PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of intertrochanteric or subtrochanteric fractures associated with ipsilateral femoral shaft fractures and assess the surgical outcomes of a novel, closed intramedullary nailing surgical approach designed to minimize fixation failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 2013 and April 2017, 31 patients with intertrochanteric or subtrochanteric fractures associated with ipsilateral femoral shaft fractures treated with closed intramedullary nailing or long proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) were enrolled in this study. Preoperative data included age, sex, injury severity score, body mass index, location of shaft fracture, injury mechanism, accompanying traumatic injury, walking ability before injury, and surgical timing. Perioperative outcomes, including follow-up period, types of intramedullary nails, number of blocking screws used, operation time, and blood loss were assessed. Radiologic outcomes, including union rate, time from surgery to union, and femoral shortening, and clinical outcomes, including hip flexion, walking ability, and Harris hip score were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 29 unions (93.5%) were achieved. The time to union was 16.8 months (range, 11–25 months) for hip fractures (15.7 weeks for intertrochanteric fractures and 21.7 weeks for subtrochanteric fractures) and 22.8 months for femoral shaft fractures. There were no significant differences in surgical outcomes between the two groups except for type of intramedullary nail. CONCLUSION: Closed intramedullary nailing in the treatment of intertrochanteric or subtrochanteric fractures associated with ipsilateral femoral shaft fractures may be a good surgical option. However, fixation of femoral shaft fractures might not be sufficient depending on the implant design.
Body Mass Index ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Hip ; Hip Fractures ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Walking

The diffuse form of supravalvar aortic stenosis represents a surgical challenge when the ascending aorta, aortic arch, proximal descending thoracic aorta and arch arteries are involved. It can be treated by a variety of surgical approaches. We report a case of severe diffuse supravalvar aortic stenosis combined with an aortic valve anomaly and occlusion of the right coronary artery ostium in a 14-year-old boy with Williams syndrome. We enlarged the aortic root (Nick's procedure), ascending aorta, aortic arch, proximal descending thoracic aorta, and innominate artery with patches and replaced aortic valve with 19 mm St. Jude valve. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and retrograde cerebral perfusion were used during repair of the arch and arch artery.
Adolescent ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Aortic Stenosis, Supravalvular* ; Aortic Valve* ; Arteries ; Brachiocephalic Trunk ; Circulatory Arrest, Deep Hypothermia Induced ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Male ; Perfusion ; Williams Syndrome

Background: This study aimed to identify key priorities for the development of guidelines for information and communication technology (ICT)-based patient education tailored to the needs of patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) in the Republic of Korea, based on expert consensus. Methods: A two-round modified Delphi study was conducted with 20 rheumatology, patient education, and digital health literacy experts. A total of 35 items covering 7 domains and 18 subdomains were evaluated. Each item was evaluated for its level of importance, and the responses were rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Consensus levels were defined as “high” (interquartile range [IQR] ≤ 1, agreement ≥ 80%, content validity ratio [CVR] ≥ 0.7), "Moderate" (IQR ≥ 1, agreement 50–79%, CVR 0.5–0.7), and "Low" (IQR > 1, agreement < 50%, CVR < 0.5). Results: Strong consensus was reached for key priorities for developing guidelines in areas such as health literacy, digital health literacy, medical terminology, user interface, and user experience design for mobile apps. Chatbot use and video (e.g., YouTube) also achieved high consensus, whereas AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT showed moderate-to-high agreement. Telemedicine was excluded because of insufficient consensus. Conclusion The key priorities identified in this study provide a foundation for the development of ICT-based patient education guidelines for RDs in the Republic of Korea.Future efforts should focus on integrating digital tools into clinical practice to enhance patient engagement and improve clinical outcomes.

