BACKGROUND: Various tools for the acute response system (ARS) predict and prevent acute deterioration in pediatric patients. However, detailed criteria have not been clarified. Thus we evaluated the effectiveness of bradycardia as a single parameter in pediatric ARS. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients who had visited a tertiary care children's hospital from January 2012 to June 2013, in whom ARS was activated because of bradycardia. Patient's medical records were reviewed for clinical characteristics, cardiologic evaluations, and reversible causes that affect heart rate. RESULTS: Of 271 cases, 261 (96%) had ARS activation by bradycardia alone with favorable outcomes. Evaluations and interventions were performed in 165 (64.5%) and 13 cases (6.6%) respectively. All patients in whom ARS was activated owing to bradycardia and another criteria underwent evaluation, unlike those with bradycardia alone (100.0% vs. 63.2%, p = 0.016). Electrocardiograms were evaluated in 233 (86%) cases: arrhythmias were due to borderline QT prolongation and atrioventricular block (1st and 2nd-degree) in 25 cases (9.2%). Bradycardia-related causes were reversible in 202 patients (74.5%). Specific causes were different in departments at admission. Patients admitted to the hemato-oncology department required ARS activation during the night (69.3%, p = 0.03), those to the endocrinology department required ARS activation because of medication (72.4%, p < 0.001), and those to the gastroenterology department had low body mass indexes (32%, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Using bradycardia alone in pediatric ARS is not useful, because of its low specificity and poor predictive ability for deterioration. However, bradycardia can be applied to ARS concurrently with other parameters.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrioventricular Block ; Body Mass Index ; Bradycardia* ; Electrocardiography ; Endocrinology ; Gastroenterology ; Heart Arrest ; Heart Rate ; Hospital Rapid Response Team ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tertiary Healthcare

PURPOSE: Knee IVIR images were repeatedly obtained after intravenous administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine to evaluate the arthrographic effect and to determine the optimal scan timing and technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sagittal Tl-weighted (650/15) sequences were repeated before and after intravenous gadolinium enhancement in 26 patients who were divided into exercise (14/26) and nonexercise (12/26) groups. Fourteen patients in exercise group were allowed to move the affected knee joint actively for 10 minutes immediately after the first post-enhancement scan and before repeating scans. The signal intensities in central and peripheral portions of the joint were measured and compared between these two groups. RESULTS: In all cases, enhancement of joint fluid began at peripheral portion and progressed toward central portion. The diffusion rate in exercise group was far faster than that in nonexercise group and homogeneous arthrographic image was revealed within 10 minutes after completion of joint movement. The arthrographic effect continued and the rate of signal decrease was quite slow. CONCLUSION: MR arthrographic image of knee joint can be obtained within 10 minutes after completion of a few minute exercise following intravenous injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Intravenous MR arthrography is expected to become an useful method as a convenient alternative to direct MR arthrography.
Administration, Intravenous ; Arthrography* ; Diffusion ; Gadolinium ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Knee*

BACKGROUND: Various tools for the acute response system (ARS) predict and prevent acute deterioration in pediatric patients. However, detailed criteria have not been clarified. Thus we evaluated the effectiveness of bradycardia as a single parameter in pediatric ARS. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients who had visited a tertiary care children's hospital from January 2012 to June 2013, in whom ARS was activated because of bradycardia. Patient's medical records were reviewed for clinical characteristics, cardiologic evaluations, and reversible causes that affect heart rate. RESULTS: Of 271 cases, 261 (96%) had ARS activation by bradycardia alone with favorable outcomes. Evaluations and interventions were performed in 165 (64.5%) and 13 cases (6.6%) respectively. All patients in whom ARS was activated owing to bradycardia and another criteria underwent evaluation, unlike those with bradycardia alone (100.0% vs. 63.2%, p = 0.016). Electrocardiograms were evaluated in 233 (86%) cases: arrhythmias were due to borderline QT prolongation and atrioventricular block (1st and 2nd-degree) in 25 cases (9.2%). Bradycardia-related causes were reversible in 202 patients (74.5%). Specific causes were different in departments at admission. Patients admitted to the hemato-oncology department required ARS activation during the night (69.3%, p = 0.03), those to the endocrinology department required ARS activation because of medication (72.4%, p < 0.001), and those to the gastroenterology department had low body mass indexes (32%, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Using bradycardia alone in pediatric ARS is not useful, because of its low specificity and poor predictive ability for deterioration. However, bradycardia can be applied to ARS concurrently with other parameters.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrioventricular Block ; Body Mass Index ; Bradycardia ; Electrocardiography ; Endocrinology ; Gastroenterology ; Heart Arrest ; Heart Rate ; Hospital Rapid Response Team ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tertiary Healthcare

