• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.567-572
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• 2005

An electrical burn used to result in the damage of the skin and underlying deep soft tissue injury. Thus, in order to preserve devitalizing tissues and promote the structural survival free flaps with ample blood supply are frequently employed. However, early unpredictable vascular injury and progressive tissue necrosis may cause the free flaps full of hazards. We applied 50 free flaps upon 41 acute electrical burn cases between 1998 and 2004. Injured areas, timing of operation and causes of flap loss were studied. The victim's ages ranged from 13 to 60 years. (an average 37.8 years) Thirteen out of 50 free flaps were lost totally: three cases were due to arterial insufficiency and ten venous congestion. Total loss of flaps were observed in 5 of 12 cases in the postoperative 3 weeks, 6 of 20 cases between 3 and 6 weeks and 2 of 18 cases after 6 weeks. In three of 12 cases the free flap was lost partially in the postoperative 3 weeks, 4 of 20 cases between 3 and 6 weeks and 1 of 18 cases after 6 weeks. The result was statistically significant by a T-test (p<0.05). This study showed that timing of the operation is accountable for the loss of free flap. It is most important to conduct the free flap procedure on an electrical injury at the time when the recipient vessel is definitely discernible and intact so as to minimize the loss of flap and spare the structures.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.91-102
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• 2015

Two patients, diagnosed as cervical spinal cord injury, were hospitalized and treated by Korean medical interventions with Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). The range of motion of the shoulder joint, manual muscle test were adopted to measure the resulting motor recovery after treatment. And the Korean version of Barthel index (K-MBI) was adopted as a method of measuring the improvement of quality of life after treatment. The range of motions and muscle strengths of the shoulder joints were improved. The activities of daily living were slightly improved in case 2, but showed no improvement in case 1. FES was effective for upper extremities rehabilitation of spinal cord injured patients. Further studies are needed to set up an Korean medical protocol for spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.79-89
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• 2013

PURPOSE: To identify the effects of single trial transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) application on chronic neuropathic pain and the repeated TENS application to development of neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury. METHODS: First, 20 rats were given the median nerve ligation to induce chronic neuropathic pain. After the ligation, neuropathic pain was assessed by measuring the forepaws withdrawal threshold to von Frey filaments for 3 weeks. Afterward, rats were randomly divided into TENS group and placebo-TENS group. TENS (frequency 100Hz, pulse width $200{\mu}s$) was applied to the forearm for 20 minutes. Second, 34 rats were randomly allocated into two group after median nerve ligation: TENS group and placebo-TENS group. Both interventions were applied to the forearm for 20 minutes from 1 day to 3 weeks after injury. Neuropathic pain to mechanical was measured on each rat for 3 weeks. RESULTS: Exeprimental rats showed a clear neuropathic pain-like behaviors, such as reduced forepaw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation for 3 weeks, after median nerve ligation. And, TENS decreased effectively the chronic neuropathic pain originated from median nerve injury. TENS also diminished the development of neuropathic pain after nerve injury. CONCLUSION: Our animal model studying for neuropathic pain following median nerve injury may be useful to investigate peripheral neuropathic pain in human. Also, TENS may be used to mediate chronic neuropathic pain and to prevent the development of neuropathic pain following median nerve injury.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.113-125
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing severity of occupational fall injury. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 105 patients sustaining occupational fall injury between July 2010 and January 2013. The study instruments were developed by the National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities and National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects (30 items), workplace characteristics (12 items) and disaster characteristic (13 items). Results: Demographic factors, except age, did not affect the severity of injury. Injured patients aged 50-59 years tended to have more severe injuries than those aged 39 years. Type of transport vehicles, conditions, and the circumstances of the fall influenced injury severity. Patients transported by 119 ambulance suffered more severe fall injuries than those who were not. Electrical workers did not receive safety education wihin a year. Critical height in severe injuries was > 6 meters. Conclusion: Occupational fall injuries were influenced by patient age, types of transport vehicles, fall height, size of workplace, and safety education experience.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.101-104
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• 2018

Since shoulder have a higher proportion of muscle which would have low electrical resistance, there could be more electrical damage to the rotator cuff muscles. We present a patient with acute rotator cuff tear by sudden uncontrolled jerking contractions caused by an electrical shock. A case of 42-year-old man with acute rotator cuff tear due to electrical injury to the shoulder was presented. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a full thickness tear and an undulating appearance of the peripheral end of the torn supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscle, suggesting an acute complete rupture. By arthroscopic surgery, the torn rotator cuff tendons were repaired with a suture bridge technique. At the final follow-up, the patient had a full, pain-free range of motion and had fully recovered shoulder muscle power.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.109-111
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• 1989

An electrical stimulator was designed to induce locomotion for paraplegic patients caused by central nervous system injury. Optimal stimulus parameters, which can minimize muscle fatigue and can achieve effective muscle contraction were determined in slow and fast muscles in Sprague-Dawley rats. Stimulus patterns of our stimulator were designed to simulate electromyographic activity monitored during locomotion of normal subjects. Muscle types of the lower extremity were classified according to their mechanical property of contraction, which are slow muscle (msoleus m.) and fast muscle (medial gastrocneminus m., rectus femoris m., vastus lateralis m.). Optimal parameters of electrical stimulation for slow muscles were 20 Hz, 0.2 ms square pulse. For fast muscle, 40 Hz, 0.3 ms square pulse was optimal to produce repeated contraction. Higher stimulus intensity was required when synergistic muscles were stimulated simultaneously than when they were stimulated individually. Electrical stimulation for each muscle was designed to generate bipedal locomotion, so that individual muscles alternate contraction and relaxation to simulate stance and swing phases. Portable electrical stimulator with 16 channels built in microprocessor was constructed and applied to paraplegic patients due to lumbar cord injury. The electrical stimulator restored partially gait function in paraplegic patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.123-125
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• 2001

A 50-year-old female patient developed severe right neck and upper extremity pain, hyperesthesia and allodynia during cervical epidural block. Her pain was diagnosed as neuropathic nature. She was treated with repeated stellate ganglion block (SGB) and electrical stimulation (EST). After 3 weeks of treatment, symptomatic relief was achieved, but a mild degree of hyperesthesia and motor weakness was remained. However, she refused all treatment. So treatment was stopped. In a follow-up done, 15 weeks after the nerve injury, she had recovered without complications.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.674-678
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• 2008

Low level laser therapy has various therapy effects. This paper performed the basic study for fabricating the low level laser therapy apparatus, and one of the goals of this paper was to make this apparatus used handily. The apparatus has been fabricated using the laser diode and microprocessor unit. The apparatus used a 635 nm laser diode for laser medical therapy and was designed for a pulse width modulation type to increase stimulation effects. In this study, the designed device was used to find out how 635 nm laser diode affected the skin injury of SD-Rat(Sprague-Dawley Rat). We divided the participants into two groups; irradiation group which was irradiated 10 minutes a day for 9 consecutive days, and none irradiation group. The results showed that the study group had lower incidence of inflammation and faster recovery, compared with the control group.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.416-417
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• 2008

This paper performed the basic study for developing the Photodynamic Therapy Equipment for medical treatment. We developed the 4channel light medical therapy apparatus for external injury cure using a LED light source. This equipment was fabricated by using microcontroller, and designed to enable us to control light irradiation timer, intensity and reservation. In this paper, the designed device was used to find out how 470nm LEDs light source affects the skin wound of RAT. In the experiment, $1cm_2$ wounds on the External injury of RAT were made. Light irradiation RAT and none light irradiation RAT divided, each RAT was irradiated one hour a day for 15 days. In result, compared with none light irradiation RAT, the lower incidence of inflammation and faster recovery was shown in light irradiation RAT.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.223-230
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• 2007

Low power laser and neuromuscular electrical stimulation have been utilized in many clinical applications for the treatment of musculoskeletal lesion. This study was to investigate the effects of low power He-Ne IR laser and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the change of the serum biochemical components in experimentally induced muscle injured rats. The twenty Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly assigned to the 4 groups: the normal group (n=5), the control group (n=5), the low power laser irradiation group (LLI) (n=5) and the neuromuscular electrical stimulation group (NMES) (n=5). The experimentally induced muscle injury was induced by the subcutaneous injection of a 0.1 ml Freund's Complete Adjuvant into the right hind paw and calf muscles in control, LLI and NMES groups. The LLI group was irradiated with He-Ne IR laser for 5 minutes every day during 10 days. Also, the NMES group was electrically stimulated 15 minutes every day during 10 days. The normal and control groups were not received with any therapeutic intervention. The authors performed tests which were the concentration of the serum biochemical components to detect the effects of therapeutic interventions. The results were as follows: 1. The level of the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was significantly decreased in the LLI and NMES groups compare to the control group. 2. The level of the serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was significantly decreased in the LLI and NMES groups compare to the control group. 3. The level of the serum creatine kinase (CK) was significantly decreased in the LLI and NMES groups compare to the control group. From the results, we could come to the conclusion that low power laser and neuromuscular electrical stimulation could be accelerating healing processes of skeletal muscle injury and further clinical work will be required.