• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.554-563
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• 2006

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown stronger associations between $PM_{2.5}$ and both mortality and morbidity than $PM_{10}$. The association of $PM_{2.5}$ with respiratory mortality was examined in Seoul, during the period of $1996{\sim}2002$. Because $PM_{2.5}$ data were available for only 10% of this time period, a prediction regression model was developed to estimate $PM_{2.5}$ concentration. Death count due to respiratory-related diseases(total respiratory mortality; ICD-10, J00-J98) and death counts(cause-specific mortality) due to pneumonia(ICD-10, J12-J18), COPD(ICD-10, J40-J44) and asthma(ICD-10, J45-J46) were considered in this study. Averaged daily mortality was 5.6 for total respiratory mortality and 1.1 to 1.6 for cause-specific mortality. Generalized additive Poisson models controlling for confounders were used to evaluate the acute effects of particle exposures on total respiratory mortality and cause-specific mortality. An IQR increase in 5-day moving average of $PM_{2.5}(22.6{\mu}g/m^3)$ was associated with an 8.2%(95% CI: 4.5 to 12.1%) increase in total respiratory mortality The association of $PM_{2.5}$ was stronger for the elderly ($\geq$65 years old, 10.1%, 95% CI: 5.8 to 14.5%) and for males(8.9%, 95% CI: 2.1 to 11.3%). A $10{\mu}g/m^3$ increase in 5-day moving average of $PM_{2.5}$ was strongly associated with total respiratory mortality in winter(9.5%, 95% CI: 6.6 to 12.4%), followed by spring(3.1%, 95% CI: -1.2 to 7.5%), which was a different pattern with the finding in North American cities. However, our results are generally consistent with those observed in recent epidemiological studies, and suggest that $PM_{2.5}$ has a stronger effect on respiratory mortality in Seoul.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2877-2881
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• 2016

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of death that is rising in many countries including Iran. This study aimed to determine the impact of factors on survival of lung cancer patients at a referral center of lung diseases in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on adult lung cancer cases admitted to a referral center for lung diseases from 2011 to 2015. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for all-cause mortality. Results: Of a total 933 patients with lung cancer, 53.4% died, 49.3% of them at the hospital. Overall median follow-up time was 7 months. The most common histological type of cancer was adenocarcinoma with a 13 month median survival time. Age ${\geq}55$ and smoking remained significant for all-cause mortality on Cox analysis, whereas gender was not. Conclusions: The survival of lung cancer patients is poor and the patients with history of smoking and age${\geq}55$ are at increased risk of death. Having a large hospital-based registry provides a good measurement of prognostic statistics for lung cancer. Further investigations are necessary to establish reasons for mortality.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.104-107
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• 2015

Purpose: Nitric oxide (NO) is a vasodilator and inhaled NO (iNO) is used in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) to improve alveolocapillary gas exchange. The mechanism to improve oxygenation is likely to redistribute blood flow from unventilated areas to ventilated areas. Though improvement of oxygenation, iNO therapy has not been shown to improve mortality and considered as only rescue therapy in severe hypoxemia. We conducted the study to investigate an efficacy of iNO in trauma patients with severe hypoxemia. Methods: We reviewed the trauma patients who underwent iNO therapy retrospectively from 2010 to 2014. Degree of hypoxemia was represented as $PaO_2/FiO_2$ ratio (PFR) and the severity of patient was represented with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. Patients were divided into the survivor group and non-survivor group according to the 28-day mortality. Results: A total of 20 patients were enrolled. The mortality of 28-day was 40%. There were no significant differences between survivor and non-survivor group in age, sex, severity of injury, PFR and SOFA score. There was significant difference in initiation time of iNO after injury (p=0.047). Maximum combinations of sensitivity and specificity for timing of iNO therapy were observed using cut-off of 3-day after injury with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 75%. Conclusion: Though iNO therapy does not influence the mortality, iNO therapy may decrease the mortality caused by respiratory failure in the early phase of trauma.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.409-417
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• 1984

