• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.662-670
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• 2006

Purpose. This study was performed to develop and test a decision-tree model of treatment-seeking behaviors about when Korean patients visit a doctor after experiencing stroke symptoms. Methods. The study used methodological triangulation. The model was developed based on qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with 18 stroke patients. The model was tested using quantitative data collected from interviews and a structured questionnaire involving 150 stroke patients. The predictability of the decision-tree model was quantified as the proportion of participants who followed the pathway predicted by the model. Results. Decision outcomes of the model were categorized into immediate and delayed treatment-seeking behavior. The model was influenced by lowered consciousness, social-group influences, perceived seriousness of symptoms, past history of hypertension or stroke, and barriers to hospital visits. The predictability of the model was found to be 90.7%. Conclusions. The results from this study can help healthcare personnel understand the education needs of stroke patients regarding treatment-seeking behaviors, and hence aid in the development of educational strategies for stroke patients.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and related factors of sleep-wake disturbance (SWD) in Korean post-stroke patients. This study was the first to address post-stroke SWD in Korea using a structured questionnaire. Method: We investigated the prevalence of SWD and related factors including lesion location, stroke severity, presence of depression and fatigue. We assessed sleep-wake pattern including quality of sleep, sleep latency, wake episodes, wake time after sleep onset, daytime sleep episode and sleep time at daytime. Ninety stroke patients admitted to a university affiliated hospital in Seoul between the period September 2008 and January 2009 were included in the study. Result: Thirty five patients (38.9%) complained insomnia and 32 (35.6%) complained excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Quality of sleep (p=.000), sleep latency (p=.000) and total sleep time (p=.001) were significantly poorer in 16 patients with both insomnia and EDS than in the others. The related factors to insomnia were level of education (p=.030), depression (p=.007) and fatigue (p=.034), though related factors to EDS were stroke onset time (p=.049), stroke severity (p=.005), motor dysfunction (p=.035), dysphasia (p=.018), fatigue (p=.001) and lesion location (p=.019). Conclusion: Sleep-wake disturbance is a common problem in Korean stroke patients. Strategies to improve quality of sleep are urgently needed in the post-stroke patients.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.471-477
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• 2022

Objective: The greatest motor impairment after stroke is a decreased ability to walk. Most stroke patients achieve independent gait, but approximately 70% do not reach normal speed, making it difficult to reach a standard of daily living. Therefore, a wearable exoskeleton is recommended for optimal independent gait because different residual disorders hinder motor function after stroke. This review synthesized the effect on gait speed in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which gait training using a wearable exoskeleton was performed on post-stroke patients for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of a randomized controlled trials Methods: RCTs using wearable exoskeletons in robotic rehabilitation of post-stroke patients were extracted from an international electronic database. For quality assessment and quantitative analysis, RevMan 5.4 was used. Quantitative analysis was calculated as the standardized mean difference (SMD) and presented as a random effect model. Results: Five studies involving 197 post-stroke patients were included in this review. As a result of the analysis using a random effect model, gait training using a wearable exoskeleton in post-stroke patients showed a significant improvement in gait speed compared to the non-wearing exoskeleton (SMD=1.15, 95% confidence interval: 0.52 to 1.78). Conclusions: This study concluded that a wearable exoskeleton was more effective than conventional gait training in improving the gait speed in post-stroke patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.437-448
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• 2018

Objective: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) requires time-dependent reperfusion therapy, and early recognition of AIS is important to patient outcomes. This study was conducted to identify the clinical features and risk factors of AIS patients that are missed during the early stages of diagnosis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed AIS patients admitted to a hospital through the emergency department. AIS patients were defined as ischemic stroke patients who visited the emergency department within 6 hours of symptom onset. Patients were classified into two groups: an activation group (A group), in which patients were identified as AIS and the stroke team was activated, and a non-activation group (NA group), for whom the stroke team was not activated. Results: The stroke team was activated for 213 of a total of 262 AIS patients (81.3%), while it was not activated for the remaining 49 (18.7%). The NA group was found to be younger, have lower initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores, lower incidence of previous hypertension, and a greater incidence of cerebellum and cardio-embolic infarcts than the A group. The chief complaints in the A group were traditional stroke symptoms, side weakness (61.0%), and speech disturbance (17.8%), whereas the NA group had non-traditional symptoms, dizziness (32.7%), and decreased levels of consciousness (22.4%). Independent factors associated with missed stroke team activation were nystagmus, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, gait disturbance, and general weakness. Conclusion: A high index of AIS suspicion is required to identify such patients with these findings. Education on focused neurological examinations and the development of clinical decision tools that could differentiate non-stroke and stroke are needed.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.84-90
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• 2000

