female arthritis patients and the burden of husbands were sent. Returned questionnaires numbered 210(32.3%) and 27 were excluded because of inadequate answers. The remaining 183 questionnaires were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 51 years and the mean age of spouses was 55 years. The mean marital period was 28 years. The average duration since diagnosis was 9.1 years. Education level was varied from primary school to graduate school, and average income/month was 1,517,300 won. Method 2: Initial questionnaire studies on the burden of husbands were performed. Among 183 responding husbands, 23 consented to participate for a qualitative research. Data was obtained by direct and telephone interviews. The mean age of participants was 58 years, and the educational level and socioeconomic status also varied. Result: 1. Husbands′ burden: The average burden was 57.68 with a range of 6-96. 2. Burden and general characteristics: The husband′s burden correlated with the age of the patients, numbers in the family, therapy methods, patient′s level of discomfort, patient′s disease severity, patient′s level of dependence and the husband′s understanding of the level of severity. 3. Linear correlation analysis on burden: The husbands′ burden is explained in 22.5% by husband′s recognition of level of severity and husbands′ age. 4. There were four patterns of the burden on husbands: both objectve burden and subjective burden were high(pattern I), both of objectve burden and subjective burden were low(pattern II), objective burden was high but subjective burden was low(pattern III), objective burden was low but subjective burden was high(pattern IV). The pattern was correlated with the family income, educational level of the patients and their husbands, therapy methods, patient′s level of discomfort, patient′s disease severity, patient′s level of dependence and husband′s understanding of level of severity. 5. The core category of the caring experience of the husbands with arthritis patients was "companionship". The causal factor was the patients′ experience due to symptoms : physical disfigurement, pain, immobility, limitation of house chores, and limitation of social activities. Contextural factors are husbands′ identification of housework and husbands′ concern about the disease. The mediating factors are economic problems, fear of aging, feeling of limitation and family support. The strategy for interaction is mind control and how to solve emotional stress. The "companionship" resulted from caring activities, participation of household activities, helping patients′ to coping with emotional experience. 6. Companionship is established through the process of entering intervention, and caring state of mind. Entering intervention is the phase of participation of therapy and involvement of houseworks. The caring phase consists of decision on therapy, providing therapy, providing direct care, and taking over the household role of wife. Through caring phase, the changing phase set a stage in which husbands consolidate the relationship with their wives, and are reminded of the meaning of marriage. As a result, in changing phase, husbands′ companionship is enhanced. In conclusion, nursing care of chronic illnesses should include a family member especially the spouse. All information on disease shoud be provided to patients and whole family member. Strong support should also be provided to overcome difficulties in taking over role of other sex. Then the quality of life of patients and families will be much improved.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2015

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill pediatric patients has been reported as increasing to 25 %, depending on population characteristics. The etiology of AKI has changed over the last 10-20 years from primary renal disease to the renal conditions associated with systemic illness. The AKI in pediatric population is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, and prevention is needed to reduce the consequence of AKI. It is known that the most important risk factors for AKI in critically ill pediatric patients are clinical conditions to be associated with decreased renal blood flow, direct renal injury, and illness severity. Renal hypoperfusion leads to neurohormonal activation including renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, sympathetic nervous system, antidiuretic hormone, and prostaglandins. Prolonged renal hypoperfusion can result in acute tubular necrosis. The direct renal injury can be predisposed under the condition of renal hypoperfusion, and appropriate treatment of volume depletion is important to prevent AKI. The preventable causes of AKI include contrast-induced nephropathy, hemodynamic instability, inappropriate mediation use, and multiple nephrotoxic insults. Given the evidence of preventable factors for AKI, several actions such as the use of protocol for prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy, appropriate treatment of volume depletion, vigorous treatment of sepsis, avoidance of combinations of nephrotoxic medications, and monitoring of levels of drugs should be recommended.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to compare and examine the factors influencing burden of primary family caregivers according to the severity of illness of elderly patients admitted in an intensive care unit. Methods: Subjects were the families of elderly patients in intensive care units of K, S and Y hospitals in Seoul. Data were collected from March to October 2007. Subjects were 108 persons over age 65. Data were analyzed by SAS statistics. Results: First, groups 5 and 3 showed higher burden than that of group 4. Second, high correlation was found between stress and burden, stress and anxiety, and burden and anxiety. Third, factors influencing family burden were found to be stress for group 5, stress, anxiety, and monthly income for group 4, and stress and patient age for group 3. Conclusion: Specific nursing interventions to decrease the stress of primary family caregivers of serious ill elderly patients in an intensive care unit are needed. Additionally, more effective and systematic activation of a long-term medical insurance system for seriously ill seniors is considered necessary to mediate the burden of primary family caregivers.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.743-748
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• 1993

Alterations in thyroid function test results are frequently seen in patients with nonthyroidal illness & correlate with the severity of the illness & prognosis. We studied thyroid hormone changes in 14 patients received cardiopulmonary bypass[CPB]. All patients were biochemical euthyroidism preoperatively. TSH[Thyroid Stimulating Hormone] level reached its nadir[0.46 $\pm$ 0.11 ulU/ml, P<0.0005] at 12 hours after the start of CPB & showed elevating pattern to the preoperative level thereafter. FT4[Free Thyroxine] reached to its nadir[10.16$\pm$ 1.17 pmol/L, P<0.01] at POD[Post Operative Day] #4 & reached to the preoperative level at POD #7. Mean serum TSH & FT4 concentration were within normal limits[P>0.25] during CPB & thereafter. TT3[Total Triiodothyronine] reached to its nadir[38.6 $\pm$ 8.4 ng/dl, P<0.001] at 30 minutes after the start of CPB & remained low[P<0.05] throughout the study period. The patients whose recovery was uneventful[Group I] had higher serum TSH, TT3 levels[P<0.05] than who had complications or died[Group II]. Group I showed the elevating pattern of TSH, TT3 at POD #4, but Group II failed to show such elevating pattern. In Group I, FT4 was within normal limits[P>0.5] throughout the study period, and also within normal limits[P>0.1] in Group II.