Background: This study aimed to identify key priorities for the development of guidelines for information and communication technology (ICT)-based patient education tailored to the needs of patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) in the Republic of Korea, based on expert consensus. Methods: A two-round modified Delphi study was conducted with 20 rheumatology, patient education, and digital health literacy experts. A total of 35 items covering 7 domains and 18 subdomains were evaluated. Each item was evaluated for its level of importance, and the responses were rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Consensus levels were defined as “high” (interquartile range [IQR] ≤ 1, agreement ≥ 80%, content validity ratio [CVR] ≥ 0.7), "Moderate" (IQR ≥ 1, agreement 50–79%, CVR 0.5–0.7), and "Low" (IQR > 1, agreement < 50%, CVR < 0.5). Results: Strong consensus was reached for key priorities for developing guidelines in areas such as health literacy, digital health literacy, medical terminology, user interface, and user experience design for mobile apps. Chatbot use and video (e.g., YouTube) also achieved high consensus, whereas AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT showed moderate-to-high agreement. Telemedicine was excluded because of insufficient consensus. Conclusion The key priorities identified in this study provide a foundation for the development of ICT-based patient education guidelines for RDs in the Republic of Korea.Future efforts should focus on integrating digital tools into clinical practice to enhance patient engagement and improve clinical outcomes.

Background: This study aimed to identify key priorities for the development of guidelines for information and communication technology (ICT)-based patient education tailored to the needs of patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) in the Republic of Korea, based on expert consensus. Methods: A two-round modified Delphi study was conducted with 20 rheumatology, patient education, and digital health literacy experts. A total of 35 items covering 7 domains and 18 subdomains were evaluated. Each item was evaluated for its level of importance, and the responses were rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Consensus levels were defined as “high” (interquartile range [IQR] ≤ 1, agreement ≥ 80%, content validity ratio [CVR] ≥ 0.7), "Moderate" (IQR ≥ 1, agreement 50–79%, CVR 0.5–0.7), and "Low" (IQR > 1, agreement < 50%, CVR < 0.5). Results: Strong consensus was reached for key priorities for developing guidelines in areas such as health literacy, digital health literacy, medical terminology, user interface, and user experience design for mobile apps. Chatbot use and video (e.g., YouTube) also achieved high consensus, whereas AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT showed moderate-to-high agreement. Telemedicine was excluded because of insufficient consensus. Conclusion The key priorities identified in this study provide a foundation for the development of ICT-based patient education guidelines for RDs in the Republic of Korea.Future efforts should focus on integrating digital tools into clinical practice to enhance patient engagement and improve clinical outcomes.

Background: This study aimed to identify key priorities for the development of guidelines for information and communication technology (ICT)-based patient education tailored to the needs of patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) in the Republic of Korea, based on expert consensus. Methods: A two-round modified Delphi study was conducted with 20 rheumatology, patient education, and digital health literacy experts. A total of 35 items covering 7 domains and 18 subdomains were evaluated. Each item was evaluated for its level of importance, and the responses were rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Consensus levels were defined as “high” (interquartile range [IQR] ≤ 1, agreement ≥ 80%, content validity ratio [CVR] ≥ 0.7), "Moderate" (IQR ≥ 1, agreement 50–79%, CVR 0.5–0.7), and "Low" (IQR > 1, agreement < 50%, CVR < 0.5). Results: Strong consensus was reached for key priorities for developing guidelines in areas such as health literacy, digital health literacy, medical terminology, user interface, and user experience design for mobile apps. Chatbot use and video (e.g., YouTube) also achieved high consensus, whereas AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT showed moderate-to-high agreement. Telemedicine was excluded because of insufficient consensus. Conclusion The key priorities identified in this study provide a foundation for the development of ICT-based patient education guidelines for RDs in the Republic of Korea.Future efforts should focus on integrating digital tools into clinical practice to enhance patient engagement and improve clinical outcomes.

We report one case of an 18-day-old female patient, weighing 3.4 kg, with severe cyanosis. The diagnosis was made with only transthoracic echocardiography, which revealed cor triatriatum with an atretic small opening of fibromuscular membrane, obstructive infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage(TAPVD), severely restrictive interatrial communication, and scanty mitral inflow and aortic forward flow. The preoperative decision-making for biventricular repair was not easy due to collapsed left heart system caused by remarkably reduced blood flow. An emergent operation was performed due to severe cyanosis. All left heart structures were somewhat hypoplastic but thought to be adequate for systemic circulation. Biventricular repair was done without specific intraoperative problems. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient has been doing well with no evidence of pulmonary vein stenosis or mitral regurgitation for 4 months after operation.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Cor Triatriatum* ; Cyanosis ; Diagnosis ; Drainage* ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Membranes ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Pulmonary Veins

