• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2003

Background : In intubated patients, cultures of endotracheal aspirates (EA) are apt to contamination throughout the endotracheal tube. Therefore, the identification of etiologic agents via conventional EA cultures is not always reliable. In order to differentiate a pulmonary infection from a non-infectious disease, and to identify the true etiologic agent of acute pulmonary infection, blinded protected specimen brushing (PSB) was used, and its efficacy evaluated. Methods : In 51 intubated patients, with suspected pneumonia, blind PSB were performed, and the results compared with blood and EA cultures. A protected specimen brush was introduced through the endotracheal tube, and settled at the affected large bronchus. A specimen brush was introduced to the expected region using the blind method. The tip of the brush was introduced with an aseptic technique after vigorously mixed for 1 minute in $1cm^3$ of Ringer's lactate solution. The specimens were submitted for quantitative culture within 15 minutes, with a culture being regarded as positive if the colony forming units were above $10^3/ml$. Results : Of the 51 patients, 15 (29.4%) had community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), 27 (52.9%) hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and 9 (17.6%) non-infectious diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative PSB culture for the diagnosis of pneumonia were 52.4 and 88.9%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of EA were 78.6 and 77.8%, respectively. The blind PSB was superior to the EA for the identification of true etiologic agents. Of 53 episodes of 27 HAP patients, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) (41.5%) was the most common causative agent followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.1%), Klebsiella sp. (7.5%) and Acinetobacter sp. (7.5%). Conclusions : As a simple, non-invasive diagnostic modality, the blind PSB is a useful method for the differentiation of a pulmonary infection from non-infectious diseases and to identify the etiologic agents in intubated patients. A blind PSB can be performed without bronchoscopy, so is safer, more convenient and cost-effectiveness for patients where bronchoscopy can not be performed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.258-266
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• 2020

Background: The genicular nerve block (GNB) is demonstrated from several reports to alleviate pain and improve knee functionality in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Ultrasound (US)-guided GNB has been the most used imaging method. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of US-guided versus blind GNB in the treatment of knee OA. Methods: This prospective, randomized clinical trial included patients with knee OA based on American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria. The patients were evaluated for clinical and dynamometer parameters at the baseline, 4 weeks after treatment, and 12 weeks after treatment. The patients underwent blind injection or US-guided injection. Results: When compared with the baseline, both groups showed significant improvement in pain, physical function, and quality of life parameters. Significant differences were observed between the groups for clinical parameters (30-second chair stand test, 6-minute walk test) in favor of the US-guided group. On the other hand, blind injection was more significantly effective on some parameters of the Nottingham Health Profile. There wasn't any significant improvement in isokinetic muscle strength for either group. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that both US-guided and blind GNB, in the treatment of knee OA, were effective in reducing symptoms and improving physical function. GNB wasn't an effective treatment for isokinetic muscle function. US-guided injections may yield more effective clinical results than blind injections.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2016

Background: Most nasal bone fractures are corrected using non-invasive methods. Often, patients are dissatisfied with surgical outcomes following such closed approach. In this study, we compare surgical outcomes following blind closed reduction to that of ultrasound-guided reduction. Methods: A single-institutional prospective study was performed for all nasal fracture patients (n=28) presenting between May 2013 and November 2013. Upon research consent, patients were randomly assigned to either the control group (n=14, blind reduction) or the experimental group (n=14, ultrasound-guided reduction). Surgical outcomes were evaluated using preoperative and 3-month postoperative X-ray images by two independent surgeons. Patient satisfaction was evaluated using a questionnaire survey. Results: The experimental group consisted of 4 patients with Plane I fracture and 10 patients with Plane II fracture. The control group consisted of 3 patients with Plane I fracture and 11 patients with Plane II fracture. The mean surgical outcomes score and the mean patient dissatisfaction score were found not to differ between the experimental and the control group in Plane I fracture (p=0.755, 0.578, respectively). In a subgroup analysis consisting of Plane II fractures only, surgeons graded outcomes for ultrasound-guided reduction higher than that for the control group (p=0.007). Likewise, among the Plane II fracture patients, those who underwent ultrasound-guided reduction were less dissatisfied than those who underwent blind reduction (p=0.043). Conclusion: Our study result suggests that ultrasound-guided closed reduction is superior to blind closed reduction in those patients with Plane II nasal fractures.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.201-211
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• 2008

All pharmacists must provide the drug consultation whenever dispense drugs to patients by the Korean Pharmacy Law. Drug consultation is very important procedure for increasing pharmacotherapy. Because it maximizes the therapeutic effects or/and minimizes adverse drug reaction during the drug therapy. However, it is not easy to do because of the dynamic and hectic pharmacy environment. Especially, if someone has a disabling body function, they required more time and efforts to perform consultation by pharmacist. Currently several auxiliary labels for helping drug consultation are using in pharmacy practice but not for disabling patients. Therefore we developed the total 53 auxiliary labels with size of 0.7 cm (width) and 1 cm (length) by Braillewriter letters for blind patients. This research has been performed for total 12 months (Mar. 15ts, 2007$\sim$Feb. 25th, 2008) and the developing methods are consisted of 4 steps: 1) selection of essential informations, 2) simplification of information, 3) changing for Braillewriter letters, 4) application and revising by blindness patients. Also the labels are consisted of 12 for adverse reactions and precautions, 8 for directions, 2 for storages, 9 for duration, 9 for dosage forms, and 12 for common names. After developed those labels, we revised those labels by discussion with 2 blind people. In conclusion, the new auxiliary labels for blind patients can increase therapeutic effects and decrease risks from pharmacotherapy besides decreasing of pharmacist's work load in the future.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2019