In the early days of open heart surgery, acute respiratory failure following extracorporeal circulation was a significant deterrent to an uncomplicated recovery. Although a marked improvement in prevention and treatment of postoperative respiratory failure has been achieved, the problem has not been completely eliminated and continues to be a causative factor in morbidity and mortality Fates following open heart surgery. We have attempted to evaluate postoperative respiratory failure in patients undergoing cardiac operation with the aid of extracorporeal circulation. Our series comprised 92 patients who underwent elective open heart surgery at the Department of Thoracic and Cariodvascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, from January, 1980 to December, 1982. In our study, the overall incidence of acute respiratory failure following open heart surgery was 18.8 percent. The duration of extracorporeal circulation in a series of 18 patients who developed postoperative respiratory failure [Group B] was longer in the mean value [120.3 minutes] than the uncomplicated 74 patients [Group A] [85.8 minutes]. The duration of artificial ventilation after open heart surgery in Group A averaged 13.4 hours as contrasted with 76.5 hours in Group B. In Group B, the inspired oxygen concentration [FiO2] in artificial ventilation was continued in the higher level than Group A until 18 hours after operation. Upon pulmonary function test performed pre-and postoperatively, residual volume[RV], RV/TLC and FEV 1.0/FVC were remained essentially unchanged following extracorporeal circulation, whereas forced vital capacity [FVC], FEV 1.0 and FEF 25-75% were significantly decreased in the early postoperative days. The incidence of acute respiratory failure was significantly higher in a series of patients who developed postoperative complications, such as re- exploration due to massive bleeding, low cardiac output, acute renal failure and arrhythmias. A total of 9 patients died, giving an overall mortality was 33.3 percent whereas the mortality was only 1.1 percent for patients without respiratory failure.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.61-70
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• 2017

This study evaluated the human health risk in terms of the excess number of mortality and morbidity in the megacity Mumbai, India due to air pollution. AirQ software was used to enumerate the various health impacts of critical pollutants in Mumbai in past 22 years during 1992-2013. A relationship concept based on concentration-response relative risk and population attributable-risk proportion was employed by adopting World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for concentrations of air pollutants like $PM_{10}$, $SO_2$ and $NO_2$. For the year 1992 in Mumbai, it was observed that excess number of cases of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality, hospital admission due to COPD, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease were 8420, 4914, 889, 149, 10568 and 4081 respectively. However, after 22 years these figures increased to 15872, 9962, 1628, 580, 20527 and 7905 respectively, but all of these reached maximum in the year 2006. From the result, it is also noted that except COPD morbidity the excess number of cases from 1992-2002 to 2003-2013 increased almost by 30%; and the excess number of mortality and morbidity is basically due to particulate matter ($PM_{10}$) than due to gaseous pollutants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2009

Purpose: In highly doses, endosulfan lowers the seizure threshold and elicits central nervous system stimulation, which can result in seizures, respiratory failure, and death. Management of seizure control is essential for survival and prognosis of intoxicated patients. This study assessed whether seizure time was an independent predictor mortality in patients with endosulfan poisoning. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients with endosulfan poisoning presenting to Masan Samsung Hospital and Gyeongsang National University Hospital from January 2003 to December 2008. The data were collected from clinical records and laboratory files. Using a multivariate logistic analysis, data on the total population was retrospectively analyzed for association with mortality. Results: Of the 24 patients with endosulfan poisoning, nineteen (79.1%) experienced seizure. The patients in the seizure group showed significantly lower Glasgow coma scale score, base excess, bicarbonate, and significant existence of mechanical ventilation, as compared to the non seizure group (n=5). Seizure, Glasgow coma scale score, systolic blood pressure, bicarbonate level, need for respiratory support, pulse rate, respiratory rate, pH, base excess, and seizure time were associated with mortality. The fatality rate of endosulfan poisoning was 54.1% with higher mortality among patients experiencing. Longer seizure time was associated with higher mortality. Conclusion: Seizure time can be a significant independent predictor of mortality in patients with acute endosulfan poisoning. Physicians should aggressively treat for seizure control in patients with acute endosulfan poisoning.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.76 no.2
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• pp.66-74
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• 2014

