Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2016
Epidemiology of Emergency Medical Services-Assessed Mass Casualty Incidents according to Causes.
To effectively mitigate and reduce the burden of mass casualty incidents (MCIs), preparedness measures should be based on MCIs' epidemiological characteristics. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of emergency medical services (EMS)-assessed MCIs from multiple areas according to cause. Therefore, we extracted the records of all MCIs that involved ≥ 6 patients from an EMS database. ⋯ The total number of deaths was 32 (1.2%). An EMS-assessed MCI database was established using the EMS database and medical records review. Our findings indicate that RTA MCIs create a burden on EMS and emergency department resources, although CB MCIs create a burden on hospitals' resources.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2016
Elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Is Predictive of Interstitial Lung Disease and Mortality in Dermatomyositis: a Korean Retrospective Cohort Study.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a major cause of death in patients with dermatomyositis (DM). This study was aimed to examine the utility of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) as a predictor of ILD and prognostic marker of mortality in patients with DM. One hundred-and-fourteen patients with DM were examined, including 28 with clinically amyopathic DM (CADM). ⋯ Patients with a persistently high ESR despite immunosuppressive therapy was associated with higher mortality than those with a normalized ESR (P = 0.039, log-rank test). Elevated ESR is associated with increased mortality in patients with DM due to respiratory failure. Thus, monitoring ESR should be an integral part of the clinical care of DM patients.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2016
The Risk of Abdominal Obesity according to the Degree of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Korean Men.
Although non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has been reported as a cardiometabolic risk factor, the effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver is yet to be clarified on abdominal obesity. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the longitudinal relationship of non-alcoholic fatty liver on the development of abdominal obesity. The study participants were composed of 11,212 Korean men without abdominal obesity. ⋯ Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for abdominal obesity independently increased proportionally to the degree of NAFLD (mild [1.07; 0.94-1.23], moderate to severe [1.58; 1.11-2.26], P for trend < 0.001). The risk of abdominal obesity increased proportionally to the degree of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This finding guarantees further studies to reveal the incidental relationship of abdominal obesity with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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Pneumopericardium is defined as the presence of air inside the pericardial space. Usually, it is reported as a complication of blunt or penetrating chest trauma, but rare iatrogenic and spontaneous cases have been reported. Pneumopericardium is relatively stable if it does not generate a tension effect on the heart. ⋯ The patient underwent pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade due to large pericardial effusion, and iatrogenic tension pneumopericardium occurred due to misuse of the drainage device. After evacuating the pericardial air through the previously implanted catheter, the patient became stable. We report this case to increase the awareness of this fatal condition and to help increase the use of precautions against the development of this condition during emergency procedures.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2016
Is Routine Thromboprophylaxis Needed in Korean Patients Undergoing Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty?
This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and the natural course of venous thromboembolism (VTE) without thromboprophylaxis to ascertain whether routine thromboprophylaxis is necessary following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) in Korean patients. The medical records and multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) imaging of the consecutive 77 UKAs in 70 patients were reviewed. In all patients, MDCTs were undertaken preoperatively and at 1-week after surgery, and VTE symptoms were evaluated. ⋯ All of the VTE lesions maintained an asymptomatic status for 6-month after surgery. VTE following UKA in Korean patients who do not receive thromboprophylaxis seems to occur frequently, but all of the VTEs are clinically insignificant and all VTEs are spontaneously regressed. Routine thromboprophylaxis or thrombolytic treatment in Korean patients undergoing UKA may not be necessary.