PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide baseline data on paid hospital-caregivers' work performance, degree of importance of caregiving, and their knowledge as well as affecting factors on the level of practice when there is no guardian. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 155 total caregivers working at 9 hospitals. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires in December, 2010. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 17.0. RESULTS: The caregivers' level of practice showed 4.0/5.0 points, degree of importance, 4.4/5.0 points, and knowledge, 4.3/5.0 points. The level of practice was significantly different depending on the hospital types. Significant correlations were found between level of practice, degree of importance and knowledge. The degree of importance and types of hospital attributed to 17.1% of variance in the level of practice. CONCLUSION: A systematic hospital caregivers' program focusing on strategy to enhance caregivers' level of practice, degree of importance and knowledge can be effective for paid hospital-caregivers when there is no guardian.
Caregivers ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Apnea* ; Doxapram*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of music therapy on subjective stress response, salivary cortisol and fatigue for nurses working in intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This study employed non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design on quasi experimental basis. Subjects were 52 nurses (26 experimental and control group respectively) who have been working at ICU of Gil Hospital in Incheon, Korea. Data were collected from August 4 to October 6, 2014. Experimental group have listened to their 4-7 favorite musics individually once for 30 minutes after day-work. RESULTS: In experimental group, subjective stress response (t=5.02, P<0.001), salivary cortisol (t=2.08, P=0.042), and fatigue (t=5.66, P<0.001) have decreased significantly comparing to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study has confirmed especially through objective physiological index of salivary cortisol that listening the favorite music for nurses in ICU was an effective and objective managerial measure to resolve their job stress and fatigue.
Cortisone ; Critical Care* ; Fatigue* ; Hydrocortisone* ; Incheon ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Music Therapy* ; Music*

No abstract available.

In order to observe the arrhythmia which occured in early convalescent phase of acute myocardial infarction, a 24 hour ambulartory ECG monitiring was performed in 15 patients who is admitted at dept of Int Medicine, Ewha Womans University hospital from Aug. 1985 to Sept. 1986. during 7.5+/-3.4 days after admission. In all cases one or more of the following arrhythmias were observed;atrial premature beat, ventricular premature beat(VPB), transient paroxysmal ventricular thchycardia, atrial fibrillation, sinus arrest and junctional beat. Of 15 cases, 11(77.3%) had VPB's:Simple VPB's in 4 cases(26.7%) and complex VPB's(6.52+/-2.52)(P<0.05). But there were no difference of premature and abberancy index between complex VPB's and simple VPB's(P>0.1). In addition, we compaired the arrhythmias in CCU with those of early convalescent phase of acute myocardial infarction. But there was no correlation between them.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Cardiac Complexes, Premature ; Electrocardiography* ; Female ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction*

PURPOSE: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a major neurologic problem and one of the most important perinatal causes of neurological morbidity. Evaluation of the presence, extent, and subsequent evolution of hypoxic-ischemic lesions may be very important. We studied the significance of imaging modality through the analysis of brain MRI findings of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy during neonatal period and comparison with findings of brain ultrasonography. METHODS: We analysed the forty-seven infants retrospectively who were diagnosed as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and underwent brain MRI and ultrasonography from Jan. 1992 to May 1996. RESULTS: 1) The mean gestational age and birth weight of the twenty-seven infants who were premature were 32.8+/-2.08weeks and 1.97+/-0.44kg respectively. The mean gestational age and birth weight of twenty infants who were fullterm were 39.3+/-1.04weeks and 2.98+/- 0.93kg respectively. The primary hypoxic-ischemic insults occurred during antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period. 2) The findings of brain MRI were classified into periventricular leukomalacia, encephalomalacia, basal ganglia lesion, focal parenchymal hemorrhage, ventriculomegaly without other lesion and normal finding. 3) Three infants among twenty-five infants with periventricular leukomalacia, four infants among seven infants with basal ganglia lesion and six infants among seven infants with focal parenchymal hemorrhage were not diagnosed by brain ultrasonography. 4) All of ten infants with encephalomalacia and four infants with ventriculomegaly without other lesion were diagnosed by brain ultrasonography. CONCLUSIONS: MRI can diagnose the hypoxic-ischemic lesions which would not be possible by brain ultrasonography. Therefore MRI is the imaging modality of choice for diagnosis in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. We believe that the benefits of MRI outweigh its somewhat higher cost, lack of portability and monitoring difficulties.
Basal Ganglia ; Birth Weight ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Encephalomalacia ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a major neurologic problem and one of the most important perinatal causes of neurological morbidity. Evaluation of the presence, extent, and subsequent evolution of hypoxic-ischemic lesions may be very important. We studied the significance of imaging modality through the analysis of brain MRI findings of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy during neonatal period and comparison with findings of brain ultrasonography. METHODS: We analysed the forty-seven infants retrospectively who were diagnosed as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and underwent brain MRI and ultrasonography from Jan. 1992 to May 1996. RESULTS: 1) The mean gestational age and birth weight of the twenty-seven infants who were premature were 32.8+/-2.08weeks and 1.97+/-0.44kg respectively. The mean gestational age and birth weight of twenty infants who were fullterm were 39.3+/-1.04weeks and 2.98+/- 0.93kg respectively. The primary hypoxic-ischemic insults occurred during antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period. 2) The findings of brain MRI were classified into periventricular leukomalacia, encephalomalacia, basal ganglia lesion, focal parenchymal hemorrhage, ventriculomegaly without other lesion and normal finding. 3) Three infants among twenty-five infants with periventricular leukomalacia, four infants among seven infants with basal ganglia lesion and six infants among seven infants with focal parenchymal hemorrhage were not diagnosed by brain ultrasonography. 4) All of ten infants with encephalomalacia and four infants with ventriculomegaly without other lesion were diagnosed by brain ultrasonography. CONCLUSIONS: MRI can diagnose the hypoxic-ischemic lesions which would not be possible by brain ultrasonography. Therefore MRI is the imaging modality of choice for diagnosis in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. We believe that the benefits of MRI outweigh its somewhat higher cost, lack of portability and monitoring difficulties.
Basal Ganglia ; Birth Weight ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Encephalomalacia ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Life Style ; Stress, Psychological*