Background: The increasing number of outpatients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens has led to a new category of pneumonia, termed healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). We determined the differences in etiology and outcomes between patients with HCAP and those with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) to clarify the risk factors for HCAP mortality. Methods: A retrospective study comparing patients with HCAP and CAP at Jeju National University Hospital. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Results: A total of 483 patients (208 patients HCAP, 275 patients with CAP) were evaluated. Patients with HCAP were older than those with CAP (median, 74 years; interquartile range [IQR], 65-81 vs. median, 69 years; IQR, 52-78; p<0.0001). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the major pathogen in both groups, and MDR pathogens were isolated more frequently from patients with HCAP than with CAP (18.8% vs. 4.9%, p<0.0001). Initial pneumonia severity was greater in patients with HCAP than with CAP. The total 30-day mortality rate was 9.9% and was higher in patients with HCAP based on univariate analysis (16.3% vs. 5.1%; odds ratio (OR), 3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.90-6.99; p<0.0001). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and initial severity, the association between HCAP and 30-day mortality became non-significant (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 0.94-4.18; p=0.167). Conclusion: HCAP was a common cause of hospital admissions and was associated with a high mortality rate. This increased mortality was related primarily to age and initial clinical vital signs, rather than combination antibiotic therapy or type of pneumonia.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.11b
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• pp.629-635
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• 1996

The lifetime radiation-induced cancer mortality for Korean has been estimated for both single and continuous radiation exposure using the BEIR V method. In case of single exposure, a dominant cancer site for young and old ages was digestive and respiratory cancer, respectively. For Korean population, digestive cancer was the most dominant radiation-induced cancer site. In case of 1 mGy/yr continuous exposure from birth to death, the contribution of total radiation-induced cancer mortality was negligible as within 3% in comparison with total natural cancer mortality.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2020

Background: It is not evident that the attributable risk of smoking on mortality in Korea has decreased. We investigated the impact of smoking on all-cause mortality and estimated the attributable risk of smoking in Korean adults. Methods: Those aged ≥20 years with smoking history in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) 2007-2015 were enrolled. We categorized the participants into three groups as follows: never smoker, <20 pack-years (PY) smokers, and ≥20 PY smokers. We applied inverse probability weighting using propensity scores to control various confounders between the groups. All-cause mortality risks were compared between the groups using the Kaplan-Meier log-rank test. The effects of smoking-attributable risks (ARs) on mortality were also calculated. Results: A total of 50,458 participants were included. Among them, 19,334 (38.3%) were smokers and 31,124 (61.7%) were never smokers. Those with a smoking history of 20 PY or more (≥20 PY smokers), those with a smoking history of less than 20 PY (<20 PY smokers), and never smokers were 18.1%, 20.2%, and 61.7%, respectively, of the study population. Smokers had a higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to never smokers (log-rank test p<0.01). The ARs of smoking were 21.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7%-37.9%) and 9.0% (95% CI, 6.1%-12.0%) in males and females, respectively. ARs decreased from 24.2% to 19.5% in males and from 9.5% to 4.1% in females between 2007-2010 and 2011-2015. Conclusion: Our study using KNHANES IV-VI data demonstrated that smoking increased the risk of all-cause mortality in a dose-response manner and the ARs of smoking on mortality were 21.8% in males and 9.0% in females during 2007-2015. This suggests that the ARs of smoking on mortality have decreased since around 2010.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2008

Purpose: Using a propensity analysis, a recent study reported that blood transfusion might not be an independent predictor of mortality in critically ill patients, which contradicted the results of earlier studies. This study aims to reveal whether or not blood transfusion is an independent predictor of mortality in trauma patients. Methods: A total of three hundred fifty consecutive trauma patients who were admitted to our emergency center from January 2004 to October 2005 and who underwent an arterial blood gas analysis and a venous blood analysis were included in this study. Their medical records were collected prospectively and retrospectively. Using a multivariate logistic analysis, data on the total population and on the propensity-score -matched population were retrospectively analyzed for association with mortality. Results: Of the three hundred fifty patients, one hundred twenty-nine (36.9%) received a blood transfusion. These patients were older (mean age: 48 vs. 44 years; p=0.019) and had a higher mortality rate (27.9% vs. 7.7%; p<0.001). In the total population, the multivariate analysis revealed that the Glasgow coma scale score, the systolic blood pressure, bicarbonate, the need for respiratory support, past medical history of heart disease, the amount of blood transfusion for 24 hours, and hemoglobin were associated with mortality. In thirty-seven pairs of patients matched with a propensity score, potassium, new injury severity score, amount of blood transfusion for 24 hours, and pulse rate were associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis. Therefore, blood transfusion was a significant independent predictor of mortality in trauma patients. Conclusion: Blood transfusion was revealed to be a significant independent predictor of mortality in the total population of trauma patients and in the propensity-score-matched population.