Hyponatremia has been recognized as an important postoperative metabolic complication after central nervous system (CNS) operations in children. If not appropriately treated, the postoperative hyponatremia can cause several types of CNS and circulatory disorders such as cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure. The postoperative hyponatremia after CNS surgery has been considered as one of the underlying causes of the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). In some cases, however, the cerebral salt wasting (CSW) syndrome has been detected. CSW syndrome is far less well-known than SIADH and also different from SIADH in diagnosis and treatment. It causes an increase in urine output and urine sodium after a trauma of CNS and dehydration symptoms. The appropriate treatment of CSW syndrome is opposite the usual treatment of hyponatremia caused by SIADH. The latter is treated with fluid restriction because of the increased level of free water and its dilutional effect causing hyponatremia, whereas the former is treated with fluid and sodium resuscitation because of the unusual loss of high urinary sodium. Early diagnosis and treatment of CSW syndrome after CNS surgery are, therefore, essential. We made a diagnosis of CSW syndrome in two craniosynostosis children manifesting postoperative hyponatremia and supplied them an appropriate amount of water and sodium via intravenous route. The hyponatremia or natricuresis of the children improved and neurologic and circulatory sequelae could be prevented.
Child, Preschool ; Craniosynostoses/*surgery ; Humans ; *Hyponatremia/diagnosis/physiopathology/therapy/urine ; Infant ; Male ; *Postoperative Complications ; *Sodium/administration & dosage/urine ; Syndrome ; Water/administration & dosage

Purpose: Preterm infants are known to be at a risk of neurodevelopmental delay; however, limited data are available on the outcomes of moderate-to-late preterm (MLPT) infants (born at 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation). The Korean Developmental Screening Test (K-DST) for infants and children is a recently designed screening test for Korean infants and children. The current study aimed to evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcomes of MLPT infants and investigate the risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental delay. Methods: A total of 119 MLPT infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary hospital in Korea were enrolled. The infants were assessed during two follow-up periods (first: 16 to 24 months of corrected age; second: 24 to 41 months of corrected age). The perinatal factors in the NICU that were associated with delayed development were analyzed. Results: In all sections of the K-DST, the proportion of infants with developmental delay was higher in the second period (5.6% to 9.3%) than in the first period (0.9% to 5.4%). A total of 10% to 17% of the infants presented with persistent delay throughout the two periods based on five sections of the K-DST. Male sex, oxygen therapy duration, and younger maternal age were the risk factors affecting at least one section during the second period. Conclusion MLPT infants showed greater developmental delay than the general infant population. Considering that early intervention is important for good longterm outcomes, close observation of male MLPT infants and MLPT infants who received oxygen therapy is warranted.

Purpose: Preterm infants are known to be at a risk of neurodevelopmental delay; however, limited data are available on the outcomes of moderate-to-late preterm (MLPT) infants (born at 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation). The Korean Developmental Screening Test (K-DST) for infants and children is a recently designed screening test for Korean infants and children. The current study aimed to evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcomes of MLPT infants and investigate the risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental delay. Methods: A total of 119 MLPT infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary hospital in Korea were enrolled. The infants were assessed during two follow-up periods (first: 16 to 24 months of corrected age; second: 24 to 41 months of corrected age). The perinatal factors in the NICU that were associated with delayed development were analyzed. Results: In all sections of the K-DST, the proportion of infants with developmental delay was higher in the second period (5.6% to 9.3%) than in the first period (0.9% to 5.4%). A total of 10% to 17% of the infants presented with persistent delay throughout the two periods based on five sections of the K-DST. Male sex, oxygen therapy duration, and younger maternal age were the risk factors affecting at least one section during the second period. Conclusion MLPT infants showed greater developmental delay than the general infant population. Considering that early intervention is important for good longterm outcomes, close observation of male MLPT infants and MLPT infants who received oxygen therapy is warranted.

Background: There have been recent proposals to categorize healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) separately from community-acquired infections (CAIs). The aim of this study was to compare the antibiotic resistance of pathogens causing CAIs, HCAIs, and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in Korea, and to investigate the need for different empirical antibiotics therapy for CAIs and HCAIs. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in a university hospital between March and December 2019. Inpatients who underwent a bacterial culture within 2 days of hospitalization, with a Enterobacteriaceae strain identified at the infection site and available antibiotic susceptibility results, were included in the analysis. Infections were classified as CAIs, HCAIs or HAIs, depending on the source. Results: Of the 146 patients included in the analysis, the prevalence of fluoroquinoloneresistant Enterobacteriaceae was 18.8%, 38.5%, and 55.0%; the prevalence of pathogens showing third-generation cephalosporins resistance was 8.3%, 50.0%, and 60.0%; and the prevalence of pathogens showing piperacillin-tazobactam resistance was 8.3%, 7.7%, 15.0% in the CAIs, HCAIs, and HAIs groups, respectively. The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive pathogens was 6.3%, 47.3%, and 55.0% in the CAIs, HCAIs, and HAIs group, respectively, with no significant difference between the HCAIs and HAIs groups. Resistance patterns of the HCAIs group more closely resembled those of the HAIs group than those of the CAIs group. Conclusion The pathogens isolated from patients with HCAIs showed resistance patterns that were more similar to those of patients with HAIs than those with CAIs. Thus, CAIs and HCAIs should be distinguished from each other when selecting antibiotic agents.

Background: There have been recent proposals to categorize healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) separately from community-acquired infections (CAIs). The aim of this study was to compare the antibiotic resistance of pathogens causing CAIs, HCAIs, and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in Korea, and to investigate the need for different empirical antibiotics therapy for CAIs and HCAIs. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in a university hospital between March and December 2019. Inpatients who underwent a bacterial culture within 2 days of hospitalization, with a Enterobacteriaceae strain identified at the infection site and available antibiotic susceptibility results, were included in the analysis. Infections were classified as CAIs, HCAIs or HAIs, depending on the source. Results: Of the 146 patients included in the analysis, the prevalence of fluoroquinoloneresistant Enterobacteriaceae was 18.8%, 38.5%, and 55.0%; the prevalence of pathogens showing third-generation cephalosporins resistance was 8.3%, 50.0%, and 60.0%; and the prevalence of pathogens showing piperacillin-tazobactam resistance was 8.3%, 7.7%, 15.0% in the CAIs, HCAIs, and HAIs groups, respectively. The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive pathogens was 6.3%, 47.3%, and 55.0% in the CAIs, HCAIs, and HAIs group, respectively, with no significant difference between the HCAIs and HAIs groups. Resistance patterns of the HCAIs group more closely resembled those of the HAIs group than those of the CAIs group. Conclusion The pathogens isolated from patients with HCAIs showed resistance patterns that were more similar to those of patients with HAIs than those with CAIs. Thus, CAIs and HCAIs should be distinguished from each other when selecting antibiotic agents.

BACKGROUND: During specimen processing in surgical pathology laboratories, specimen-related adverse events (SRAEs), such as mislabeling and specimen mixed-up might occur. In these situations, molecular techniques using short tandem repeat (STR) loci are required to identify the personal identity. Microsatellite instability (MSI) test is widely used for screening the hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (Lynch syndrome) in surgical pathologies using polymorphic STR markers. We tried to evaluate the applicability of the MSI test for SRAEs. METHODS: We obtained 253 MSI test results to analyze the allele frequencies. After calibrating the estimated nucleotide lengths, we calculated the allele frequencies, a random match probability, and a likelihood ratio (LR) of three dinucleotide STR markers (D5S349, D17S250, and D2S123). RESULTS: The distribution of LR was 136.38 to 5,606,213.10. There was no case of LR<100. In addition, there were 153 cases (60.5%) of LR ranging from 100 to 10,000 and 100 cases (39.5%) of LR>10,000. Furthermore, the combined probability of identity was 9.23x10(-4) and the combined power of exclusion was 0.99908. CONCLUSIONS: Using the three STR markers that are recommended for MSI test, all the cases were positively identified in 1% range and about one-third cases showed high LR (>10,000). These results showed that MSI tests are useful to screen the personal identity in case of SRAE in pathology laboratories.
Biometric Identification ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Microsatellite Instability ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Pathology, Surgical ; Succinimides

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome is a highly fatal condition characterized by widespread thromboembolism subsequent to a triggering factor (e.g., infection, trauma, and neoplasia) in antiphospholipid antibody-positive patients. This paper reports a case of a 29-year-old male without the underlying disease who developed extensive mesenteric thromboembolism and jejunal necrosis during the treatment for acute enteritis. The patient’s condition was improved with low-molecular-weight heparin and an intravenous Ig treatment with emergency surgery. The serum antiphospholipid (anticardiolipin IgM) and lupus anticoagulant antibody tests showed positive results. Acute infectious enterocolitis is generally considered a mild disease. On the other hand, aggressive evaluation and treatment should be considered if the clinical conditions do not improve and deteriorate rapidly despite appropriate antibiotic treatment because of the possibility of acute immunological complications, such as catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome.

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome is a highly fatal condition characterized by widespread thromboembolism subsequent to a triggering factor (e.g., infection, trauma, and neoplasia) in antiphospholipid antibody-positive patients. This paper reports a case of a 29-year-old male without the underlying disease who developed extensive mesenteric thromboembolism and jejunal necrosis during the treatment for acute enteritis. The patient’s condition was improved with low-molecular-weight heparin and an intravenous Ig treatment with emergency surgery. The serum antiphospholipid (anticardiolipin IgM) and lupus anticoagulant antibody tests showed positive results. Acute infectious enterocolitis is generally considered a mild disease. On the other hand, aggressive evaluation and treatment should be considered if the clinical conditions do not improve and deteriorate rapidly despite appropriate antibiotic treatment because of the possibility of acute immunological complications, such as catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome.

Background/Aims: Esophageal perforation is associated with high mortality and morbidity in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with esophageal injury. We investigated the effectiveness of initial CT scan in patients with esophageal injury to determine the risk factors for complications. Methods: Patients admitted through the ED for evaluation of esophageal injuries between January 2001 and May 2020, were investigated. Demographic data, etiological factors, comorbidities, treatment administered, and outcomes were collected. Esophageal injury was graded based on the following CT criteria: (a) normal, (b) pneumomediastinum, (c) mediastinitis, fluid collection, abscess, or overt esophageal wall injury, and (d) pleural effusion, subcutaneous emphysema, or pneumothorax. Grade 2 was defined as microperforation and grades 3 and 4 as overt perforation. Results: Of 281 patients with esophageal injury, 38 had CT-documented overt perforations and 20 had microperforations. Foreign body-induced injury (n=37), Boerhaave syndrome (n=12), and chemical injury (n=3) were common causes of esophageal injury. Complications occurred in 24 (8.5%) patients. Risk factors for complications were age ≥65 years (OR 4.14, 95% CI 1.18~14.56, P=0.027), cerebrovascular disease (OR 8.58, 95% CI 1.13~65.19, P=0.038), Boerhaave syndrome (OR 12.52, 95% CI 2.07~75.68, P=0.006), chemical injury (OR 15.72, 95% CI 3.67~67.28, P<0.001), and CT-documented grade 4 perforation (OR 15.75, 95% CI 4.39~56.55, P<0.001). Conclusions Initial CT-based grading in the ED are useful for predicting potential complications and for managing patients with esophageal injury and suspected perforation.

Background: Intravenous dexmedetomidine has been reported to potentiate the anesthetic effect of local anesthetics and improve the quality of postoperative analgesia when used as an adjuvant in neuraxial block. We compared the effects of intravenous dexmedetomidine and midazolam for sedation on combined spinal-epidural (CSE) anesthesia. Methods: This study included 50 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. CSE anesthesia was given using 10 mg bupivacaine for all patients. After checking the maximum sensory and motor levels, the patients were randomly allocated into two groups of 25 each to receive intravenous continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine (Group D) or midazolam (Group M) for sedation during surgery. Regression block level, hemodynamic changes, and sedation score were compared between the groups when the patients entered the postanesthetic care unit (PACU). For patient-controlled epidural analgesia, 0.2% levobupivacaine with 650 μg of fentanyl (150 ml in total) was infused at a rate of 1 ml/h, in addition to a 3-ml bolus dose with a 30-min lockout time. The visual analogue scale scores, additional analgesic demand, patient satisfaction, and adverse events between the two groups were also compared postoperatively. Results: A significant difference was observed in relation to the sensory block level in the PACU (Group D: 6.3 ± 2.1; Group M: 3.2 ± 1.9) (P = 0.002). The motor block level and other outcomes showed no significant intergroup differences. Conclusions Intravenous injection of dexmedetomidine, rather than midazolam, for procedural sedation is associated with prolonged sensory block, with comparable incidences of adverse events during CSE anesthesia.