As the elderly population continues to grow, the number of geriatric patients reported to poison centers continues to increase. Older poisoned patients are at an increased risk of death compared to younger adult patients. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of hydrofluoric acid poisoning along with a discussion of poisoning characteristics. A 79 year-old male with dementia visited emergency department presenting epigastic discomfort after ingestion of 50% hydrofluoric acid solution. At admission, he presented with a stable vital sign but progressed to pulseless electrical activity. In spite of advanced resuscitation efforts and administration of calcium gluconate, he rapidly detoriated and died 3 hours after the ingestion.
Adult ; Aged ; Calcium Gluconate ; Dementia ; Eating ; Emergencies ; Gluconates ; Humans ; Hydrofluoric Acid ; Male ; Resuscitation ; Vital Signs

No abstract available.
Antigens, Surface* ; Oncogenes*

A 47-year-old woman ingested about 12 mg of colchicine with suicidal intent. Colchicine, a highly poisonous alkaloid, is a commonly used treatment for gout, Bechet's disease, and familial Mediterranean fever. Despite the knowledge of its side effects, the risk of a significant overdose is under-appreciated. She suffered from acute multisystem toxicity, including gastrointestinal disorders, bone marrow suppression, alopecia, and probable pancreatitis, but she ultimately recovered with supportive therapy. We report a case of acute colchicine toxicity from a single overdose with a review of the literature.
Alopecia ; Bone Marrow ; Colchicine ; Familial Mediterranean Fever ; Female ; Gastroenteritis ; Gout ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis

Myxedema coma is the extreme form of untreated hypothyroidism. In reality, few patients present comatose with severe myxedema. We describe a patient with myxedema coma which was initially misdiagnosed as a brain stem infarct. She presented to the hospital with alteration of the mental status, generalized edema, hypothermia, hypoventilation, and hypotension. Initially her brain stem reflexes were absent. After respiratory and circulatory support, her neurologic status was not improved soon. The diagnosis of myxedema coma was often missed or delayed due to various clinical findings and concomitant medical condition and precipitating factors. It is more difficult to diagnose when a patient has no medical history of hypothyroidism. A high index of clinical suspicion can make a timely diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment. We report this case to alert clinicians considering diagnosis of myxedema coma in patients with severe decompensated metabolic state including mental change.
Aged ; Brain Stem Infarctions/diagnosis/radiography ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Errors ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism/complications/drug therapy ; Myxedema/*diagnosis/etiology/radiography ; Republic of Korea ; Thyroxine/therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: After the RS (respiratory syncytial) virus, the influenza virus is the most common cause of childhood lower respiratory tract infection. We assessed the radiologic findings of childhood lower respiratory tract infection by the influenza virus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 105 pediatric patients (76 males and 29 females; mean age, 2.4 years) with symptoms of respiratory tract infection were examined between March 1997 and April 2000. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were obtained and influenza virus infection was confirmed by direct or indirect immunofluorescent assays. Peribronchial infiltration, hyperinflation, atelectasis, pulmonary consolidation, and hilar lymphadenopathy were evaluated retrospectively at simple chest radiography. RESULTS: Bilateral perihilar peribronchial infiltration was noted in 78.1% of patients (n=82), hyperinflation in 63.8% (n=67), atelectasis in 3.8% (n=4; segmental 50%, lobar 50%), and pulmonary consolidation in 16.2% [n=17; segmental 70.6% (n=12), lobar 29.4% (n=5)]. Hilar lymphadenopathy was noted in one patient in whom there was no pleural effusion, and subglottic airway narrowing in 12 of 14 in whom the croup symptom complex was present. CONCLUSION: The major radiologic findings of influenza virus infection were bilateral perihilar peribronchial infiltration and hyperinflation. In some patients, upper respiratory tract infection was combined with subgolttic airway narrowing. Atelectasis or pleural effusion was rare.
Croup ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza, Human* ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male ; Orthomyxoviridae* ; Pleural Effusion ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Radiography ; Respiratory System* ; Respiratory Tract Infections* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax

