PURPOSE: We examined the relationship and concordance between end-tidal carbon dioxide (Petco2) and arterial CO2 (Paco2) in acute asthmatic patients presenting to emergency department. METHODS: This was prospective observational cohort study of acutely ill adult asthmatic patients observed March 2005 to February 2006. Data Collected were age, sex, vital sign, treatment, simultaneous Paco2 and Petco2 value and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Concordance between Paco2 and Petco2 was represented by Bland-Altman plot, using pre-specified limits of agreement of +/-6 mmHg difference and described by interclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The study population consisted 51 adult asthma patients admitted during the study period. There was 92 Paco2 and Petco2 pairs. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.773 (p=0.000). The mean GAP (The difference Paco2 and Petco2) is 6.04mmHg. PEFR and GAP were negative correlation (R=-0.370). We obtained a Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve from PEFR and GAP, using a PEFR cutoff value of 30.5%. The interclass correlation coefficient between Paco2 and Petco2 was 0.652 for patients with PEFR above 30.5%, 0.362 for patients with PEFR below 30.5%, and 0.575 for patients with undetectable PEFR. CONCLUSION: Good correlation exists between Paco2 and Petco2, butr concordance is poor (among all patients the interclass correlation coefficient was 0.508). We attribute this to ventilation-perfusion mismatch. We concluded that in severely asthmatic patients with low PEFR or mechanical ventilation, end-tidal carbon dioxide is not concordant with arterial carbon dioxide.
Adult ; Asthma* ; Capnography ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Cohort Studies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Prospective Studies ; Respiration, Artificial ; ROC Curve ; Vital Signs

It is difficult to distinguish a lung cancer from a pulmonary tuberculoma or other benign nodule. It is even more difficult to identify the type of lesion if the mass shows no change in size or demonstrates slow growth. Only a pathological confirmation can possibly reveal the nature of the lesion. A 61-year-old-woman was referred for a solitary pulmonary nodule. The nodule showed no change in size for the first two years and continued to grow slowly. Pathological and immunological analyses were conducted for confirmation of the nodule. The nodule was identified as a well-differentiated primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma. An LULobectomy was performed, and the post surgical stage of the nodule was IIIA (T2N2M0). Even though there are few risk factors, there is still the possibility of a malignancy in cases of non-growing or slow growing solitary pulmonary nodules. Therefore, pathological confirmation is encouraged to obtain a firm diagnosis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Lung Neoplasms ; Risk Factors ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; Tuberculoma

OBJECTIVES: The in-training examination (Performance Examination, PE) for psychiatric residents in Korea was launched 5 years ago by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA). This article analyzes 5-year accumulated data on the PE, and tries to make some suggestions for further development of the PE. METHODS: The 5-year data, previously utilized for the generation of formal annual reports were reanalyzed, with an emphasis on longitudinal trends. RESULTS: The analyses indicated the following; 1) Higher-year residents earned definitely higher scores than their lower-year colleagues on the PE. This trend was especially prominent in the area of psychopharmacology-biological psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and the emergency-organic psychiatry. There was no year-related performance difference in the area of psychoses. 2) In the area of anxiety-somatization disorder, psychophysiological disorder, and geriatric psychiatry, the residents in the university-affiliated hospitals outperformed those in the specialized psychiatric hospitals. 3) Through analyzing multiple-times examinees, it was found that their first-and second-time performances were moderately correlated, and that their ranks tended to improve, demonstrating a continuously improving performance according to the training year. CONCLUSION: These result suggested that the KNPA PE is a feasible measure for the estimation of an individual resident's performance as well as the adequacy of the environment provided by the training institutes.
Academies and Institutes ; Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry ; Child ; Child Psychiatry ; Geriatric Psychiatry ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychophysiologic Disorders ; Psychotic Disorders