• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.97-105
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• 2022

Background: Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) has been widely used in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases. Epidural injection of steroids can reduce the incidence and duration of postoperative pain in a short period of time. Although steroids are widely believed to reduce the effect of surgical trauma, the observation indicators are not uniform, especially the long-term effects, so the problem remains controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to evaluate the efficacy of epidural steroids following PTED. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database from 1980 to June 2021 to identify randomized and non-randomized controlled trials comparing epidural steroids and saline alone following PTED. The primary outcomes included postoperative pain at least 6 months as assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay and the time of return to work. Results: A total of 451 patients were included in three randomized and two non-randomized controlled trials. The primary outcomes, including VAS and ODI scores, did not differ significantly between epidural steroids following PTED and saline alone. There were no significant intergroup differences in length of hospital stay. Epidural steroids were shown to be superior in terms of the time to return to work (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Intraoperative epidural steroids did not provide significant benefits, leg pain control, improvement in ODI scores, and length of stay in the hospital, but it can enable the patient to return to work faster.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2022

Purpose: There is limited research on the effects of neuropathic pain (NP) on quality of life, depression levels, and sleep quality in patients with combat-related extremity injuries. This study evaluated whether patients with combat-related extremity injuries with and without NP had differences in quality of life, sleep quality, and depression levels. Methods: A total of 98 patients with combat-related extremity injuries, 52 with NP and 46 without, were included in this cross-sectional study. The presence of NP was determined using the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs questionnaire. The outcome measures were a visual analogue scale (VAS), the 36-Item Short Form Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: The VAS subparameter scores for pain (all P<0.05), PSQI sleep dur ation subscale scores (P=0.025), PSQI sleep disturbance subscale scores (P=0.016), and PSQI total scores (P=0.020) were significantly higher in patients with NP than those without. Logistic regression analysis showed that VAS scores of 5 and above for average pain during the previous 4 weeks contributed independently to the prediction of NP. Conclusions: Patients with combat-related extremity injuries with NP had more pain and poorer sleep quality than those without NP. Sleep quality should be evaluated as part of the diagnostic work-up in patients with combat-related extremity injury with NP, and interventions to improve sleep quality may help manage NP in this patient group.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2021

Pelvic fractures are high-energy injuries, often accompanied by damage to the adjacent tissues and organs. For patients with pelvic trauma, active treatment is required early in the injury, because mortality can increase if appropriate treatment is not provided. In most cases, however, minimally invasive surgery is considered because extensive surgery cannot be performed due to the patient's condition. Percutaneous fixation of the pubis has been introduced because it can be applied easily to achieve the stability of the anterior part of the pelvis. Although many studies introduced percutaneous fixation of pubic bone fractures, most describe screw fixation for nondisplaced fractures. When treating displaced fractures with percutaneous screw fixation, it is difficult for the guide pin or drill bit to avoid the joint surface. Using a bent guide pin could allow easy insertion of the cannulated screw while avoiding the articular surface.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.535-539
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• 2021

Vascular complications following a femoral fracture are rare but can result in serious issues. Several case studies have reported pseudoaneurysms occurring after direct trauma or the insertion of a proximal femoral nail in the case of a proximal femoral fracture. The authors encountered an 85-year-old patient treated with retrograde intramedullary nail fixation for a distal femur fracture and suffered a decrease in the hemoglobin level, swelling, and pain on the 9^th day after surgery. The authors initially attributed the temporary hematoma and pain to ordinary postoperative processes. On the 16^th day after surgery, a pseudoaneurysm originating from the descending branch of the lateral femoral convolutional artery was diagnosed and treated by percutaneous vascular embolization. After the procedure, the hemoglobin level increased, and the swelling and pain decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.374-382
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• 2020

Recurrence is the most common complication after shoulder instability surgery, and the main causes of the postoperative recurrence of instability are trauma, misdiagnosis, and technical errors. The risk factors of recurrence may be classified as patient related, anatomical or technical. Causes of failure should be thoroughly evaluated by meticulous history taking, physical examination, and imaging studies, and followed by proper treatment of pathologic lesions. Nonoperative treatment should be considered initially in cases of recurred instability after shoulder instability surgery, but if this fails, repeated recurrence is prevented by performing appropriate anatomical reconstruction of ruptured Bankart lesions, capsular laxities, glenoid deficiencies and humeral head bone defects.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2022

