BACKGROUND: Unexpected cancellation of the elective operation on scheduled day is stressful event to both of patients and doctors, especially when there is little explanation and understanding. Above all, it is against cost-saving policies in hospital management. Thus the author investigated the rate, distribution and causes of cancelled cases to get help to make plans to reduce the cancellation rates. METHODS: From March 1st in 1996 to February 28th in 1997, all operation schedules were reviewed and cancelled cases on scheduled day were analyzed. All the elective operations except emergency operations under general, regional or local anesthesia were included in this analysis. Total cancellation rate was analyzed according to surgical departments, month, week day, age and causes. In statistical analysis, SAS program was used. RESULTS: Total number of cancellation was 424 cases and mean cancellation rate was 8.47%. In analysis of cancellation rate by months, it was highest in October and lowest in November. In August, October and December the cancellation rates were higher than the other months. It was higher on Tuesday and Thursday. Most common causes of cancellation was the problems related patient's condition, especially related to coexisting diseases. Among these, cardiac disease was predominant. Non-medical causes were predominant than medical causes in most cancelled cases. CONCLUSION: Trying to reduce the cancellation rates is suggested as one of methods that will make the quality and quantity of medical services better. Careful preoperative evaluation of patient and consultation of abnormal findings or laboratory data before hospitalization, appropriate scheduling of operation, complete preparation of operation apparatus, through all these, firm establishment of doctor-patient rapport are core element of reducing of cancellation rate. So, attention and support by not only anesthesiologist but surgeons and hospital managers are needed to achieve these goals of reducing of cancellation rate.
Anesthesia, Local ; Appointments and Schedules ; Emergencies ; Heart Diseases ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Life Change Events

No abstract available.
Hypogonadism*

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Constipation* ; Humans

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant* ; Measles*

We present two cases of pseudocyst of auricle which occured in 59-year-old man and 21-year-old man. Each showed bean sized non-inflammatory cystic swelling of upper part of right auricle with slight tenderness and the cystic content was serosanguinous fluid. Cystic wall was composed of fibrovascular tissue replacing degenerated cartilage without lining epithelium.
Cartilage ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

The primary goal in the treatment of the nail bed avulsion injury is complete regrowing of the nail plate without any deformity. There are many procedures for treatment of the nail bed avulsion injury as a split-thickness skin graft, full-thickness nail bed graft, reverse dermal graft or split-thickness nail bed graft. From February, 1984 to June, 1985 at In-Chon Gill Hospital, 13 cases of nail bed avulsion injury were treated with split-thickness nail bed grafts. The intact residual part of the injured nail bed or the toe nail bed was served as a donor site. The results were as followings; 1. The incidence of nail bed avulsion injury of all hand injuries was 9.7%. 2. The main cause of injury was the industrial accident and more prevalent in the left hand. 3. The good result was obtained in the split-thickness nail bed graft for the nail bed avulsion injury, but in nail root portion, the poor result was noticed. 4. The average time for normal nail appearance is six months.
Accidents, Occupational ; Animals ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Gills ; Hand ; Hand Injuries ; Humans ; Incheon ; Incidence ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Toes ; Transplants

Adhesive forces between the retina and the retinal pigment epithelium, which is mainta ined by active mechanisms unique for living animals, deteriorates rapidly after death and leads to spontaneous retinal detachment. Change of retinal adhesiveness in rabbits after death was investigated using a new method. Retinal detachment was induced by applying various levels of aspiration power from 0 to 1OO mmHg to the vitreous cavity using a vitrectomy instrument immediately after the rabbit was killed without enucleation. And the time required for creating the retinal detachment was measured. Retinal adhesiveness deteriorated and spontaneous retinal detachment occurred 28 minutes and 35 seconds after death confirming the active adhesion between the retina and the retinal pigment epithelium before death Increase of aspiration power led to shortening of time required for creating retinal detachment. From aspiration powers of 0 to 100 mmHg, the common logarithm of time required for retinal detachment was inversely proportional to the aspiration power [IogY = 1.45215 - 0.01113X, (R2=0.99041), X: aspiration power (mmHg), Y: time required for creating retinal detachment (minutes)]. Thus, presumed time of retinal detachment could be estimated between the aspiration powers of 0 to 100 mmHg.
Adhesiveness ; Adhesives* ; Animals ; Postmortem Changes* ; Rabbits ; Retina* ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Vitrectomy

PURPOSE: Successful management of epileptic patients requires complete control of seizures without adverse effect. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hematologic effect and hepatic enzyme change of antiepileptic drugs in epileptic children and compare the changes of these values according to serum drug level. METHODS: The study included 89 epileptic children with antiepileptic drugs such as phenobarbital, valproate, and carbamazepine from May 1990 to July 1999. We classified these patients into 3 groups according to the drug they had taken; group 1 : patients treated by phenobarbital, group 2 : valproate, group 3 : carbamazepine. Baseline screening tests before the start of therapy for all patients included complete blood count(CBC) and differential, platelet count, serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST). The tests wee repeated at follow-up visits in 2nd week, 4th week, 6th week, 12th month on the new drug. We compared their mean hematologic and liver enzyme values, which were examined before and after taken the medications, such as white blood cell counts(WBC), red blood cell(RBC), platelets, hemoglobin(Hgb), hamatocrit(Hct), mean corpuscular volume(MCA), mean corpuscular hemoglobin(MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration(MCHC), AST, and ALT. Statistically significant change of each value was observed according to drug blood levels. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between before and after medication on AST, ALT, Hgb, MCHC in all the groups. The WBC count diminished after medication of carbamazepine, significantly. But the correlation between WBC count and serum carbamazepine level was no statistically significant. The mean platelet count diminished significantly after medication of phenobarbital and valproate, and the correlation of maximum serum valproate level with the degree of platelets count was statistically significant. Statistically significant changes were found on MCV and MCH values before and after the medication in 3rd group. But it did not depend on carbamazepine blood level. CONCLUSION: Statistically significant correlations was found between the platelet count and the plasma valproate level. Significant increase of MCV and MCH, and decrease WBC count was observed after the medication of carbamazepine.
Alanine ; Anticonvulsants* ; Aspartic Acid ; Carbamazepine ; Child* ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Liver* ; Mass Screening ; Phenobarbital ; Plasma* ; Platelet Count ; Seizures ; Valproic Acid

No abstract available.
Amniocentesis* ; Cytogenetics*