PURPOSE: Barriers to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education are magnified by relative cost and course availability. E-learning has emerged as a viable solution for continuous, on-demand training and organizational learning. We assessed the hypothesis that E-learning is a viable strategy for CPR training of the general public and sought to evaluate its effects on CPR quality compared to traditional classroom-based methods. METHODS: The E-learning program was specifically designed to teach basic life support skills, and consisted of 50 minutes internet lectures and simulation videos. The training session was freely available to twenty two officers in rural South Korea. The trainees were able to practice with a mannequin and an automated external defibrillator (AED) trainer at their place of employment over the course of 3 days. The control group was trained at a hospital by certified instructors using the same equipment during a 2 hour period. At the end of the course, the participant's skills were evaluated using a checklist and a skill performance test. RESULTS: Forty two subjects were enrolled finally with 19 and 23 belonging to the E-learning and the control groups, respectively. One E-learning trainee was excluded because he was absent from the skills test. The mean time to learn CPR and AED techniques was 29.0+/-24.5 minutes in the elearning group. The mean age of the E-learning group was significantly older than that of the control group (32.4+/-4.0 vs. 26.0+/-1.5, p<0.001). However, we did not find any significant differences in their weight, height or CPR educational status. Before the education sessions, the willingness to perform CPR and their confidence in performing CPR were not significantly different among the two groups. Regarding skill performance, there were no significant differences between the groups except the volume of ventilation. The control group showed a higher volume of ventilation than the elearning group (1,031.7+/-521.6 vs. 548.8+/-303.3, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: E-learning accompanied with appropriate practice can be a helpful tool for public CPR training. The demand for E-learning will increase, and this study shows that e-learning programs can be successful, yielding similar results as traditional, classroom-based training.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Checklist ; Defibrillators ; Education, Distance ; Educational Status ; Employment ; Hypogonadism ; Internet ; Learning ; Lectures ; Life Support Care ; Manikins ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Republic of Korea ; Ventilation

PURPOSE: Barriers to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education are magnified by relative cost and course availability. E-learning has emerged as a viable solution for continuous, on-demand training and organizational learning. We assessed the hypothesis that E-learning is a viable strategy for CPR training of the general public and sought to evaluate its effects on CPR quality compared to traditional classroom-based methods. METHODS: The E-learning program was specifically designed to teach basic life support skills, and consisted of 50 minutes internet lectures and simulation videos. The training session was freely available to twenty two officers in rural South Korea. The trainees were able to practice with a mannequin and an automated external defibrillator (AED) trainer at their place of employment over the course of 3 days. The control group was trained at a hospital by certified instructors using the same equipment during a 2 hour period. At the end of the course, the participant's skills were evaluated using a checklist and a skill performance test. RESULTS: Forty two subjects were enrolled finally with 19 and 23 belonging to the E-learning and the control groups, respectively. One E-learning trainee was excluded because he was absent from the skills test. The mean time to learn CPR and AED techniques was 29.0+/-24.5 minutes in the elearning group. The mean age of the E-learning group was significantly older than that of the control group (32.4+/-4.0 vs. 26.0+/-1.5, p<0.001). However, we did not find any significant differences in their weight, height or CPR educational status. Before the education sessions, the willingness to perform CPR and their confidence in performing CPR were not significantly different among the two groups. Regarding skill performance, there were no significant differences between the groups except the volume of ventilation. The control group showed a higher volume of ventilation than the elearning group (1,031.7+/-521.6 vs. 548.8+/-303.3, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: E-learning accompanied with appropriate practice can be a helpful tool for public CPR training. The demand for E-learning will increase, and this study shows that e-learning programs can be successful, yielding similar results as traditional, classroom-based training.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Checklist ; Defibrillators ; Education, Distance ; Educational Status ; Employment ; Hypogonadism ; Internet ; Learning ; Lectures ; Life Support Care ; Manikins ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Republic of Korea ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery has many advantages compared with conventional methods and may allow a significant reduction in postoperative pain and analgesic consumption. Nevertheless, some patients still experience significant pain. Therefore, many clinicians have tried various methods to reduce of postoperative pain. We investigated degrees of postoperative pain and the incidences of shoulder pain versus the different methods of gas removal after laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: Sixty ASA class I or II patients were included in this study. In Group A (Control group, n = 20), residual carbon dioxide was removed by the classic method without a drain tube. In Group B (Suction group, n = 20), residual carbon dioxide was removed using a suction device aggressively without a drain tube. In Group C (Drain group, n = 20), residual carbon dioxide was removed by the classic method with a drain tube. The intensities of abdominal and shoulder pain were assessed 1, 6, 24 and 48 hours after surgery using a visual analog scale (VAS) and a verbal rating scale (VRS). We also assessed the mean hospital stay for the three groups. RESULTS: The abdominal pain scores (VAS and VRS) at 1 hour after surgery and the incidence of shoulder pain, epigastria pain and flank pain were significantly higher in Group A than in the other groups for 1hour after surgery (P <0.05). Mean hospital stay was significantly longer for group C. CONCLUSIONS: After laparoscopic surgery, the active removal of residual carbon dioxide may be a simple and safe method that significantly reduces postoperative shoulder and abdominal pain.
Abdominal Pain ; Carbon Dioxide ; Flank Pain ; Gases* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Incidence ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Pain, Postoperative* ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Pain ; Suction ; Visual Analog Scale

