Objective: Peripheral vertigo is one of the most common causes of the emergency department (ED) visits. It can impair balance and might predispose patients to injuries after discharge. The purpose of this study was to determine whether peripheral vertigo is associated with an increased risk of trauma. Methods: This matched-cohort study used the nationally representative dataset of de-identified claim information of 1 million randomly sampled individuals from a real Korean population, from 2002 to 2013. The exposure cohort included patients who visited EDs for new-onset peripheral vertigo without prior or concurrent injury. Each patient was randomly matched to five unexposed individuals (also without previous injury) by incidence density sampling. The primary outcome was a new injury within 1 year. The secondary outcomes were various injury subtypes. The time-dependent effect of the exposure was modeled using the extended Cox model. Age, sex, comorbidities, and household income level were included as covariates. Results: A total of 776 and 3,880 individuals were included as the exposure and comparison cohorts, respectively. The risks of trunk injury and upper extremity injury were significantly higher in the exposure cohort. Extended Cox models with multivariable adjustment showed significantly increased risk for up to 1 year, with the first 1-month; 1 month to 3 months; and 3 months to 1 year hazard ratios of 5.23 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.83–9.64); 1.50 (95% CI, 1.02–2.20); and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.11–1.68), respectively. Conclusion Patients visiting EDs for acute peripheral vertigo are at a higher risk of a new injury for up to a year.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiology of sepsis in Korea and identify risk factors for death in sepsis.METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal, population-based epidemiological study of sepsis in Korea from 2005 to 2012 using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, a population-based cohort representing 2.2% of the Korean population. The primary objective was to assess the incidence, mortality and cost of sepsis. The secondary objective was to identify the risk factors for death in sepsis. Claim records of admitted adult patients (aged ≥15 years) were analyzed. Sepsis was defined as 1) bacterial or fungal infection or the conditions they often complicate, 2) prescription of intravenous antibiotics, and 3) presence of any organ dysfunction. Comorbidities were defined using the Charlson/Deyo method. Risk factors for 6-month mortality were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.RESULTS: A total of 22,882 cases were identified. Both incidence and 6-month mortality increased from 265.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 254.7 to 277.1) to 453.1 (95% CI, 439.0 to 467.5) per 100,000 person-years (P-trend <0.001) and from 26.5% (95% CI, 24.4% to 28.8%) to 30.1% (95% CI, 28.4% to 31.9%), respectively. After standardization, the increasing trend of incidence was slower but still significant (P-trend <0.001), while that for mortality was not (P-trend 0.883). The average cost increased by 75.5% (P-trend <0.001). Multivariable logistic regression identified various risk factors for mortality.CONCLUSION: The burden of sepsis in Korea was high and is expected to increase considering the aging population. Proactive measures to curtail this increase should be sought and implemented.
Adult ; Aging ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Methods ; Mortality ; National Health Programs ; Prescriptions ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis

Objective: A low albumin concentration is known to be associated with poor prognosis in patients with sepsis, but the benefits of albumin administration in these patients are unclear. This study was performed to investigate the effect of albumin administration on the outcomes of patients suffering from sepsis or septic shock. Methods: This was a retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study of septic patients with an initial serum albumin level < 3.0 g/dL admitted to the emergency department (ED) of an urban tertiary university hospital. Patients who received 20% albumin within 24 hours of admission to the ED were compared with those who did not. We performed a 1:1 propensity score-matched analysis. The primary outcome was the 28-day mortality rate and the secondary outcomes were the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score at 24, 48, and 72 hours, the need for mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy (RRT), and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Results: A total of 1,284 patients were included in the study, and the overall mortality rate was 29.4%. After propensity score matching, 192 patients in the albumin group and 192 in the control group were included in the final analysis. There was no significant difference in the 28-day mortality rates. The SOFA scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours were higher in the albumin group than in the control group. The rates of RRT and admission to the ICU were also higher in the albumin group. Conclusion In patients with sepsis and hypoalbuminemia, albumin replacement was not associated with higher 28-day mortality, but was associated with the higher SOFA scores, higher rates of RRT application and admission to the ICU.

Background: Rapid electrocardiography diagnosis within 10 minutes of presentation is critical for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients in the emergency department (ED).However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted the emergency care system. Screening for COVID-19 symptoms and implementing isolation policies in EDs may delay the door-to-electrocardiography (DTE) time. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,458 AMI patients who presented to a single ED in South Korea from January 2019 to December 2021. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and ED isolation policies on DTE time and clinical outcomes. Results: We found that the mean DTE time increased significantly from 5.5 to 11.9 minutes (P < 0.01) in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and 22.3 to 26.7 minutes (P < 0.01) in non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients.Isolated patients had a longer mean DTE time compared to non-isolated patients in both STEMI (9.2 vs. 24.4 minutes) and NSTEMI (22.4 vs. 61.7 minutes) groups (P < 0.01). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for the effect of COVID-19 duration on DTE ≥ 10 minutes was 1.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51–2.47), and the aOR for isolation status was 5.62 (95% CI, 3.54–8.93) in all patients. We did not find a significant association between in-hospital mortality and the duration of COVID-19 (aOR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.52–1.56) or isolation status (aOR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.71–3.68). Conclusion Our study showed that ED screening or isolation policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to delays in DTE time. Timely evaluation and treatment of emergency patients during pandemics are essential to prevent potential delays that may impact their clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The time to positivity (TTP) of blood culture reflects bacterial load and has been reported to be associated with outcome in bloodstream infections. This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between the TTP of blood culture and the mortality rates associated with sepsis and septic shock according to the site of infection. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study on patients with sepsis and septic shock. The rates of blood culture positivity and mortality as well as the relationship between the TTP and 28-day mortality rate were compared among patients with different sites of infection, such as the lungs, abdomen, urogenital tract, and other sites. RESULTS: A total of 2,668 patients were included, and the overall mortality rate was 21.6%. The rates of blood culture positivity and mortality were different among the different infection sites. There was no relationship between the TTP and mortality rates of total, lung, and urogenital infections. Patients with abdominal infections showed a negative correlation between the TTP and 28-day mortality rate. In patients with abdominal infections, a TTP < 20 hours was independently associated with 28-day mortality compared with patients with negative blood culture (hazard ratio, 1.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–2.58). However, there was no difference in mortality rates of patients with a TTP≥20 hours and a negative blood culture. CONCLUSION: The shorter TTP in patients with abdominal infections in sepsis and septic shock was associated with a higher 28-day mortality rate.
Abdomen ; Bacterial Load ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Mortality* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis* ; Shock, Septic

Objective: This study sought to investigate the association between plasma cell-free hemoglobin (pHb) and mortality in sepsis or septic shock. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the prospective collected data of patients with sepsis or septic shock. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to their pHb concentrations using a restricted cubic spline: group I (pHb ≤20 mg/dL), group II (20 < pHb ≤40 mg/dL), group III (40 < pHb ≤60 mg/dL), and group IV (pHb >60 mg/dL). The primary outcome was the 28-day mortality, and a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression method was used for analysis. Results: A total of 372 patients were included in the analysis and the overall 28-day mortality rate was 16.7%. The median pHb concentration of the patients was 24.8 mg/dL (reference range, 0-5). The mortality rate did not increase in proportion to the pHb concentrations and was the lowest in group II (20.3%, 11.0%, 16.3%, and 26.7% in groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively). In the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, group I was independently associated with 28-day mortality compared with group II (hazard ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-4.07). Group IV had a higher mortality rate compared to group II, but it was not statistically significant (hazard ratio, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-5.56). Conclusion A low concentration of pHb (pHb ≤20 mg/dL) was associated with 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis or septic shock.

PURPOSE: Epinephrine is a key drug for treating anaphylaxis; however, its underuse is still a significant issue worldwide. The objective of this study was to compare epinephrine use between pediatric and adult patients who were treated with anaphylaxis in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: The data were retrieved from the National Sample Cohort of South Korea, which contains claim data from the National Health Insurance Service. We included patients who visited the ED with a discharge code of anaphylaxis between 2004 and 2013. We assessed prescription information of epinephrine, antihistamine and systemic steroid, previous medical history and discharge disposition from the ED. The study population was categorized based on age at the visit. RESULTS: A total of 175 pediatric and 1,605 adult patients with anaphylaxis were identified. Only 42 (24%) of the pediatric patients were treated with epinephrine, while 592 (36.9%) of the adult patients were treated with epinephrine (P = 0.001). Furthermore, the pediatric patients were less likely to be treated with systemic steroid than the adult patients (6.9% vs. 12.3%, P = 0.047). The odds ratios for the administration of epinephrine relative to the baseline in the 19-65 age group were 0.34 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15–0.67), 0.56 (95% CI, 0.28–1.03) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.45–1.33) in the < 7, 7–12 and 13–18 age groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric patients with anaphylaxis experienced a lower rate of epinephrine injection use than the adult patients and the injection use decreased as age decreased.
Adult ; Anaphylaxis ; Cohort Studies ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epinephrine ; Humans ; Korea ; National Health Programs ; Odds Ratio ; Prescriptions

PURPOSE: Electrical shock is not always followed by a perfusing rhythm, and multiple shock failure (MSF) is common during CPR. We sought to investigate its risk factors and prognostic implications. METHODS: Adult OHCA patients with emergency department (ED) ACLS attempts were identified from a tertiary hospital OHCA registry extending from 2008 to 2012. Shock failure was defined as any electrical shock attempt not followed by a pulse-generating rhythm. Patients were assigned to one of three groups based on the number of shock failures: 1) MSF: ≥3 electrical shock failures before the first ROSC or CPR termination (if there was no ROSC), 2) early shock success (ESS): pulse-generating rhythm achieved within 3 electrical shock attempts and 3) others: all remaining patients. Baseline characteristics, initial laboratory measurements, and outcomes were compared. RESULTS: A total of 590 patients were included. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the MSF group (n=49) and the early shock success group (n=50) except in its higher proportion of presumed cardiac aetiology. The MSF group showed less severe metabolic acidosis and coagulopathy on ED arrival and better renal function and higher haematocrit and serum albumin levels compared with the ESS group. MSF was associated with less sustained ROSC, but was also associated with more survival discharge and better long-term neurologic outcomes after sustained ROSC. CONCLUSION: MSF may indicate heart-specific problems rather than severe metabolic derangements. Better long-term outcomes can be expected once sustained ROSC is achieved, therefore, this phenomenon warrants more focused research.
Acidosis ; Adult ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Resuscitation* ; Risk Factors* ; Serum Albumin ; Shock* ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Ventricular Fibrillation

PURPOSE: The association of serum albumin concentration on hospital arrival with long-term mortality in survivors from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) was investigated. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients presumed to have cardiac cause of arrest and achieved sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) from prospective OHCA. The individual medical records were reviewed for data, including initial serum albumin. The primary outcome was survival at 6 months and the secondary outcome was Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) at 6 months. Differences in variables between survivors and non-survivors at 6 months after cardiac arrest were analyzed. Albumin was categorized into tertiles of <2.9 g/dL, 2.9 to 3.7 g/dL, and >3.7 g/dL. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox-proportional hazard models in both univariate and multivariate analysis. All prognostic variables with p value<0.1 in univariate analysis were used in multivariate analysis for adjustment. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the discriminative power of albumin. RESULTS: In a total of 547 OHCA patients, 136 patients had a presumed cardiac cause of arrest and sustained ROSC with available initial serum albumin. The survival rate at 6 months was significantly higher in patients in the higher albumin group and neurological outcomes were also more favorable in the higher albumin group (log rank test, p<0.05). In a Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, initial serum lactate and albumin levels were independently associated with 6-month mortality and albumin levels showed moderate discriminative power for 6-month mortality by ROC analysis (AUC=0.738, 95% CI: 0.652-0.825). CONCLUSION: Serum albumin is associated with long-term mortality and neurological outcome in patients with presumed cardiac cause of arrest and sustained ROSC from OHCA.
Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Medical Records ; Mortality* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest* ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Serum Albumin* ; Survival Rate ; Survivors

PURPOSE: The association of serum albumin concentration on hospital arrival with long-term mortality in survivors from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) was investigated. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients presumed to have cardiac cause of arrest and achieved sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) from prospective OHCA. The individual medical records were reviewed for data, including initial serum albumin. The primary outcome was survival at 6 months and the secondary outcome was Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) at 6 months. Differences in variables between survivors and non-survivors at 6 months after cardiac arrest were analyzed. Albumin was categorized into tertiles of <2.9 g/dL, 2.9 to 3.7 g/dL, and >3.7 g/dL. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox-proportional hazard models in both univariate and multivariate analysis. All prognostic variables with p value<0.1 in univariate analysis were used in multivariate analysis for adjustment. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the discriminative power of albumin. RESULTS: In a total of 547 OHCA patients, 136 patients had a presumed cardiac cause of arrest and sustained ROSC with available initial serum albumin. The survival rate at 6 months was significantly higher in patients in the higher albumin group and neurological outcomes were also more favorable in the higher albumin group (log rank test, p<0.05). In a Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, initial serum lactate and albumin levels were independently associated with 6-month mortality and albumin levels showed moderate discriminative power for 6-month mortality by ROC analysis (AUC=0.738, 95% CI: 0.652-0.825). CONCLUSION: Serum albumin is associated with long-term mortality and neurological outcome in patients with presumed cardiac cause of arrest and sustained ROSC from OHCA.
Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Medical Records ; Mortality* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest* ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Serum Albumin* ; Survival Rate ; Survivors