Background and Purpose: Stroke in young adults is relatively uncommon. Only 3.7-14.4% of all strokes occur in patients aged 15-45 years. Stroke in young adults has more various and diverse possible causes than stroke in the elderly. We studied to gain further insight into both pathogenic and etiologic determinants in young adults with stroke. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 230 young patients aged 15-45 years who were admitted to the 2nd internal medicine department of Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center with a diagnosis of stroke between May 1995 and May 1999. We analysed clinical features and diagnostic tests, such as brain imaging, cerebral angiography, echocardiography, 24 hours holter monitoring and other laboratory tests. Results : 1. Of 230 young patients with stroke aged 15-45 years(176 males(76.5%) and 54 females(23.5%)), 140 patients(60.9%) showed ischemic stroke and 90 patients(39.1 %) showed hemorragic stroke. 2. The most prevalent age group was from 40 to 45 years with 142 patients(61.7%) 3. The most frequent site of 140 ischemic stroke was MCA territory in 93 cases(66.4%) and Multiple, VA territory, PCA territory, ACA territory in order of frequency. 4. The most frequent site of 90 hemorrhagic stroke was basal galglia hemorrhage 57 cases(63.3%) and subcortical 13 cases(14.5%), pons, thalmus, subarachnoid, cerebellum in order of frequency. 5. The causes of hemorrhagic stroke were hypertension 49 cases(54.5%), arteriovenous malformation 7 cases(7.8%), ruptured aneurysm 4 cases(4.5%), angioma 3 cases(3.3%). 6. The risk factors of ischemic stroke were smoking, alcohol drinking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, history of CVA, diabetes mellitus, in order of frequency. 7. The comparison of risk factors between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke: hypertension was prevalent in hemorrhagic stroke, heart disease and history of CVA were prevalent in ischemic stroke. Conclusions: From the above results, we found that stroke in young adults had various possible causes. Young adults with stroke deserve an extensive but tailored evaluation which include angiography and echocardiography for diagnosis.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.719-731
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• 2009

Objectives : Stroke is the most common disabling neurological disease of adult life. The treatment and rehabilitation of stroke patients is an important and challenging area in the field of medicine. In Korea, a lot of stroke patients are treated using oriental medicine and there have been reports on their functional recovery. The aim of this study was to prove the therapeutic effect of oriental medicine on ischemic stroke. We also tried to identify characteristics of patients whose functional recovery was prominent and studied whether or not the use of fluids, anticoagulants, antiplatelets and neuroprotective agents increased the functional recovery of patients. Methods : We studied 794 patients within 2 weeks after first attack of ischemic stroke who were admitted to Kyung-Hee Oriental Medical Center from 1999 to 2000. Their maximum admission period was 60 days. Results : Motor power grade, NIHSS and MBI scores of patients improved during hospitalization significantly. Factors affecting functional recovery were admission period, motor power grade, NIHSS and MBI at admission. Age, waist-hip ratio and HDL cholesterol also affected functional recovery of patients. Whether or not fluids, anticoagulants, antiplatelets and neuroprotective agents were administered had nothing to do with functional recovery. Conclusion : Oriental medicine is effective for treatment and rehabilitation of ischemic stroke patients. When we manage stroke, we have to consider some important factors.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.82-98
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to determine pattern of the stress perceived by stroke patients over time. The ultimate goal of the research is to provide data to help nurses to design the plan of nursing care of the stroke patients both in the hospital and at home. A total of 57 admitted stroke patients were collected from one general hospital in Seoul from June, 12 to September, la, 1993. The data were collected for three phases(within one week after leaving the hospital). The tools for this study, three scales were used ; Stress scale developed by the investigator. Constitution classifing scale designed by Kho(1984), and Self-care measuring scale by Kang(1984). Data were analyzed in four steps using statistical analysis. First, demographic data were determined by descriptive statistics. Second. the pattern of stress perceived by stroke patients across three phases was measured using repeated measures ANOVA. Third, stress of stroke patients classified by constitution, paralyzed area. and attack frequency were measured using ANOVA or t-test, and the pattern of stress by group over time was determined using paired t-test in post hoc test. Fourth. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the relationship between the stress and self-care activities. The results of this study are ; 1. The pattern of stress across three phases ; There was a decrease of the stress across three phases. In general. psychological stress as the highest among three phases(F=36.92. P=.000). There was a statistically significant difference of the physical stress(F=34.55, p=.000), the psychological stress (F=15.49, p=.0005) and the social stress (F=24.71. p=.000) among three phases. There was a statistically significant difference of the stress between the first phase (on admission) and the second phase(before leaving the hospital) and was a decrease of the stress (t =6.36. p=.000). 2. The pattern of stress of stroke patients classified by constitution across three phases ; Stroke patients classified as So-Eum perceived the highest stress among three groups(Tae-Eum, So-Eum. So-Yang). There was no statistically significant difference of stress according to the constitution of stroke patients among three phases. Hence. stress was not influenced by the constitution of stroke patients, but there was a statistically significant difference of stress over time. 3. The pattern of stress of stroke patients classified by the paralyzed area across three phases ; Right paralyzed stroke patients perceived higher stress than left paralyzed stroke patients. There was, however, no statistically significant difference of stress between two groups except 2nd phase. There was no statistically significant difference of the perception of stress bet ween the right and left paralyzed stroke patients. 4. The pattern of stress of stroke patients classified by the frequency of the relapse of the disease across three phases ; Stress was higher in stroke patients who had the relapse of the disease twice more than the first time. There was, however, no statistically significant difference of stress between two groups. There was no statistically significant difference of stress of stroke patients according to the relapse of the disease among three phases. Hence, stress was no influenced by the relapse of the disease. 5. The relationship between the stress and self-care activities ; There was a negative relationship between the stress and self-care activities each phase(on admission, r= -.1563 ; before leaving the hospital, r= -.4030 ; after leaving the hospital, r= -.5291). Hence, the higher the self-care activities, the lower the stress. This study has three important findings. First finding was that psychological stress perceived by stroke patients was the highest among three phases. The second finding was that factors such as the constitution, the paralyzed area, and the relapse of the disease did not have an influence on the stress perceived by stroke patients across three phases(on admission, before leaving the hospital, after leaving the hospital). There was a statistically significant decrease of the stress perceived by stroke patients across three phases. The third finding was that there was a negative relationship between the self-care ability and stress. In this study, these findings have implications for nursing care for the rehabilitation of stroke patients and suggest the need of nursing intervention to promote the self-care ability and to support the psychological self-esteem of stroke patients.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.27-38
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• 2020