Chronic hyperglycemia is the primary risk factor for the development of complications in diabetes mellitus (DM); however, it is believed that frequent or large glucose fluctuations may independently contribute to diabetes-related complications. Postprandial spikes in blood glucose, as well as hypoglycemic events, are blamed for increased cardiovascular events in DM. Glycemic variability (GV) includes both of these events; hence, minimizing GV can prevent future cardiovascular events. Correcting GV emerges as a target to be pursued in clinical practice to safely reduce the mean blood glucose and to determine its direct effects on vascular complications in diabetes. Modern diabetes management modalities, including glucagon-related peptide-1-based therapy, newer insulins, modern insulin pumps and bariatric surgery, significantly reduce GV. However, defining GV remains a challenge primarily due to the difficulty of measuring it and the lack of consensus regarding the optimal approach for its management. The purpose of this manuscript was not only to review the most recent evidence on GV but also to help readers better understand the available measurement options and how the various definitions relate differently to the development of diabetic complications.
Bariatric Surgery ; Blood Glucose ; Consensus ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glucose ; Hyperglycemia ; Insulin ; Insulins ; Risk Factors

Early diagnosis and prompt surgical exploration in blunt scrotal trauma is mandatory to save the affected testis and decrease the morbidity. We reviewed 25 cases of blunt scrotal trauma evaluated with ultrasonography as a result of violence, sports, traffic accident from March, 1989 to February, 1997. The right side was affected slightly more often than the left side. Sonography identified scrotal hematocele in 21 out of 25 cases and 4 cases had no evidence of scrotal hematocele. In 7 out of 21 cases with scrotal hematocele, ultrasonography showed rupture sites of the tunica albuginea (5) and intratesticular radiolucency displacing the normal echogenicity of the testicular parenchyina (2). In the other 14 cases ultrasonography showed no evidence of rupture. In 4 cases without scrotal hematocele, one was diagnosed as traumatic orchitis due to testicular enlargement and two had focal intratesticular hematoma so that these cases didn't undergo explorations. And 1 case had rupture of the tonics albuginea combined with testicular torsion at the time of exploration. Surgical explorations were performed in 19 (76.0%) out of 25 cases, who showed definitive rupture sites of the tunica albiginea (8), large hematoma and/or persistent severe pain without being seen rupture sites of the tunica albuginea (11) on ultrasonography and their operative methods were orchiectomy in 9 (36.0%), evacuation of the hematocele in 6 (24%), partial orchiectomy in 2 (8.0%) and simple closure of the tunica in 2 cases (8.0%). There was a direct relationship between salvageability and early surgery. In 13 out of 19 cases who underwent explorations within 3 days after trauma, the surgical managements comprised evacuation of the hematocele in 5 (38.5%), orchiectomy in 4 (30.8%), partial orchiectomy in 2 (15.4%), and simple closure of the tunica in 2 cases (IS.4%). However, in 6 cases who underwent explorations 4 days later after trauma, the surgical managements comprised orchiectomy in 5 (83.3%) and evacuation of the hematoma in 1 case (16.7%). In comparison with operative findings, 5 of the 14 cases, in which ultrasonography showed large hematocele without rupture of the tunica, had rupture of the tunica. Also, 7 cases, in which ultrasonography showed rupture of the tunica, all had rupture of the tonics. All patients with a history of blunt scrotal trauma, followed by a large hematocele without lure of the tunica or severely distorted testis on ultrasonography should have early surgical exploration to exclude injury to the testicle. A delayed treatment decreases the salvage rate due complications, such as ischemic necrosis and severe inflammatory reaction.
Accidents, Traffic ; Early Diagnosis ; Hematocele ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Orchiectomy ; Orchitis ; Rupture ; Spermatic Cord Torsion ; Sports ; Testis ; Ultrasonography ; Violence

