Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Emergency Care Utilization in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: a Nationwide Population-based Study.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted various aspects of daily living and has influenced the life of every individual in a unique way. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality; thus, timely treatment is crucial to prevent poor prognosis. Therefore, an immediate emergency department (ED) visit is required; however, no domestic studies have reported the effect of COVID-19 on ED visits by patients with AMI. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the changes in the pattern of ED visits by patients with AMI by comparing visits during the COVID-19 outbreak period to those during two control periods. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reduction in ED visits by patients with AMI. We assume that this could likely be caused by misinterpretation of AMI symptoms as symptoms of respiratory infection, fear of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and restrictions in accessing emergency medical care owing to overburdened healthcare facilities. This study sheds light on the fact that healthcare and emergency medical staff members must work towards eliminating hurdles due to this pandemic for patients to receive timely emergency care, which in turn will help curb the growing burden of mortality.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Combined Effects of Depression and Chronic Disease on the Risk of Mortality: The Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2016).
The prevalence of depression is much higher in people with chronic disease than in the general population. Depression exacerbates existing physical conditions, resulting in a higher-than-expected death rate from the physical condition itself. In our aging society, the prevalence of multimorbid patients is expected to increase; the resulting mental problems, especially depression, should be considered. Using a large-scale cohort from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), we analyzed the combined effects of depression and chronic disease on all-cause mortality. ⋯ Patients with coexisting multimorbidity and depression are at an increased risk of all-cause mortality than those with chronic disease or depression alone.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Long-term Outcomes of Clopidogrel Monotherapy versus Prolonged Dual Antiplatelet Therapy beyond 12 Months after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in High-risk Patients.
There are no data on comparison between clopidogrel monotherapy and prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in patients at high-risk undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). ⋯ Compared with prolonged DAPT, clopidogrel monotherapy showed similar long-term outcomes in patients at high-risk after second-generation DES implantation.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Optimal Volume of the Residual Tumor to Predict Long-term Tumor Control Using Stereotactic Radiosurgery after Facial Nerve-preserving Surgery for Vestibular Schwannomas.
Intended subtotal resection (STR) followed by adjuvant gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has emerged as an effective treatment option for facial nerve (FN) preservation in vestibular schwannomas (VSs). This study aimed to identify the optimal cut-off volume of residual VS to predict favorable outcomes in terms of both tumor control and FN preservation. ⋯ In this study, residual TV was associated with tumor progression in VS after adjuvant GKRS following STR. As preservation of FN function is not correlated with the extent of resection, optimal volume reduction is imperative to achieve long-term tumor control. Our findings will help surgeons predict the prognosis of residual VS after FN-preserving surgery.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Effects of Emergency Care-related Health Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: a Quasi-Experimental Study.
The purpose of this study was to review the nationwide emergency care-related health policies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disaster in Korea and to analyze the effects of the policies on the safety of patients who visit emergency departments (EDs) during this period. ⋯ Implementing appropriate emergency care policies in the COVID-19 pandemic would have contributed to improving the safety of all emergency patients and reducing in-hospital mortality by preventing excessive deaths.