BACKGROUND: Recently, epidural anesthesia for elective and emergency cesarean section is increasing in popularity and graudally replacing general anesthesia. However, the complications from the epidural anesthesia such as hypotension, dyspnea, nausea and vomiting have often been reported. This study was designed to estimate the efficacy of crystalloid administration on blood pressure and heart rate change during epidural anesthesia in cesarean section. METHODS: Forty ASAI and II patients scheduled for cesarean section under epidural anesthesia were randomly allocated to receive either only maintained fluid administration(group I) or 15 ml/kg crystalloid solution over 15 minutes(group II). Epidural anesthesia was performed in a lateral decubitus position. According to the patient's height, 20~23 ml of 2% lidocaine was injected through epidural catheter at the L3~4 interspace. RESULTS: Cardiovascular responses and complications after induction of epidural anesthesia were compared and results were as follows. The incidence of hypotension was 14/20 (70%) in the groupI and 4/20(25%) in the group II(p<0.05). Systolic blood pressure after induction of epidural anesthesia in the group I significantly decreased from 6 min to 12 min as compared to the group II. The mean heart rate after induction of epidural anesthesia in the both group was no significant difference to baseline heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: Considering above results, we conclude that a prophylactic crystalloid solution infusion is effective for minimizing and managing hypotension associated with epidural anesthesia in cesarean section.
Anesthesia, Epidural* ; Anesthesia, General ; Blood Pressure* ; Catheters ; Cesarean Section* ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Lidocaine ; Nausea ; Pregnancy ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: Indications and applications of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty(PTCA) has been broaden in reccent years. However,we considered many aspects in performing angioplasty in patient with multivessel disease. There were procedural success rate, complication, risk, restenosis and long-term effect. So we evaluated the initial success rate, safety and follow-up results. METHODS: To assess the likelihood of initial success in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, single or multiple site angioplasy were performed at 449 lesions from 273 patients(Male 202,Female 71, Mean age 60.0+/-9.4 years). To evaluate the restenosis rate of angioplasty in multivessel disease, follow-up coronary angiogram were performed at 164 lesions from 95 patients at average 6months after angioplasty. RESULTS: The extent of coronary artery disease revealed that two vessel disease were 200(73.3%) and triple vessel disease were 73(26.7%). Single vessel angioplasty(SVA) was performed in 180(40.1%) lesions and multivessel angioplasty(MVA) was performed in 269(59.9%) lesions. Procedural success was achieved 377(84.0%) out of total 449 lesions. The proccdural success rate was 81.1% in SVA and 85.9% in MVA. According to major epicardial coronary artery, procedural success rate of left anterior descending artery was 82.0%, left circumflex artery 92.4% and right coronary artery 79.4%. According to angiographic morphology of lesions, procedural success rate of type A was 95.7%, type B 88.9% and type C 56.4%. Complete revascularization was done in 87 patients(31.9%) out of 273 patients. Major cause of failure of angioplasty in multivessel disease was inability to pass the guide wire cross the lesion due to total occlusion. Complications included dissection in 101, acute closure in 7(9.7%), coronary artery perforation in 2, cardiogenic shock in 1 and ventricular fibrillation in 1. Follow-up coronary angiography revealed the restenosis rate was 42.2%. CONCLUSION: Coronary angioplasty in selected patients with multivessel coronary artery disease might be useful and have relatively good immediate and long-term results.
Angioplasty* ; Arteries ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Ventricular Fibrillation

Aortic intramural hematoma(AIH) is known as a variant of acute dissection due to rupture of the vasa vasorum without a intimal tear. In elderly hypertension patients patients with aortic dissection but without the characteristic echocardiographic findings of a double-channel aorta, this disease entity should be suspected and attention should be given to find segmental wall thickening of the aorta >0.7cm. AIH may progress to typical dissection or to rupture in considerable number of the patients, so careful follow-up is necessary and the same management principles for the patients with dissection can be applied in this variant. We report two cases of AIH showing typical eccentric mural thickening without dissection membrane with transesophageal echocardiographic follow-up.
Aged ; Aorta ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Membranes ; Rupture ; Vasa Vasorum