Decreased exercise capacity after Fontan surgery is relatively common and the failure of the Fontan state gradually increases with age. However, there is no further treatment for patients with Fontan circulation. Pulmonary vasodilation therapy is an effective method to solve this problem because pulmonary vascular resistance is a major factor of the Fontan problem. Inhaled iloprost is a chemically stable prostacyclin analogue and a potent pulmonary vasodilator. We experienced two cases of Fontan patients treated with inhaled iloprost for 12 weeks. The first patient was an 18-year-old female with pulmonary atresia with an intact ventricular septum, and the second patient was a 22-year-old male with a double outlet right ventricle. Fifteen years have passed since both patients received Fontan surgery. While the pulmonary pressure was not decreased significantly, improved exercise capacity and cardiac output were observed without any major side effects in both patients. The iloprost inhalation therapy was well tolerated and effective for the symptomatic treatment of Fontan patients.
Adolescent ; Cardiac Output ; Double Outlet Right Ventricle ; Epoprostenol ; Female ; Fontan Procedure ; Humans ; Iloprost* ; Male ; Pulmonary Atresia ; Respiratory Therapy ; Vascular Resistance ; Vasodilation ; Ventricular Septum ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: Our purpose was (1) to determine whether amniotic fluid concentrations of interleukin-6 are of value in the diagnosis of histologic chorioamnionitis of preterm placenta and in the prediction of significant perinatal morbidity and mortality in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes and (2) to compare the diagnostic performance of amniotic fluid interleukin-6 with that of amniotic fluid microbial culture for these outcome variables. METHOD: The relation among placental histologic finding, perinatal outcome, amniotic fluid culture, and amniotic fluid interleukin-6 concentrations were examined in 65 patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes who delivered preterm neonates within 72 hours after transabdominal amniocentesis. Interleukin-6 level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver-operator characteristic curve, Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher's exact test were used for analysis. RESULTS: 1) Patients with acute histologic chorioamnionitis had significantly higher median amniotic fluid interleukin-6 concentrations than those without histologic chorioamnionitis (median 12.6 ng/ml, range 0.03 to 142.2 ng/ml vs median 0.5 ng/ml, range 0.03 to 16 ng/ml; P < 0.0001). 2) Amniotic fluid having interleukin-6 concentrations higher than 3.2 ng/ml had a sensitivity of 78% (35/45) and specificity of 95% (19/20) in the diagnosis of acute histologic chorioamnionitis and sensitivity of 74% (25/34) and specificity of 65% (20/31) in the prediction of significant neonatal morbidity and mortality. 3) These sensitivities were significantly higher than those of amniotic fluid culture, but there were no significant difference in specificities between amniotic fluid interleukin-6 and culture (histologic chorioamnionitis: 78% vs 51%, p<0.01; significant neonatal morbidity and mortality: 74% vs 47%, p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Test of amniotic fluid interleukin-6 is of value and more sensitive than amniotic fluid culture for the antenatal diagnosis of histologic chorioamnionitis and for the prediction of perinatal outcome in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes.
Amniocentesis ; Amniotic Fluid* ; Chorioamnionitis ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Interleukin-6* ; Membranes* ; Mortality ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Rupture* ; Sensitivity and Specificity