Chronic hyperglycemia is the main risk factor for the development of diabetes-related complications in diabetes mellitus (DM). Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is used to estimate the risk of developing diabetic complications, to define targets, and to measure the efficacy of diabetes treatments. Up until recently, it has been thought that frequent or large glucose fluctuations may contribute independently to diabetes-related complications. However, diabetes-related glycemic alterations are now understood in more complex terms, through studies attempting to identify the role of fasting glycemia, postprandial glycemia, and hypoglycemia in the overall assessment of the disease. This set of evaluations has led to the concept of glucose variability (GV). Postprandial spikes in blood glucose as well as hypoglycemic events, both are implicated in increased cardiovascular events in DM. GV includes both of these events; thus, minimizing GV can prevent future cardiovascular events. For these reasons, correcting GV has emerged as an important goal in clinical practice in order to safely reduce mean blood glucose (and thus HbA1c) and for its direct effects on vascular complications of DM. However, the literature available on glucose GV is extensive but confusing. This article highlights the most recent evidence, clinical implications, and measures to control GV in clinical practice.
Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fasting ; Glucose* ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Hyperglycemia ; Hypoglycemia ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: The frequency of bloodstream infection by Candida species has dramatically increased in recent years. Many of bloodstream infections caused by candida arise from an endogenous source of mucosal colonization, as well as exogenously from the hospital environment. We analyzed the prevalence of Candida species isolated from blood cultures, and compared it to those of all other clinical specimens, and those of the hospital environment. METHODS: Identification of Candida species was performed on isolates from blood cultures (159 strains), from cultures of clinical specimens other than bloods (1,609 strains) and from cultures of the hospital environment (30 strains). All candida isolates were recovered between January 1997 and June 1998 at Chonnam University Hospital. Candida surveillance cultures of the hands and nares of 77 medical personnel were performed using CHROMagar Candida. RESULTS: Among the Candida species isolated from the blood cultures, C. parapsilosis was the most frequently isolated (35.2%), followed by C. albicans (29.6%), C. glabrata (9.4%), and C. tropicalis (8.8%). The Candida species frequently isolated from clinical specimens other than bloods were C. albicans (52.6%), C. glabrata (19.1%), and C. tropicalis (15.3%). While C. parapsilosis was not frequently isolated from clinical specimens other than blood (3.4%), it was the most frequent Candida species isolated from the hands of medical personnel. Sixteen (20.8%) out of 77 medical personnel were found to harbor C. parapsilosis on their hands. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that it is possible that most of the Candida species causing bloodstream infections are from mucosal colonized strains, but that C. parapsilosis may be acquired from exogenous sources.
Candida* ; Candidemia ; Colon ; Hand ; Jeollanam-do ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: As the population of immunocompromised patients continues to grow, the incidence of infections caused by opportunistic filamentous fungi will continue to increase. Inhalation of fungal spores which are found in the environmental air precedes infection with molds. We investigated the relative frequency of various molds recovered from hospital air as compared to isolates from clinical specimens. METHODS: Air samples were taken from 83 sites in Chonnam University Hospital during December 1997. Air sampler (Biotest, Germany) with Rose Bengal agar strip (Biotest, Germany) was calibrated to take 40 liters of air. The strips were incubated at 37degrees C for 2-14 days. The results of air cultures were compared with those from the clinical specimens during a year (1997). RESULTS: Of 83 air samples cultured, 61 (73.5%) were positive for molds: 43 (51.8%) samples with 1-2 CFU, 15 (18.1 %) samples with 3-5 CFU, and 3 (3.6%) samples with > 5 CFU. A total of 184 molds were isolated and the most frequently recovered molds were Cladosporium (26.0%), followed by Penicillium (25.5%), Aspergillus (18.5%) and Alternaria (9.8%). The most frequently isolated molds from clinical specimens were Aspergillus (62.8%) and Fusarium (20.2%). For Aspergillus species, A. flavus (28,8%) and A. fumigates (25.4%) were predominant among the clinical isolates, whereas A sydowii (44.1%) and A. niger (38.2%) were common in the hospital air. CONCLUSION: This result shows that Cladosporium and Penicillium are the predominant molds in the hospital air and the relative frequency of molds recovered from hospital air is quite different from those of clinical isolates.
Agar ; Alternaria ; Aspergillus ; Cladosporium ; Fungi* ; Fusarium ; Immunocompromised Host ; Incidence ; Inhalation ; Jeollanam-do ; Niger ; Penicillium ; Rose Bengal ; Spores, Fungal

BACKGROUND: Fluconazole and itraconazole, the azole-derivative antifungal agents, have been commonly used for the treatment of candidiasis. We studied the comparative activities of fluconazole and itraconazole against isolates of Candida species recovered from blood cultures in Chonnam National University Hospital between 1994 and 1998. METHODS: One hundred twenty-four bloodstream isolates of Candida species (32 C. albicans, 36 C. parapsilosis, 19 C. tropicalis, 12 C. glabrata, 10 C. pelliculosa, 7 C. guilliermondii, 5 C. lipolytica, and 3 others) from 124 patients were tested. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluconazole (0.12~64microgram/mL) and itraconazole (0.03~16 microgram/mL) for each isolate were determined by the NCCLS broth macrodilution method. RESULTS: Fluconazole MICs were >64 microgram/mL for 4.8% (6/124) of the isolates and 16~32 microgram/mL for the 8.9% (11/124) isolates. Itraconazole MICs were >1 microgram/mL for 16% (16/124) and 0.25~0.5 microgram/mL for 21.0% (26/124) of the isolates. Candida species for which the fluconazole MICs were higher, were in general more resistant to itraconazole (P<0.05). There were species-related differences in MIC50:those for C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis were lower than those for other species. MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole for each species did not change during the 5-year period, but resistance to fluconazole (>64 microgram/mL) or itraconazole (> 1 microgram/mL) was observed in 4.5% (2/44) of isolates obtained from 1994 to 1996, and increased to 17.5% (14/80) of isolates recovered in 1997 to 1998 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This data showed that itraconazole MICs were proportionally higher for Candida isolates with high fluconazole MICs, and Candida species with fluconazole or itraconazole resistance increased in the latter two years, although MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole for each species did not change during the 5-year span.
Antifungal Agents ; Candida* ; Candidemia ; Candidiasis ; Fluconazole ; Humans ; Itraconazole* ; Jeollanam-do

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) for patients with intractable postpartum hemorrhage. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of ten patients who were treated with rFVIIa from July 2010 to February 2012 in one tertiary center. To evaluate each case, we used a standardized case record form. The primary outcome measures were response of rFVIIa, reduction of blood product requirement, changes of coagulation parameter. The response of rFVIIa was categorized to three groups: "complete responder", "partial responder", "poor responder". RESULTS: After the administration of rFVIIa, effect for bleeding was completely responded in 4 patients, partially responded in 6 patients, and poorly responded in none. A certain amount of reduction in blood product requirements was noted following rFVIIa administration, although no significant differences were observed statistically between before and after rFVIIa administration except RBC (P<0.01). Fibrinogen and INR were significantly reduced in all case types, but other coagulation parameters were not (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that rFVIIa is a beneficial therapeutic option that could reduce blood loss and contribute to reduction of maternal morbidities and mortalities in patients with massive postpartum hemorrhage.
Factor VIIa ; Fibrinogen ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; International Normalized Ratio ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Postpartum Hemorrhage ; Postpartum Period ; Recombinant Proteins ; Retrospective Studies