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is closely related with a high death rate, rhythmia, ischemic heart disease, stroke and sudden death. It is known that the prognosis becomes better as LVH regresses. Therefore, it is important to diagnose it correctly with ease in primary care. The authors evaluated the most standard cardio-thoracic ratio (CTR) with respect to LVH oriented towards elderly people whose body habitus changed over time as they had become older, and evaluated the factors which affect the rate of diagnosis including sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: A total of 231 subjects over 60 years of age who visited a general hospital health promotion center from March 1997 to August 2003, underwent echocardiography and identified not to have heart disease were selected. LV (left vetricular) mass was measured through echocardiography. LV mass was divided by 2.7 times of height (m) by Deveruex's method, and 49.1 g/m2.7 for men and 46.7 g/m2.7 for women were set to be standards of LVH. CTR was obtained by dividing the maximum transverse diameter of the heart by maximum transverse diameter of thorax on chest PA. RESULTS: CTR was observed on the basis of 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, and the agreement was highest of 0.5 for men and 0.45 for women. However, considering the sensitivity, the specificity, and the positive predictive value, it was thought to be most proper to be set at 0.5 was be standard for both men and women. When diagnosing LVH through chest PA, if 0.5 was set to be standard, false positive become high in women, false negative became high as height increased, and false negative became high as body mass index (BMI) increased. The smoking group showed higher false negative compared to the non- smoking group, and the false negative was higher as the level of hemoglobin increased. CONCLUSION: When diagnosing LVH through CTR in elderly people, it was appropriate to set 0.5 as a standard, but it is necessary to consider sex, body habitus, BMI, smoking and the level of hemoglobin.
Aged* ; Body Mass Index ; Death, Sudden ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Male ; Mortality ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Primary Health Care ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate diagnosis is essential for successful management of acute aortic dissection. As transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) provides excellent imaging of thoracic aorta conveniently, TEE is widely indicated as a effective diagnostic method of aortic disease. To evaluate clinical usefulness of TEE in patients with suspected aortic dissection, we assessed diagnostic accuracy and feasibility of TEE. METHODS: Ninety-one consecutive patients with clinically suspected aortic dissection were examined by TEE, computerized tomography(CT), magnetic resonance imagion(MRI) and aortic angiography between August 1991 and September 1994. The diagnosis was confirmend by these techniques and surgery. RESULTS: 1) We diagnosed 27 proximal aortic dissection, 22 distal aortic dissection, 8 aortic intramural hematioma, 12 thoracic aortic aneurysm, 2 penetration ulcer, 1 necrotizing aortitis, 1 traumatioc aortic rupture and 18 normal findings in 91 study patients. 2) The sensitivity and specificity of TEE for aortic dissection were 98% and 97%, respecitively. The sensitivity and specificity of TEE to detect ascending aorta involvement were 94% and 100%. 3) CT was chosen in 62 cases as primary diagnostic method of aortic dissection, whereas TEE was performed in 21 cases. TEE was chosen as confirmative diagnostic method following CT in 45 cases, in one-third of whom TEE played a great role in diagnosis or decision of treatment modality. CONCLUSION: As TEE is and accurate and practical method in diagnosis of aortic dissection, TEE may be suggested as primary diagnostic method in suspected aortic dissection. TEE was also useful as confirmative diagnostic method complemention CT.
Angiography ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; Aortic Diseases ; Aortic Rupture ; Aortitis ; Complement System Proteins ; Diagnosis* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: We addressed the problem of the circadian changes in neural control of the circulation in ambulant hypertensive subjects. With spectral analysis of heart rate variability the tonic sympathetic and vagal activities and their changes are respectively assessed by the power of 0.050 - 0.015Hz(low frequency, LF) and 0.150 - 0.350Hz(respiratory linked, high frequency, HF) components of the spectrum of the beat by beat variability of RR interval. METHODS: Heart rate variability(HRV) and its circadian rhythm were evaluated in 15 patients with hypertension. By using 24-h Holter monitoring, HRV and its spectral components were measured. Finding were compared with 15 age-matched normal controls. RESULTS: The 24-hour plot of the SDs revealed that heart rate variability was significantly lower in the hypertensive patients, and the differences reached statistical significance during hours 2, 3, 9, 13, 16, 18, 19, and 23(p<0.05). Spectral analysis showed that power in the high-frequency range(0.150 to 0.350Hz) was lower among the hypertensive patients than among the normal controls during 22 of 24 hours but that the difference was statistically significant only during 2 hours(p<0.05). Power in the low frequency range(0.050 to 0.150Hz) was low at night, increased in the morning, and high during the day among controls ; this circadian rhythm was absent among hypertensive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Among hypertensive patients, HRV is decreased with a partial withdrawal of parasympathetic tone, and the circadian rhythm of sympathetic/parasympathetic tone is altered.
Circadian Rhythm ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension

Following are brief statements about the delayed encephalopathy of a patient who recovered without disturbance of consciousness after acute carbon monoxide poisoning. A 72-year-old male was found without consciousness at home and then visited the ER center. Later we learned that the patient was using briquettes as a household heating source. Blood carbon monoxide hemoglobin level was 17.5%. As carbon monoxide poisoning was uncertain after the first interview with the patient, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was not administered at the early stage. After supplying 100% oxygen, the patient recovered consciousness, however, the strength of the lower limb muscle had decreased to class II. The patient showed continued weakening of the lower limb muscle and an increase of CPK; therefore, he was diagnosed as carbon monoxide intoxication and rhabdomyolysis and then admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for conservative treatment. During the hospitalization period, continued weakening of the lower limb muscle was observed and he was diagnosed as myopathy after EMG/MCV. However, he suddenly showed altered mentality on the 20th day of hospitalization, and underwent brain MRI. T2 weighted MRI showed typically high signal intensity of both globus pallidus and periventricular white matter; therefore, he was diagnosed as delayed carbon monoxide encephalopathy. This case showed delayed encephalopathy accompanied by rhabdomyolysis and myopathy of a patient who recovered without disturbance of consciousness.
Aged ; Brain ; Carbon ; Carbon Monoxide ; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ; Consciousness ; European Continental Ancestry Group ; Family Characteristics ; Globus Pallidus ; Heating ; Hemoglobins ; Hospitalization ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation ; Intensive Care Units ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Muscles ; Muscular Diseases ; Oxygen ; Rhabdomyolysis

