Common atrium is a rare congenital heart disease characterized by complete absence of the interatrial septum, and is commonly accompanied by malformation of the atrioventricular valve. Most patients with common atrium experience symptoms during childhood. Here, we describe a patient with common atrium who experienced his first obvious symptom at 48 years of age.
Adult ; Heart Atria ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans

Meningeal dissemination (MDS) of glioblastoma is rare, although its incidence might have been underestimated. MDS of glioblastoma has a fatal course. Thus, rapid and precise diagnosis of MDS is important for further palliative treatment. Unfortunately, MDS of glioblastoma could be diagnosed at a delayed time, causing failure to treat patient optimally. Herein, we present a case of a 56-year-old male with MDS of glioblastoma mimicking chronic subdural hemorrhage (CSDH) after head trauma due to slip down. During treatment for CSDH, MDS of glioblastoma was not controlled appropriately. The patient succumbed to MDS of glioblastoma at 9 weeks after the date of diagnosis of CSDH which could be an MDS.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diagnosis ; Glioblastoma ; Gliosarcoma ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Palliative Care

Background: There are several advantages of low flow anesthesia including safety, economics, and eco-friendliness. However, oxygen concentration of fresh gas flow and inspired gas are large different in low flow anesthesia. This is a hurdle to access to low flow anesthesia. In this study, we aimed to investigate the change in inhaled oxygen concentration in low flow anesthesia using oxygen and medical air. Methods: A total of 60 patients scheduled for elective surgery with an American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status I or II were enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups. Group H: Fresh gas flow rate (FGF) 4 L/min (FiO₂ 0.5). Group L: FGF 1 L/min (FiO₂ 0.5). FGF was applied 4 L/min in initial phase (10 min) after intubation. After initial phase FGF was adjusted according to groups. FGF continued at the end of surgery. Oxygen and inhalation anesthetic gas concentration were recorded for 180 min at 15 min interval. Results: The inspired oxygen concentration decreased by 5.5% during the first 15 min in the group L. Inspired oxygen decreased by 1.5% during next 15 min. Inspired oxygen decreased by 1.4% for 30 to 60 min. The inspired oxygen of group L is 35.4 ± 4.0% in 180 min. The group H had little difference in inspired oxygen concentration over time and decreased by 1.8% for 180 min. Conclusions The inspired oxygen concentration is maintained at 30% or more for 180 min in patients under 90 kg. Despite some technical difficulties, low flow anesthesia may be considered.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to investigate the role of the Neurological Assessment of Neuro-Oncology (NANO) scale in predicting the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma, and compare these results to predicted data of the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)/World Health Organization (WHO) performance status. Additionally, we examined other prognostic factors in glioblastoma patients. METHODS: The medical records of 76 patients with a new diagnosis of histologically ascertained glioblastoma in the period from January 2002 to December 2015 at the authors' institution were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical factors, including epidemiologic, radiologic, and therapeutic values were reviewed as well as the performance status assessed by the KPS, ECOG/WHO performance status, and NANO scale. RESULTS: The mean overall survival was 19.8 months (95% confidence interval 15.2–25.4 months). At initial diagnosis, the mean value [±standard deviation (SD)] of KPS score, ECOG/WHO performance status, and NANO scale were 81 (±7.4), 1.3 (±0.6), and 7.3 (±3.8), respectively. Multivariate analysis for predicting survival showed odds ratios of KPS score, ECOG/WHO performance status, and NANO scale were 2.502 (≥80 vs. < 80; p=0.024), 1.691 (0–1 vs. 2–5; p=0.047), and 2.763 (0–7 vs. 8–23; p=0.020), respectively. At the time of progression, the mean value (±SD) of KPS score, ECOG/WHO performance status, and NANO scale were 69 (±8.2), 1.6 (±0.7), and 11.4 (±4.2), respectively; multivariate analysis for predicting survival showed that the odd ratios for KPS score, ECOG/WHO performance status, and NANO scale were 2.007 (≥80 vs. < 80; p=0.035), 1.321 (0–1 vs. 2–5; p=0.143), and 3.182 (0–7 vs. 8–23; p=0.002), respectively. CONCLUSION: The NANO scale provided a more detailed and objective measure of neurologic function than that currently used for predicting the prognosis of glioblastoma patients, especially at the time of progression.
Diagnosis ; Glioblastoma* ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Background: The STOP-BANG questionnaire is a simple screening tool with high sensitivity for the detection of severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Predicting airway obstruction would allow the safe management of sedative patients to prevent intraoperative hypoxia. This study was designed to check the correlation between the STOP-BANG score and oxygen saturation (SpO2) during sedation and confirm the availability of the STOP-BANG questionnaire as a preoperative exam for predicting the incidence of hypoxia in sedative patient management. Methods: This study included 56 patients who received spinal anesthesia. The pre-anesthesia evaluation was conducted using the STOP-Bang questionnaire. The patients were under spinal anesthesia with an average block level of T10. Dexmedetomidine was infused with a loading dose of 1 μg/kg over 10 min and a maintenance dose of 0.5 μg/kg/h until the end of the procedure. The SpO2 of the patients was recorded every 5 min. Results: The STOP-Bang score was negatively correlated with the lowest SpO2 (coefficient = –0.774, 95% confidence interval [CI]: –0.855 to –0.649, standard error [SE] = 0.054, P < 0.001). The item of “observed apnea” was the most correlated one with hypoxic events (odds ratio = 6.00, 95% CI: 1.086 to 33.145). Conclusions The STOP-BANG score was significantly correlated with the lowest SpO2 during spinal anesthesia, which enabled the prediction of meaningful hypoxia before it occurred in the sedated patients.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies about driving and dementia in Korea. The purpose of this study is to investigate the real condition of automobile driving in patients with dementia and the characteristics of those who continue to drive after diagnosis of dementia. METHODS: A total of 4,377 patients including 3,792 with Alzheimer's disease and 585 with vascular dementia were recruited from multiple nationwide hospitals. Clinical evaluations and neuropsychological tests were done in them according to the protocol of the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea study. Caregivers replied which patients drove an automobile, gave up driving, or has never driven. The same evaluations of them were followed after one year. RESULTS: There were 272 (6.2%) drivers, 321 (7.3%) ex-drivers, and 3,784 (86.5%) non-drivers with dementia. Drivers with dementia were younger and had higher Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) (21.5+/-4.3 vs 19.8+/-5.1 vs 17.4+/-5.2, p<0.001) and lower Clinical Dementia Rating scale-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) scores (4.08+/-2.15 vs 5.80+/-3.41 vs 5.83+/-3.39, p<0.001) compared with ex-drivers and non-drivers with dementia. The drivers and ex-drivers with dementia had higher educational level and a higher proportion of male compared with non-drivers with dementia (77.6% vs 80.1% vs 23.3%, p<0.001). About 54.6% of the drivers with dementia continued to drive at one year after diagnosis of dementia. They had higher K-MMSE (23.2+/-3.6 vs 20.8+/-4.5, p=0.003) and lower CDR-SB scores (3.30+/-1.47 vs 4.40+/-1.85, p=0.001) at baseline compared with those who quitted driving after baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Male patients who were relatively young and had high educational level and mild dementia had a tendency to drive an automobile at that time of diagnosis of dementia. About half of them continued to drive after diagnosis of dementia.
Alzheimer Disease ; Automobile Driving ; Automobiles ; Caregivers ; Dementia* ; Dementia, Vascular ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Neuropsychological Tests

Patients with massive pulmonary embolism may present with severe dyspnea at rest, syncope, or cardiac arrest. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to reduce mortality; however, patient-specific factors can influence the hemodynamic effect of pulmonary embolism. Here, we present a case of massive pulmonary embolism masked by a ventricular septal defect in a 73-year-old female.
Aged ; Dyspnea ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart Arrest ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Masks* ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Syncope