The general intensive care unit of Presbyterian Medical Centar was opened in 1965 with 3 beds and expanded to 17 heds in 1981. Generally, the type of I.C.U. is multidisciplinary and intensive care often means a combination of recovery room service and intensive therapy. Here, we have analyzed clinically 4, 986 LC.U. patients admitted between Jan. 1986 and Dec. 1990. to obtain a better guide and management in the I.C.U.. The results were as follows I) Total number of patients for 5 years was 4,986; 1,071 patients in 1986, 1,102 patients in 1987, 1,012 patients in 1988, 952 patients in 1989, 849 patients in 1990. The ratio of male to female patients was almost 2: 1. 2) Total admission days in the I.C.U. was 26,892 days and average patient stay being 5.5 days. The average age for 5 years was 50.9 year-old-age. 3) The majority of the patients(3,526 cases, 70%) stayed in the I.C.U. less than 5 days The number of patients staying more than 9 days increased from 127 cases(12%) in 1986 to 155 cases (18%) in 1990 4) The group representing the highest number of patients admitted was in the 50 to 59 year-old-age group. About 60% of the patients admitted were in the 40 to 69 year-old-age groups and the highest mortality rate occurred in the 70 to 79 year-old-age group(24.4%). 5) The number of the patients admitted to the department of internal medicine, which was the highest among all departments, was 3,564 caaes. Mortality rate was highest in the department of pediatric. 6) During 5 years, overall mortality rate was 21.9%(1,091 cases) inclusive of the hopeless-dis-charged patients. 7) Liver cirrhosis & variceal rupture of esophagus was the commonest disease. Mortality rate WS8 highest in leukemia(50%) & lymyhoma(50%) and lowest in acute renal failure(0%). 8) After putting into operation of nation-wide medical. insurance scheme, average patient stay and average age were increased. From the above results, it can be concluded that average admission days, average age and patients staying more than 9 days in the I.C.U. increased annually.
Esophagus ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Internal Medicine ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Male ; Mortality ; Protestantism ; Recovery Room ; Rupture

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of cysteamine on mixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)-chemically injured keratocytes reaction (mixed lymphocyte-keratocyte reaction; MLKR). METHODS: PBMC stimulation assay was performed after keratocytes were chemically injured with 0.05 N NaOH for 60 seconds. MLKR was treated with various concentrations of cysteamine (0-10 mM). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was measured using the oxidation-sensitive fluorescent probe, 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA). Proliferation rate of PBMCs stimulated by NaOH-treated keratocytes and secretion profiles of matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were determined using the bromodeoxyuridine proliferation assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. RESULTS: Proliferation rate of PMBCs was suppressed by cysteamine in a dose-dependent manner (p = 0.019). Fluorescence of DCF-DA decreased depending on cysteamine concentration (p < 0.001). MMP-9, IL-6 and TGF-beta1 levels were suppressed by cysteamine in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05), whereas MIF levels increased with cysteamine concentration of 0.5-10 mM (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: These study results indicate that cysteamine induced the ROS-mediated inhibition of inflammatory cytokine release and proliferation of PBMCs stimulated by chemically injured keratocytes. Thus, cysteamine can be used in the treatment of chemical corneal burns.
Bromodeoxyuridine ; Burns ; Cysteamine* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescence ; Humans* ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1