Purpose: Percutaneous iliosacral (IS) screw fixation for pelvic ring injuries is a minimally invasive technique that reduces the amount of blood loss and shortens the procedure time. Moreover, two unilateral IS S1 screws exhibit superior stability to a single IS screw and are also safer for neurological injuries than an S2 screw. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate fixation using percutaneous two unilateral IS S1 screws for pelvic ring injuries and its subsequent clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 38 patients who underwent percutaneous two unilateral IS S1 screw fixation for pelvic ring injuries. The procedure time, blood loss, achievement of bone union, radiological outcomes (Matta and Tornetta grade), and postoperative complications were evaluated. Results: The mean procedure time, hemoglobin loss, bone union rate, and time to union were 40.1 minutes (range, 18-102 minutes), 0.6 g/dL (range, 0.3-1.0 g/dL), 100%, and 153.2 days (range, 61-327 days), respectively. The Matta and Tornetta grades were excellent, good, and fair in 24 (63.1%), 11 (28.9%), and three patients (7.9%), respectively, and the postoperative complications were S1 screw loosening, widening of the symphysis pubis (2.3 and 2.5 mm), lumbosacral plexopathy, and S1 radiculopathy in one (2.6%), two (5.3%), one (2.6%), and one patient (2.6%), respectively. However, all neurological complications recovered spontaneously. Conclusions: Percutaneous two unilateral IS S1 screw fixation was useful for treating pelvic ring injuries. In particular, it involved a short procedure time with little blood loss and also led to 100% bone union and good radiological outcomes.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.256-261
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• 2022

Background: Treating panfacial fractures (PFFs) can be extremely difficult even for experienced surgeons. Although several authors have attempted to systemize the surgical approach, performing surgery by applying a unidirectional sequence is much more difficult in practice. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on PFF surgery sequence and to understand how different surgical specialists-plastic reconstructive surgery (PRS) and oral maxillofacial surgery (OMS)-chose sequence and review PFFs fixation sequence in clinical cases. Methods: The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were scoured for publications published up until May 2020. Data extracted from the studies using standard templates included fracture part, fixation sequence, originating specialist, and the countries. Bibliographic details like author and year of publication were also extracted. Also, we reviewed the data for PFFs patients in the Trauma Registry System of Dankook University Hospital from 2011 to 2021. Results: In total, 240 articles were identified. This study comprised 22 studies after screening and full-text analysis. Sixteen studies (12 OMS specialists and 4 PRS specialists) used a "bottom-top" approach, whereas three studies (1 OMS specialist and 2 PRS specialists) used a "top-bottom" method. However, three studies (only OMS specialists) reported on both sequences. In our hospital, there were a total of 124 patients with PFF who were treated during 2011 to 2021; 64 (51.6%) were in upper-middle parts, 52 (41.9%) were in mid-lower parts, and eight (6.5%) were in three parts. Conclusion: Bottom-top sequencing was mainly used in OMS specialists, and top-bottom sequencing was used at a similar rate by two specialists in literature review. In our experience, however, it was hard to consistently implement unidirectional sequence suggested by a literature review. We realigned the reliable and stable buttresses first with tailoring individually for each patient, rather than proceeding in the unidirectional sequence like bottom-top or top-bottom.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.187-191
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• 2019

Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) can occur naturally or traumatically and is most common in patients with an underlying disease of the vascular structure or coagulation disorder. Most SEHs occur naturally for no apparent reason, and epidural hematoma caused by trauma is less common, comprising 1.0%-1.7% of total spinal injuries. Few reports of SEH induced cauda equine syndrome resulting from low-energy injury caused by osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures are available. The authors experienced a case of delayed SEH after hemorrhage due to a low-energy injury in an elderly patient. No cases in Korea have been reported; therefore, this case is reported with a review of the relevant literature.

• 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 Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.237-244
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• 2023

The aim of this study was to explore the satisfaction and needs of 119 paramedics with regard to continuing education and to develop and implement a continuing education program that can enhance their competence in accordance with the purpose of continuing education. The differences in satisfaction with continuing education according to general characteristics were significantly different depending on age, qualification, and clinical experience, and in terms of continuing education topic needs, 'Advanced Trauma Life Support' was the highest need among all groups, and additional desired continuing education topics were the management of mentally ill patients and various field case-based education, indicating a high preference for practical topics that are helpful in emergency patient care work. Therefore, it is believed that efforts should be made to improve the operation of continuing education from various angles, taking into account the general characteristics of continuing education recipients, and improving the quality of continuing education by reflecting the needs of continuing education recipients and selecting practical topics for continuing education.