BACKGROUND: Many physicians hesitate to discuss do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders with patients or family members in critical situations. In the intensive care unit (ICU), delayed DNR decisions could cause unintentional cardiopulmonary resuscitation, patient distress, and substantial cost. We investigated whether the timing of DNR designation affects patient outcome in the medical ICU. METHODS: We enrolled retrospective patients with written DNR orders in a medical ICU (13 bed) from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015. The patients were divided into two groups: early DNR patients for whom DNR orders were implemented within 48 h of ICU admission, and late DNR patients for whom DNR orders were implemented more than 48 h after ICU admission. RESULTS: Herein, 354 patients were admitted to the medical ICU and among them, 80 (22.6%) patients had requested DNR orders. Of these patients, 37 (46.3%) had designated DNR orders within 48 hours of ICU admission and 43 (53.7%) patients had designated DNR orders more than 48 hours after ICU admission. Compared with early DNR patients, late DNR patients tended to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining management (18.9% vs. 37.2%, p = 0.072). DNR consent forms were signed by family members instead of the patients. Septic shock was the most common cause of medical ICU admission in both the early and late DNR patients (54.1% vs. 37.2%, p = 0.131). There was no difference in in-hospital mortality (83.8% vs. 81.4%, p = 0.779). Late DNR patients had longer ICU stays than early DNR patients (7.4 ± 8.1 vs. 19.7 ± 19.2, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical outcomes are not influenced by the time of DNR designation in the medical ICU. The late DNR group is associated with a longer length of ICU stay and a tendency of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. However, further studies are needed to clarify the guideline for end-of-life care in critically ill patients.
Advance Directives ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Consent Forms ; Critical Illness* ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Resuscitation Orders* ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock, Septic

No abstract available.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Medical Services*

No Abstract Available.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Collagen* ; Humans ; Ligaments*

Ganglion is the most common soft tissue tumor which occurs mainly in hand, but it can also occur in any part of the extremity. It is not always necessary to excise the tumor because it seldom cause symptoms severe enough to take operation. We reviewed the patients with ganglion treated surgically. Exculding the cases which were operated under local anesthesia and Bakers cyst, 42 patients were treated surgically from 1983 to 1992. Females were 33, and males 9. Average age at the time of operation, was 40 years (16 to 67). All the cases were analysed retrospectively in terms of surgical indication, anatomical location, size, duration of symptoms, relationship between recurrence and size, and complication. The average duration of follow-up was 1 year 7 months, ranging from 1 year to 4 years. The causes of operation were, cosmetic problem in 6996 (29 cases); pain in 19% (8 cases); and both comesis and pain in 12% (5 cases). The locations were, wrist in 4696 (19 cases); knee 29% (12 cases); foot 12% (5 cases); hand 7% (3 cases); forearm 2% (1 case); ankle 2% (1 case); and elbow 296 (1 case). The size of mass was less than 2.5 cm in 30 cases (71%), and more than 2.5 cm in 12 (29%). (Total average of size was 2.4 cm)The average duration of symptoms were 28 months (1 month 15 years). The recurrence was found in 7 cases: 3 of them (10%) occurred among 30 cases the diameter of which was less than 2.5 cm, and other four (33%) occurred among 12 cases, larger than 2.5 cm. There were no other complications.
Anesthesia, Local ; Ankle ; Elbow ; Extremities ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Forearm ; Ganglion Cysts ; Hand ; Humans ; Knee ; Male ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Wrist

Background/Aims: Secondary infection with influenza virus occurs in critically ill patients and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality; however, there is limited information about it in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, we investigated the clinical outcomes of and risk factors for secondary infections in patients with severe COVID-19. Methods: This study included patients with severe COVID-19 who were admitted to seven hospitals in South Korea between February 2020 to February 2021. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with the risk of secondary infections. Results: Of the 348 included patients, 104 (29.9%) had at least one infection. There was no statistically significant difference in the 28-day mortality (17.3% vs. 12.3%, p = 0.214), but in-hospital mortality was higher (29.8% vs. 15.2%, p = 0.002) in the infected group than in the non-infected group. The risk factors for secondary infection were a high frailty scale (odds ratio [OR], 1.314; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.123 to 1.538; p = 0.001), steroid use (OR, 3.110; 95% CI, 1.164 to 8.309; p = 0.024), and the application of mechanical ventilation (OR, 4.653; 95% CI, 2.533 to 8.547; p < 0.001). Conclusions In-hospital mortality was more than doubled in patients with severe COVID-19 and secondary infections. A high frailty scale, the use of steroids and application of mechanical ventilation were risk factors for secondary infection.

