BACKGROUND: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate postoperative mortality within 30 days following surgery. METHODS: The records of 31,806 patients who received operation under general anesthesia were reviewed. RESULTS: 1) Postoperative deaths were 184 cases, the ratio of which was comprising 0.57% of all surgical operative cases. 2) The highest ratio of the mortality in age group was 51~60 years group which was 24.5%, and in physical status it was ASA class III which was 36.4%. The highest ratio to the mortality rate in postoperative days was 8~30 days which was 45.1%. 3) The most common causes of death was low cardiac output due to heart failure on operating theater, and hypovolemic shock within postoperative 2 days, and intracranial problem within postoperative 7 days, and pulmonary complication within postoperative 30 days. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fatality rate could be decreased by intensive and multidisciplinary care for postoperaive complications as respiratory and renal failure.
Anesthesia, General ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Cause of Death ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Mortality ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock

Acidosis ; Adult ; Anesthesia ; Anesthetics ; Cyanosis ; Dantrolene ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Malignant Hyperthermia ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Pentobarbital ; Succinylcholine ; Tachycardia

BACKGROUND: Research of clinical contents and proper development of education program is essential in family medicine. Therefore, this study is carried out to obtain data for residency training, and to provide references to family physicians who give primary health care in rural community by analyzing prospectively the clinical contents of new patients in a local family practice clinic. METHODS: The authors visited family practice clinic in a rural area practiced by a family physician board certified in family medicine. There were 3,126 new patients from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 1996 evenly distributed by month and area, 1,000 patients were sampled randomly and the collected data were classified according to the ICPC(International Classification of Primary Care) coding system. RESULTS: Among the selected 1,000 patients, males were 432(43.2%) and females were 568(56.8%). Age distribution was highest In the fifties(50-59 years old) (20.7%). The total number of Reason For Encounter(RFE) was 1,417, the average RFE was 1.41 per patient and the kind of RFEs was 93, among which cough was the most frequent RFE by 233 cases(16.4% ). The 87 kinds of diagnoses were used and URl(Upper Respiratory Infection) accounted for the major portion by 287 cases(21.9%). The diagnostic examination per patient was 0.42. The most frequently used test was x-ray of an extremity by 68 cases(16.1% ). Referrals to other departments were made in 3.3% of visitors of which Internal Medicine was highest(39.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical contents were classified more comprehensively by using ICPC with given code RFE, care process, and diagnosis. More study on ICPC is necessary for classification to help analyze clinical contents in primary care.
Age Distribution ; Classification ; Clinical Coding ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Extremities ; Family Practice* ; Female ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Internship and Residency ; Male ; Physicians, Family ; Primary Health Care ; Prospective Studies ; Referral and Consultation ; Rural Population

Endoscopic submucosal dissection is recommended as an alternative therapy for early esophageal cancer. However, achieving curative resection in this procedure remains controversial since precise prediction of lymph node metastasis can be difficult. Here, we present the preliminary results of endoscopic submucosal dissection followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for early esophageal cancer with a high risk of lymph node metastasis. From May 2006 to January 2014, six patients underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy after endoscopic submucosal dissection with a median follow-up period of 63 months. No complications were encountered during concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Although local recurrence did not occur in all patients, two patients were diagnosed with metachronous cancer. Overall, the survival rate was 100%. Thus, endoscopic submucosal dissection followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy may be a feasible treatment for early esophageal cancer in patients with a high risk of lymph node metastasis. Future prospective large-scale studies are warranted to confirm our results.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The Tox-Info system is a poisonous substance information database developed by the Korean National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation. The aim of this study was to estimate the coverage effectiveness of the Tox-Info system by comparing the toxic substances included in the database with the distribution of the toxic substances implicated in the cases of intoxicated patients presenting to emergency departments. The secondary aim of the study was to propose any additional substances that should be added to the database. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients suffering with toxic exposure who had visited any of 12 selected emergency departments in Korea from January 2010 to December 2011. The identified toxic substances were classified into groups including prescription drugs, agricultural chemicals, household products, animals or plants, herbal drugs, and others. We calculated the coverage rate of the Tox-Info database relative to the number of intoxication cases and the type of toxic substances involved. RESULTS: A total of 5,840 intoxicated patient records were collected. Their mean age was 46.6+/-20.5 years and 56.2% were female. Of the total intoxication cases, 87.8% of the identified toxic substances were included in the Tox-Info database, while only 41.6% of all of the types of identified toxic substances were included. Broken down by category, 122 prescription drugs, 15 agricultural chemicals, 12 household products, 14 animals or plants and 2 herbal drugs involved in poisoning cases were not included in the Tox-info database. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the clinical usefulness of the Tox-Info system. While 87.8% of the substances involved in the cases were included in the Tox-Info database, the database should be continuously updated in order to include even the most uncommon toxic substances.
Agrochemicals ; Animals ; Emergencies ; Female ; Household Products ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Prescription Drugs ; Retrospective Studies ; Stress, Psychological

Purpose: This study aimed to compare treatment outcomes and toxicity profile between imaged-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) versus conventional brachytherapy (CBT) performed by the same practitioner during the same time period. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 104 eligible patients who underwent brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Fifty patients (48.1%) underwent IGBT, and 54 (51.9%) patients underwent CBT. All patients underwent concurrent chemoradiation with cisplatin. High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy with dose prescription of 25-30 Gy in 4-6 fractions was performed for all patients. Late lower gastrointestinal (GI) and urinary toxicities occurred more than 3 months after the end of brachytherapy were included for comparative and dosimetric analyses. Results: The median follow-up period was 18.33 months (range, 3.25 to 38.43 months). There were no differences in oncologic outcomes between the two groups. The IGBT group had lower rate of actuarial grade ≥ 3 toxicity than the CBT group (2-year, 4.5% vs. 25.7%; p=0.030). Cumulative equieffective D2cc of sigmoid colon was significantly correlated with grade ≥ 2 lower GI toxicity (p=0.033), while equieffective D2cc of rectum (p=0.055) and bladder (p=0.069) showed marginal significance with corresponding grade ≥ 2 toxicities in the IGBT group. Half of grade ≥ 3 lower GI toxicities impacted GI tract above the rectum. Optimal thresholds of cumulative D2cc of sigmoid colon and rectum were 69.7 Gy and 70.8 Gy, respectively, for grade ≥ 2 lower GI toxicity. Conclusion IGBT showed superior toxicity profile to CBT. Evaluating the dose to the GI tract above rectum by IGBT might prevent some toxicities.

Objective: Dysphagia is a common clinical condition characterized by difficulty in swallowing. It is sub-classified into oropharyngeal dysphagia, which refers to problems in the mouth and pharynx, and esophageal dysphagia, which refers to problems in the esophageal body and esophagogastric junction. Dysphagia can have a significant negative impact one’s physical health and quality of life as its severity increases. Therefore, proper assessment and management of dysphagia are critical for improving swallowing function and preventing complications. Thus a guideline was developed to provide evidence-based recommendations for assessment and management in patients with dysphagia. Methods: Nineteen key questions on dysphagia were developed. These questions dealt with various aspects of problems related to dysphagia, including assessment, management, and complications. A literature search for relevant articles was conducted using Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and one domestic database of KoreaMed, until April 2021. The level of evidence and recommendation grade were established according to the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology. Results: Early screening and assessment of videofluoroscopic swallowing were recommended for assessing the presence of dysphagia. Therapeutic methods, such as tongue and pharyngeal muscle strengthening exercises and neuromuscular electrical stimulation with swallowing therapy, were effective in improving swallowing function and quality of life in patients with dysphagia. Nutritional intervention and an oral care program were also recommended. Conclusion This guideline presents recommendations for the assessment and management of patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia, including rehabilitative strategies.