Purpose: Stroke is a time-sensitive disease that could have reduced complications and mortality with timely diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to analyze the causes of delay in detecting the clinical signs and symptoms of stroke. Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed the emergency medical services reports of suspected stroke patients with positive predictive values on the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale. The study was conducted in Daejeon, Republic of Korea from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017. Results: Prolonged prehospital time was associated with high blood pressure, history of cerebrovascular disease, and incidences during daily activities, and sleep. High blood pressure and complications from a previous stroke strongly associated with the prolonged stroke-detection phase (p<.05). Total prehospital time was shortened when patients had evident stroke symptoms, such as decreased level of consciousness, dysarthria, and hemiplegia (p<.05). There was no significant difference in gender or age as a factor that delayed the total prehospital time of the suspected stroke patients. Conclusion: Many patients did not recognize the early clinical symptoms and signs of a stroke. Furthermore, risk factors, such as high blood pressure and history of stroke, prolonged the total prehospital time. Therefore, we need targeted interventions that educate about warning symptoms of stroke, along with emphasis on the importance of emergency calls to substantially reduce the prehospital delays.

• Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.924-934
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• 2017

Objective To investigate the anatomical correlates of the neuropsychological deficits in patients with the cerebellar stroke. Methods We screened patients who were admitted to the National Rehabilitation Center with the cerebellar stroke between October 2012 and November 2016. The patients with the cerebellar stroke who underwent neuropsychological testing for which the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB) or the SNSB-II were enrolled. The neuropsychological function capacities were compared in accordance with the stroke type (hemorrhagic vs. ischemic) and the location (right/left anterior, right/left posterior intermediate, right/left posterior lateral lobe, and vermis). Mean z-scores were computed to compare the patient performances with the population averages. Results Twenty-six patients (15 with ischemic stroke and 11 with hemorrhagic stroke) with a mean age of $54.8{\pm}16.6$ years were assessed $8.8{\pm}9.2$ months after the stroke. Differences in the neuropsychological functioning according to the stroke type were not observed. All of the numerical subtests of the stroke patients showed significantly poorer performances compared with the population averages (mean z-score <0), and some of the subtests revealed abnormal performances in attention-, visuospatial function-, memory-, and frontal/executive function-related tasks (mean z-score <-1). The patients with the presence of a lesion in the right posterior intermediate lobe of the cerebellum showed a poorer performance in the subtests evaluating the executive function including the Korean-version Stroop Test (p=0.04), the Digit Symbol Coding Test (p=0.01), and the Korean-version Trail Making Test (p=0.02) compared with the patients without that lesion. Conclusion The present study confirms that the cerebellar stroke affects the neuropsychological functioning which is associated with the anatomical site of stroke.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.2065-2070
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• 2020

Background: Weakness of the abdominal and mid thoracic muscles the lead to thoracic kyphosis of stroke patients. The trunk muscles activity of stroke patients is significantly related to upper extremity. Objectives: To investigate the effect of seated exercise of thoracic and abdominal muscles on upper extremity function and trunk muscles activity in stroke patients. Design: One-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: A total of 27 stroke patients were recruited. All stroke patient were given seated abdominal exercise (posterior pelvic tilt exercises) and thoracic exercise (postural-correction exercise). All exercises were conducted for 30 minutes, three times a week for four weeks. The manual function test (MFT) and electromyography (EMG) were measured, and EMG electrodes were attached to thoracic paraspinal muscles and lower rectus abdominal muscles. EMG signal is expressed as %RVC (reference voluntary contraction). Results: Experimental group showed significant increases in abdominal muscles, paraspinal muscles activity and MFT total score, items of arm motion (forward elevation of the upper extremity, lateral elevation of the upper extremity, touch the occiput with the palm) in MFT after four weeks. Conclusion: These results suggest that, in stroke patients, seated exercise of thoracic and abdominal muscles contribute to improve trunk muscles activity and upper extremity function in stroke patients.