BACKGROUND: Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder involving the cortical and subcortical areas enabling it to cause abnormalities of both cognition and movement. In some reports, CBD has been known to develop variable degrees of intellectual, memory and language impairment. However, detailed neuropsychological assessments of CBD up to now have been few. We conducted a detailed neuropsychological investigation and FDG-PET to delineate the pattern of neuropsychological dysfunction of CBD and to correlate neuropsychological dysfunction with FDG-PET findings. METHODS: All 6 patients (5; right handedness, 1; left handedness) were diagnosed with CBD using clinical criteria. All the patients underwent detailed neuropsychological and brain FDG-PET tests. RESULTS: Neuropsychological tests showed multiple cognitive dysfunctions with moderate memory impairment. FDG-PET scans showed asymmetric decreased metabolism in bilateral fronoto-temporo-parietal cortical and subcortical areas. The extent of asymmetricity was greater on the subcortical than cortical areas. Unlike previous reports, the medial temporal and fronto-parietal metabolisms were similarly depressed. CONCLUSIONS: All CBD patients displayed prominent deficits on mostly cognitive domains. FDG-PET may explain the relation between cognitive dysfunctions and cortical hypometabolism and help differentiate CBD with other dementing disorders.
Brain ; Cognition ; Functional Laterality ; Humans ; Memory ; Metabolism ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Neuropsychology*

Although uncommon, hemorrhage can be a complication of low grade glioma with an unfavorable prognosis such as transformation to higher grade glioma. To our knowledge, hemorrhagic recurrence of World Health Organization Grade II, diffuse astrocytoma without malignant transformation has not been reported. Thus, we report a case of diffuse astrocytoma with hemorrhagic recurrence without malignant transformation. The patient had undergone craniotomy and tumor removal 7 years previously. Annual follow-up MRIs had shown evidence of slow tumor recurrence. With the sudden onset of seizure, the patient was diagnosed as hemorrhagic recurrence and underwent second tumor removal highly suspecting malignant change into higher grade glioma. Histopathology confirmed diffuse astrocytoma without malignant changes. As the patient's postoperative condition was excellent, we plan to withhold chemotherapy and radiation therapy for use as a later treatment option.
Astrocytoma* ; Craniotomy ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glioma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prognosis ; Recurrence* ; Seizures ; World Health Organization

No abstract available.
Abdominal Wall* ; Herpes Zoster* ; Paralysis*

The double pylorus is a rare condition consisting of a double communication between gastric antrum and duodenal bulb. Some investigators postulate that the doubling of the pyloric channel is a congenital phenornenon, but others believe that it is an acquired lesion. A 72 year-old-man was admitted to this hospital because of epigastric pain for 1 month. Upper G-I series revealed thickened rnucosal folds of pylorus and duodenal bulb and dilated, deformed duodenal bulb filled with barium materials. Endoscopic findings also showed two ovoid large openings of the pyloric channel divided by smooth thickened septum and multiple gastroduodenal ulcers. We thought that this case was an acquired lesion. The relevant literatures on the subject were reviewed.
Barium ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Humans ; Peptic Ulcer ; Pyloric Antrum ; Pylorus* ; Research Personnel ; Stomach Ulcer

Three siblings with congenital dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts (Caroli's disease) are presented. Bile duct pathology was associated with congenital hepatic fibrosis and polycystic renal disease in all three patients. On color Doppler imaging (CD imaingl, multiple small color Doppler signals were observed in or near the vascular radicles within the dilated bile ducts, besides other well-known sonographic findings such as bile duct dilatations, biliary calculi. Dopper frequency spectral analysis confirmed all these color Doppler signals as arterial origin in all patients, showing pulsatile wave pattern. Although portal venous radicles are well known in conventional sonograms or computed tomotraphy(CT), continuous wave patterns were not detected in all patients. In addition to previously reported sonographic findings about Caroli's disease, color Doppler signals showing arterial wave pattern in or around the portal venous radicles within dilated duets are another helpful diagnostic criteria and these findings are easily depicted on routine sonograms with color mapping.
Bile Ducts* ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Bile* ; Caroli Disease* ; Dilatation ; Fibrosis ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Pathology ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases ; Siblings ; Ultrasonography