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate current statistics relating to foreigners who visit a Korean emergency department (ED). METHODS: Subjects included in this study were 125,263 patients who visited one Korean ED from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. We divided subjects into two groups, natives (Koreans) and foreigners (non-Koreans). We compared the two groups according to their age, sex, chief medical complaints, department to which they were referred, their final diagnosis, results of treatment applied, ED residence time, mortality rate, total billed cost of treatment, balance of any unpaid bills and method of visiting the ED. RESULTS: Of the total patients included in the study, 119,864 (95.7%) were natives and 5,399 (4.3%) were foreigners. In natives, the majority were 0 to 10 years old (35.1%), while foreigners were mostly 41 to 50 (22.8%) years old. The most common symptom in both natives and foreigners was fever. The most common diagnosis for foreigners was head, face, and neck injury (13.8%). The main referred departments for foreigners were internal medicine (20.1%), pediatric medicine (16.9%), and orthopedics (14.3%). The admission rate for foreigners (13.0%), was lower than that of natives (17.3%). The mortality rate for foreigners (0.5%) was higher than that of natives (0.3%). The ED residence time for foreigners was higher than that of natives. The total billed cost of treatment and balance of unpaid money by foreigners was higher than that of natives. For foreigners, the proportion of medical fees paid from personal accounts and industrial medical insurance were higher than those of natives. CONCLUSION: Medical insurance and policy for the management of foreigners who visit the ED must be improved.
Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Fees and Charges ; Fees, Medical ; Fever ; Head ; Humans ; Insurance ; Internal Medicine ; Korea ; Neck Injuries ; Orthopedics ; Population Groups

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but it remains unclear whether the risk of NAFLD is independently related to OSA regardless of visceral obesity. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine whether OSA alone or in combination with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or short sleep duration was associated with NAFLD independent of visceral fat in Korean adults. METHODS: A total of 621 participants were selected from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The abdominal visceral fat area (VFA) and hepatic fat components of the participants were assessed using computed tomography scans and they were then categorized into four groups depending on the presence of OSA and EDS. RESULTS: The proportions of NAFLD were 21.1%, 18.5%, 32.4%, and 46.7% in participants without OSA/EDS, with only EDS, with only OSA, and with both OSA and EDS, respectively. A combination of OSA and EDS increased the odds ratio (OR) for developing NAFLD (OR, 2.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 6.28) compared to those without OSA/EDS, and this association remained significant (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.01 to 5.59) even after adjusting for VFA. In short sleepers (< 5 hours) with OSA, the adjusted OR for NAFLD was 2.50 (95% CI, 1.08 to 5.75) compared to those sleeping longer than 5 hours without OSA. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, OSA was closely associated with NAFLD in Korean adults. This association was particularly strong in those with EDS or short sleep duration regardless of VFA.
*Adiposity ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence/diagnosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat/*physiopathology ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Obesity, Abdominal/diagnosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; *Sleep ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/diagnosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology