For trauma patients with severe shock, massive fluid resuscitation is necessary. However, shock and a large amount of fluid can cause bowel and retroperitoneal edema, which sometimes leads to abdominal compartment syndrome in patients without abdomino-pelvic injury. If other emergent operations except intraabdomen are needed, a distended abdomen is likely to be recognized late, leading to multiple organ dysfunction. Herein, we report two cases of a 23-year-old woman who was in a car accident and a 53-year old man who was pressed on his leg by a pressing machine; severe brain swelling and popliteal vessel injury were diagnosed, respectively. They were both in severe shock and massive fluid resuscitation was required in the emergency department. Distended abdomen was recognized in both the female and male patients immediately after neurosurgical operation and immediately before orthopaedic operation in the operating room, respectively. Decompressive laparotomy revealed massive ascites with retroperitoneal edema.
Abdomen ; Ascites ; Brain Edema ; Edema ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Hypertension* ; Laparotomy ; Leg ; Male ; Operating Rooms* ; Resuscitation ; Shock ; Young Adult

Evidence based practice has become an important aspect in many healthcare provisions to improve patient outcomes. Investigating the gaps between knowing and doing in audiology practice will provide future directions for successful service delivery. The purpose of this study was to explore “know-do” gaps related to professional awareness and attitude in hearing aid fitting management (HAFM) by analyzing data of a questionnaire. It consisted of 22 questions focusing on 11 HAFM components. Each component had two sub-questions involving levels of the importance and practice for HAFM. Respondents answered each question based on subjective judgments for their own hearing aid fitting services with a Visual Analogue Scale. A total of 51 responses from hearing care professionals were collected and the scores for knowing and doing were compared. The results showed overall high scores in doing and knowing responses; however, there were significant “know-do” gaps demonstrating higher knowing scores than doing scores across all HAFM components. The largest “know-do” gaps were observed in three components mostly implemented during follow-up sessions which indicate the need to improve their corresponding services and practical guidelines emphasizing the follow-up services.
Audiology ; Delivery of Health Care ; Evidence-Based Practice ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hearing Aids* ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Judgment ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: A massive blood transfusion (MT) requires significant efforts by the Blood Bank. This study examined blood product use in MT and emergency O Rh Positive red cells (O RBCs) available directly for emergency patients from the Trauma Center in Ajou University Hospital. METHODS: MT was defined as a transfusion of 10 or more RBCs within 24 hours. The extracted data for the total RBCs, fresh frozen plasma (FFP), platelets (PLTs, single donor platelets (SDP) and random platelet concentrates (PC)) issued from Blood Bank between March 2016 and November 2017 from Hospital Information System were reviewed. SDP was considered equivalent to 6 units of PC. RESULTS: A total of 345 MTs, and 6233/53268 (11.7%) RBCs, 4717/19376 (24.3%) FFP, and 4473/94166 (4.8%) PLTs were used in MT (P < 0.001). For the RBC products in MT and non-MT transfusions, 28.0% and 34.1% were group A; 27.1% and 26.0% were group B; 37.3% and 29.7% were group O, and 7.5% and 10.2% were group AB (P < 0.001). The ratios of RBC:FFP:PLT use were 1:0.76:0.72 in MT and 1:0.31:1.91 in non-MT (P < 0.001). A total of 461 O RBCs were used in 36.2% (125/345) of MT cases and the number of O RBCs transfused per patient ranged from 1 to 18. CONCLUSION: RBCs with the O blood group are most used for MT. Ongoing education of clinicians to minimize the overuse of emergency O RBCs in MT is required. A procedure to have thawed plasma readily available in MT appears to be of importance because FFP was used frequently in MT.
Blood Banks ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion ; Education ; Emergencies ; Hospital Information Systems ; Humans ; Plasma ; Tertiary Healthcare* ; Tissue Donors ; Trauma Centers

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the mortality rate in patients with severe trauma and the risk factors for trauma mortality based on 3 years' data in a regional trauma center in Korea. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of severe trauma patients admitted to Ajou University Hospital with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 between January 2010 and December 2012. Pearson chi-square tests and Student t-tests were conducted to examine the differences between the survived and deceased groups. To identify factors associated with mortality after severe trauma, multivariate logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: There were 915 (743 survived and 172 deceased) enrolled patients with overall mortality of 18.8%. Age, blunt trauma, systolic blood pressure (SBP) at admission, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission, head or neck Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score, and ISS were significantly different between the groups. Age by point increase (odds ratio [OR], 1.016; P = 0.001), SBP < or = 90 mmHg (OR, 2.570; P < 0.001), GCS score < or = 8 (OR, 6.229; P < 0.001), head or neck AIS score > or = 4 (OR, 1.912; P = 0.003), and ISS by point increase (OR, 1.042; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: In severe trauma patients, age, initial SBP, GCS score, head or neck AIS score, and ISS were associated with mortality.
Abbreviated Injury Scale ; Blood Pressure ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Head ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Medical Records ; Mortality* ; Neck ; Risk Factors* ; Trauma Centers ; Wounds and Injuries

When treating trauma patients with severe hemorrhage, massive transfusions are often needed. Damage control resuscitation strategies can be used for such patients, but an adequate fresh frozen plasma: packed red blood cell (FFP:PRBC) administration ratio must be established. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 100 trauma patients treated with massive transfusions from March 2010 to October 2012. We divided the patients into 2 groups according to the FFP:PRBC ratio: a high-ratio (> or =0.5) and a low-ratio group (<0.5). The patient demographics, fluid and transfusion quantities, laboratory values, complications, and outcomes were analyzed and compared. There were 68 patients in the high-ratio and 32 in the low-ratio group. There were statistically significant differences between groups in the quantities of FFP, FFP:PRBC, platelets, and crystalloids administered, as well as the initial diastolic blood pressure. Bloodstream infections were noted only in the high-ratio group, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.028). Kaplan-Meier plots revealed that the 24-hr survival rate was significantly higher in the high-ratio group (71.9% vs. 97.1%, P<0.001). In severe hemorrhagic trauma, raising the FFP:PRBC ratio to 0.5 or higher may increase the chances of survival. Efforts to minimize bloodstream infections during the resuscitation must be increased.
Acute Lung Injury/epidemiology/etiology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacterial Infections/epidemiology ; *Blood Transfusion/adverse effects ; *Erythrocyte Transfusion/adverse effects ; Female ; Hemorrhage/etiology/*prevention & control ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patients ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult/epidemiology/etiology ; Resuscitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Wounds and Injuries/complications/mortality/*therapy ; Young Adult

Background: and Purpose To determine the imaging characteristics and cutoff value of18F-florapronol (FC119S) quantitative analysis for detecting β-amyloid positivity and Al- zheimer’s disease (AD), we compared the findings of FC119S and 18F-florbetaben (FBB) positron-emission tomography (PET) in patients with cognitive impairment. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 35 patients with cognitive impairment who underwent FBB-PET, FC119S-PET, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. We measured global and vertex-wise standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) using a surface-based method with the cerebellar gray matter as reference. Optimal global FC119S SUVR cutoffs were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves for β-amyloid positivity based on the global FBB SUVR of 1.478 and presence of AD, respectively. We evaluated the global and vertex-wise SUVR correlations between the two tracers. In addition, we performed correlation analysis for global or vertex-wise SUVR of each tracer with the vertex-wise cortical thicknesses. Results: The optimal global FC119S SUVR cutoff value was 1.385 both for detecting β-amyloid positivity and for detecting AD. Based on the global SUVR cutoff value of each tracer, 32 (91.4%) patients had concordant β-amyloid positivity. The SUVRs of FC119S and FBB had strong global (r=0.72) and vertex-wise (r>0.7) correlations in the overall cortices, except for the parietal and temporal cortices (0.4Conclusions Quantitative FC119S-PET analysis provided reliable information for detecting β-amyloid deposition and the presence of AD.

PURPOSE: The incidence of multiple trauma is increasing nowadays and is the leading cause of death among young adults. Initial treatment is well known to be crucial in multiple trauma victims. However, many indiscriminate transfers occur due to the lack of a well-organized trauma system in Korea. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the current serious state in which major trauma patients are transferred to the Emergency Medical Center of a university hospital from another medical center. METHODS: From November 2009 to October 2010, we performed a retrospective study to analyze the characteristics of patients who visited the Ajou University Medical Center located in Gyeonggi-do. We evaluated the ISS (injury severity score), and a score over 15 point was identified as major trauma. The major trauma patients were separated into two groups according to the visit route, and the characteristics of each group were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 88,862 patients who visited to the Emergency Medical Center, trauma patients accounted for 19,950, and 343 of them were evaluated as major trauma patients. Among the 343 patients, 170 patients had been transferred from other medical centers. The proportion of males to females was 3.3:1, and the mean ISS was 22.7. The leading cause of trauma was motor vehicle accidents. Of the total 170 patients, 77.6% were admitted to the Intensive care unit and 36.3% underwent surgery. The 170 patients that had been transferred to our medical center, 78.8% were transferred from Gyeonggi-do, 15.3% were transferred from other regions, and 5.9% were miscellaneous. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the major trauma victims treat at our medical center had been transferred from other medical centers. Establishing a traumatic system, supported by well-organized trauma centers and emergency medical services, that can reduce inappropriate transfers among medical facilities is essential.
Academic Medical Centers ; Cause of Death ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injury Severity Score ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Male ; Motor Vehicles ; Multiple Trauma ; Retrospective Studies ; Trauma Centers ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: The study examined the correlations among the results of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (QLQ-C30) completed by elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-performance status (PS) evaluated by medical doctors. METHODS: The study sample included 269 persons with cancer aged 55 years or older and their family caregivers recruited from hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The results of the ECOG-PS evaluated by medical doctors were obtained from medical records. Intra-class correlation analysis was used to assess rater reliability between the elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers. Correlations among the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the ECOG-PS were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearmen's correlation. RESULTS: The results showed that four subscales of quality of life (physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and global health status) and three items under symptoms (fatigue, pain, and financial difficulties) in the EORTC QLQ-C30 were highly consistent between patients and their family caregivers. From the EORTC QLQ-C30 results, social functioning, role functioning, health status, fatigue, pain, and appetite loss (patients results) and physical functioning (family caregivers results) were highly consistent with the results of the ECOG-PS by the physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that when the older persons with cancer have difficulty expressing their own thoughts or feelings, the EORTC QLQ-C30 completed by their family caregivers and the results of the ECOG-PS completed by the physicians could be used as substitutes.
Aged ; Appetite ; Caregivers* ; Fatigue ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Medical Staff* ; Quality of Life* ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that spirituality has protective effects on depression. However, there are only few studies on the theoretical mechanism showing how spirituality effects on depression. Thus, to find mediating variables explaining the relationship between the spirituality and depression may help to develop appropriate program for reducing depression in elderly cancer patients. In this study, we examined the effect of optimism and pessimism as their mediating effects on depression. METHODS: This study is to verify the relationships between spirituality and depression along with the mediating effects of optimism and pessimism among 600 South Korean elderly cancer patients who participated in a community-based study about their mental health. RESULTS: Optimism and pessimism are linked with spirituality and depression. Higher spirituality levels were associated with increased optimistic thinking, and then optimistic thinking is associated with low possibility of depression, whereas lower spirituality levels were associated with more pessimistic thinking, and in turn pessimistic thinking is associated with high depression scores. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding optimism and pessimism affecting depression level is critical for developing spirituality-based programs to reduce depression in elderly cancer patients.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Negotiating* ; Optimism* ; Pessimism* ; Spirituality* ; Thinking

BACKGROUND: Injury severity scoring systems that quantify and predict trauma outcomes have not been established in Korea. This study was designed to determine the best system for use in the Korean trauma population. METHODS: We collected and analyzed the data from trauma patients admitted to our institution from January 2010 to December 2014. Injury Severity Score (ISS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), and Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) were calculated based on the data from the enrolled patients. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for the prediction ability of each scoring system was obtained, and a pairwise comparison of ROC curves was performed. Additionally, the cut-off values were estimated to predict mortality, and the corresponding accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were obtained. RESULTS: A total of 7,120 trauma patients (6,668 blunt and 452 penetrating injuries) were enrolled in this study. The AUCs of ISS, RTS, and TRISS were 0.866, 0.894, and 0.942, respectively, and the prediction ability of the TRISS was significantly better than the others (p < 0.001, respectively). The cut-off value of the TRISS was 0.9082, with a sensitivity of 81.9% and specificity of 92.0%; mortality was predicted with an accuracy of 91.2%; its positive predictive value was the highest at 46.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study were based on the data from one institution and suggest that the TRISS is the best prediction model of trauma outcomes in the current Korean population. Further study is needed with more data from multiple centers in Korea.
Area Under Curve ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Korea ; Mortality ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Trauma Centers