Background: Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) is widely used for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions. However, the utility of R-EBUS-guided transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) for diffuse lung lesions (DLLs) remains unknown. We designed this study to evaluate the utility of R-EBUS-guided TBLB in DLLs. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients admitted from January 2016 to November 2017 who underwent TBLB for DLLs. The R-EBUS-guided TBLB and blind TBLB groups were compared. DLL was defined as any lung disorder that involved more than one segment of the lung. In both the groups, fluoroscopy and guided sheath were not used during TBLB. Results: A total of 127 patients underwent TBLB for DLLs (67 patients in the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group and 60 in the blind TBLB group). There were no differences in age, sex, and comorbid illnesses between the two groups. Furthermore, there was no difference in the TBLB diagnostic yield of the two groups (p=0.660) although more samples were collected from the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group (p=0.003). Procedure time was significantly longer in the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group than in the blind TBLB group (p<0.001). Thus, incidence of pneumothorax was significantly lower in the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group than in the blind TBLB group (p=0.032). Conclusion: Diagnostic yield in DLLs did not differ between the R-EBUS-guided TBLB and blind TBLB groups. Findings show that R-EBUS-guided TBLB in DLLs may reduce risk of pneumothorax.

• 한국임상약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.12a
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• pp.181-181
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• 2007

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.84-89
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• 2016

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of intravenous ondansetron (4 mg, 2 mL) and granisetron (2 mg, 2 mL) for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients during oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Materials and Methods: A prospective, randomized, and double blind clinical study was carried out with 60 patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups of 30 individuals each. Approximately two minutes before induction of general anesthesia, each patient received either 4 mg (2 mL) ondansetron or 2 mg (2 mL) granisetron intravenously in a double blind manner. Balanced anesthetic technique was used for all patients. Patients were assessed for episodes of nausea, retching, vomiting, and the need for rescue antiemetic at intervals of 0-2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. Incidence of complete response and adverse effects were assessed at 24 hours postoperatively. Data was tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis using the chi-square test, unpaired t-test, or the Mann-Whitney U-test as appropriate. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for incidence of PONV or the need for rescue antiemetic. Both study drugs were well tolerated with minimum adverse effects; the most common adverse effect was headache. The overall incidence of complete response in the granisetron group (86.7%) was significantly higher than the ondansetron group (60.0%). Conclusion: Granisetron at an intravenous dose of 2 mg was found to be safe, well tolerated, and more effective by increasing the incidence of complete response compared to 4 mg intravenous ondansetron when used for antiemetic prophylaxis in maxillofacial surgery patients receiving general anesthesia. Benefits of granisetron include high receptor specificity and high potency, which make it a valuable alternative to ondansetron.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.127-131
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• 1997

Objective : To evaluate the clinical efficacy of adjuvant sertraline treatment in chronic schizophrenic patients, we carried out a double-blind, placebo controlled study. Method : Thirty six inpatients who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for chronic schizophrenia were randomly assigned to sertraline and placebo groups in a double-blinded fashion. A history of at least 2 years of illness and at least six months of hospitalization were prerequisities for inclusion in the study. Patients were received sertraline 50mg or placebo for 8 weeks in addition to their routine haloperidol regimen. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression(CGI), Simpson-Angus Scale(S-A) were evaluated at 5 points ; baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment. Results : The groups were controlled for age, gender, and length of illness. There were no significant differences in three PANSS factros(positive, negative, general), CGI, and S-A scale scores at any between sertaline and placebo treatment. Conclusion : This placebo controlled study showed no significant effects of sertraline on negative and positive symptoms in chronic schizophrenic patients.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.42
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• pp.40.1-40.5
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• 2020

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is well known to exert an anti-inflammatory effect during oral wound healing and is commonly applied after tooth extraction. However, no double-blind randomized controlled study comparing two hyaluronate mouthwash products has been conducted so far. The aim of this study was to comparatively analyze the efficacy of Mucobarrier^® and Aloclair^® in terms of clinical symptoms. Results: A total of 112 patients were randomly assigned to assess the degree of discomfort, pain reduction, redness, burning sensation, and swelling between two groups on the day of surgery and 7 days later in a double blind test, with a total 56 Aloclair patients and 56 Mucobarrier patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall discomfort, degree of pain reduction, redness, burning sensation, and swelling between the Mucobarrier and Aloclair groups. Conclusion: The local application of hyaluronic acid mouth wash after wisdom tooth extraction is beneficial in reducing overall discomfort and pain reduction, and the clinical utility of Mucobarrier^® is no different from Aloclair^®. Trial registration: Institutional Review Board of Yonsei University College of Dentistry, 2-2018-0036. Registered 10 September 2018-prospectively registered, https://eirb.yuhs.ac/

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 1970

1) Efficacy of Moltase, a digestive enzyme preparation, was evaluated by double-blind test. 2) The clinical symptoms assessed in this study were anorexia, vomiting, nausea, eructation, hunger pain, epigastralgia, fullness in epjgastrium, abdominal fullness, constipation, and diarrhea. Effect of Moltase on gastric acidity was also examined by double-blind test. 3) People subjected to this study were 42 students and 22 patients who had signs of chronic dyspepsia. 4) In general, the clinical symptoms were more effectively improved by Moltase than placebos. The marked differences in efficacy between both medication were observed in epigastralgia, fullness in epigastrium, abdominal fullness, and anorexia. 5) Six out of 9 patients with no free gastric acid became to have free gastric acid after Moltase medication.