We report one case of an 18-day-old female patient, weighing 3.4 kg, with severe cyanosis. The diagnosis was made with only transthoracic echocardiography, which revealed cor triatriatum with an atretic small opening of fibromuscular membrane, obstructive infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage(TAPVD), severely restrictive interatrial communication, and scanty mitral inflow and aortic forward flow. The preoperative decision-making for biventricular repair was not easy due to collapsed left heart system caused by remarkably reduced blood flow. An emergent operation was performed due to severe cyanosis. All left heart structures were somewhat hypoplastic but thought to be adequate for systemic circulation. Biventricular repair was done without specific intraoperative problems. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient has been doing well with no evidence of pulmonary vein stenosis or mitral regurgitation for 4 months after operation.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Cor Triatriatum* ; Cyanosis ; Diagnosis ; Drainage* ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Membranes ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Pulmonary Veins

BACKGROUND: Use of the left internal thoracic artery(ITA) to bypass the left anterior descending(LAD) coronary artery has become the standard of care based on its superior graft patency, reduced cardiac events, and enhanced survival. But rarely we encountered with injury to the artery during harvesting which leads to loss of the merits of surgery. We reconstructed inadequate ITAa with other arterial conduits so proximal stump to be a blood source if possible. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 1996 and March 1999, 12 patients received bypass with the reconstructed left internal thoracic artery grafts to left anterior descending artery because of an injury(n=8), short or small(n=4). Right or left ITA was used to LAD as a free graft(n=2). And the other 10 left ITAs were extended with radial artery(n=6), right ITA(n=3), saphenous vein(n=1). Composite "T" graft was made with other arterial conduits in these extended graft(n=5). RESULT: There was only one morbidity of minor would problem, and no mortality. The patency of extended graft to LAD was complete in 5 patients who received angiography during the period of 2wks to 2 years postoperative, but one of side branch of "T" graft occluded. All of these patients were well. CONCLUSION: Reconstructive extension with the use of other arterial conduit for the injured proximal ITA is warranted in any patients with acceptable results.
Angiography ; Arteries* ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Mammary Arteries* ; Mortality ; Standard of Care ; Transplants*

BACKGROUND: There are well-known problems in the management of low weight neonates or infants with congenital heart defects. In the past, because of a perceived high risk of operations using cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) in these patients, there was a tendency for staged palliation without the use of CPB. However, the recent trend has been toward early reparative surgery using CPB, with acceptable mortality and good long-term survival. Therefore we reviewed our results of the operations in infants weighing less than 3kg and considered the technical aspect of conducting the CPB including myocardial protection. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between Jan. 1995 and Jul. 1998, 28 infants weighing less than 3kg underwent open heart surgery for many cardiac anomalies with a mean body weight of 2.7kg(range; 1.9-3.0kg) and a mean age of 41days(range; 4-110days). Preoperative management in the intensive care unit was needed in 20 infants and preoperative ventilator support therapy in 11. Total correction was performed in 23 infants and the palliative procedure in 5. Total circulatory arrest was needed in 11 infants(39%). There were seven hospital deaths(25%) caused by myocardial failure(n=3), surgical failure(n=2), multiorgan failure(n=1), and sudden death(n=1). The median duration of hospital stay and intensive care unit stay were 13days(range; 6-93days) and 6days(range; 2-77days) respectively. The follow-up was achieved in 21 patients and showed three cases of late mortality(15%) and a one-year survival rate of 62%. No neurologic complications such as clinical seizure and intracranial bleeding were noticed immediately after surgery and during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The early and late mortality rate of open heart surgery in our infants weighing less than 3 kg stood relatively high, but the improved outcomes are expected by means of the delicate conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass including myocardial protection as well as the adequate perioperative management. Also, the longer follow-up for the neurologic development and complications are needed in infants undergoing circulatory arrest and continuous low flow CPB.
Body Weight ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Mortality ; Seizures ; Survival Rate ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Ventilators, Mechanical