PURPOSE: Field triage, medical care, and transportation are important and life-saving medical tasks performed at the site of a mass-casualty incident (MCI). We experienced a mass-casualty incident when an express bus fell off the Incheon bridge and conducted an evaluation of problems. We are willing to provide information for equipping an local disaster planning. METHODS: We surveyed the local emergency medical system response time, transportation time, and patients' clinical data using paramedics' records and medical records. We evaluated the adequacy of the order of priority of transportation by field triage used using the simple triage and rapid treatment (START) method. We evaluated field medical care, as well preponderance of transportation. RESULTS: Twenty four people who were on the bus were evacuated, and 2 persons were dead on the scene. Two persons died within one week. There was a transport delay for patients who would benefit significantly from medical intervention because dead persons were transported early. Neither advanced airway nor fluid resuscitation was provided. Sixteen patients (66.7%) were transported to one hospital. CONCLUSION: When we reviewed this mass-casualty incident, there was no appropriate medical control, such as triage, field medical care, and transportation. In construction of the emergency medical service system for preparation for MCI or disasters, we suggest integration and unification of 119 rescue services and emergency medical information centers for effective medical control. Disaster drills should be performed according to guidelines for local emergency medical services.
Disasters ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Information Centers ; Mandrillus ; Medical Records ; Reaction Time ; Resuscitation ; Transportation ; Triage

PURPOSE: We examined the effect of lowering prostate-specific antigen (PSA) threshold on the number of Korean men requiring a prostate biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated men who had serum PSA levels tested at routine physical check-ups between 1999 and 2005 at 11 domestic hospitals. Men with PSA> or =10ng/ml or patients with prostate cancer were excluded. A total of 45,074 men(aged 50 to 79 years) were enrolled and split into three age groups: 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and 70-79 years. For each age group, we calculated the number and proportion of men whose PSA level exceeded potential biopsy thresholds: 2.5ng/ml, 3.0ng/ml, and 4.0ng/ml. Results were extrapolated to the 4.992 million men older than 50 years old, or 21.3% of the Korean male population in 2005. RESULTS: The number of biopsy candidates at the threshold of 4.0ng/ml, 3.0ng/ml, and 2.5ng/ml were 1,321(2.9%), 2,248(5.4%), and 3,577(7.9%), respectively. Extrapolating to the male population in Korea, lowering the PSA threshold from 4.0ng/ml to 3.0 or 2.5ng/ml would increase the number of men needing biopsy by 1.75 and 2.49 times, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Lowering the PSA threshold would increase the number of men receiving prostate biopsy despite the low reference age for PSA in Korea. Considering the low incidence of prostate cancer, physicians should be careful in altering the PSA threshold.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: The early coronary reperfusion with tissue type plasminogen activator(t-PA) influenced on the short term mortality and long term mobidity in acute myocardial infarction. The attention for thrombolysis with t-PA has been focused in identifying the optimal t-PA regimen and on the possibility of achieving effective and safe thrombolysis with a bolus of t-PA. Experimental data demonstrates that rapid t-PA infusion resulted in improved thrombolysis with minimal fibrinogenolysis and without excessive bleeding than prolonged infusion. METHODS: Consecutive patients presenting up to 6 hour from the onset of symptoms were recruited for the study. Aspirin(200mg daily) should be given immediately, 100mg t-PA was administered as two intravenous bolus injections of 50mg t-PA each given 30 minute apart, and followed by 5,000 unit heparin IV bolus with continuous infusion for 5 days. Angiography was performed at 60 and 90min after the first bolus and between 12-24 hour after study entry. After 7-10 days of myocardial infacrtion, coronary angiograms were performed in all patients who had been taken ddouble bolus t-PA. RESULTS: At 60min, angiography revealed infarct-related coronary artery patency of TIMI flow grade 3 in 15(88%) of 17 patients. At 90min, infarct-related coronary artery patency of TIMI flow grade 3 was achieved in 16(94%) of 17 patients. Bleeding episodes were mostly minor(6 of 33 patients, 18%), and hemorrhagic stroke was developed in 1 patients(1/33, 3.0%). Three patients(9.0%) died in hospitalization probably due to ventricular rupture. CONCLUSION: The administration of 100mg of double bolus t-PA in acute myocardial infarcion results in remarkably high early TIMI flow grade 3 on infarct-related coronary artery patency rates(88% and 94% at 60 and 90min, respectively). The bolus injection of t-PA may be simple and effective strategy in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. However, large numbers of prospective study would be required.
Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Hemorrhage ; Heparin ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardial Reperfusion ; Plasminogen ; Rupture ; Stroke ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator*