Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of different surveillance intensities on morbidity and mortality in women with breast cancer. Methods: This retrospective study included patients who had undergone breast cancer surgery in the Republic of Korea between 2009 and 2011. The patients were divided into two groups based on the intensity of their postsurgical surveillance: intensive surveillance group (ISG) and less-intensive surveillance group. Surveillance intensity was measured based on the frequency and type of follow-up diagnostic tests conducted, including mammography, ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, bone scans, and positron emission tomography scans. Results: We included 1,356 patients with a median follow-up period of 121.2 months (range, 12.8–168.0 months). The analysis revealed no significant difference in the overall survival (OS) between the two groups within five years of surgery. However, patients with ISG exhibited significantly better breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and distant metastasisfree survival (DMFS) within the same period. Five years after surgery, the differences in survival outcomes between the groups were not statistically significant. Conclusion Intensive surveillance did not demonstrate a significant improvement in OS for patients with breast cancer beyond five years postoperatively. However, within the first five years, intensive surveillance was associated with better BCSS and DMFS. These findings suggest that personalized surveillance strategies may benefit specific patient subsets, particularly in the early years after treatment. Further nationwide randomized studies are warranted to refine surveillance guidelines and optimize outcomes in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common hematologic malignancy worldwide. Although substantial improvement has been achieved by the frontline rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy, up to 40%-50% of patients will eventually have relapsed or refractory disease, whose prognosis is extremely dismal. Materials and Methods: We have carried out two prospective cohort studies that include over 1,500 DLBCL patients treated with rituximab plus CHOP (#NCT01202448 and #NCT02474550). In the current report, we describe the outcomes of refractory DLBCL patients. Patients were defined to have refractory DLBCL if they met one of the followings, not achieving at least partial response after 4 or more cycles of R-CHOP; not achieving at least partial response after 2 or more cycles of salvage therapy; progressive disease within 12 months after autologous stem cell transplantation. Results: Among 1,581 patients, a total of 260 patients met the criteria for the refractory disease after a median time to progression of 9.1 months. The objective response rate of salvage treatment was 26.4%, and the complete response rate was 9.6%. The median overall survival (OS) was 7.5 months (95% confidence interval, 6.4 to 8.6), and the 2-year survival rate was 22.1%±2.8%. The median OS for each refractory category was not significantly different (p=0.529). Conclusion In line with the previous studies, the outcomes of refractory DLBCL patients were extremely poor, which necessitates novel approaches for this population.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is related to high mortality and morbidity. There are no proven therapeutic measures however, to improve the clinical course of ARDS, except using low tidal volume ventilation. Metformin is known to have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that pre-admission metformin might alter the progress of ARDS among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2005, to April 30, 2005 of patients who were admitted to the medical ICU at Seoul National University Hospital because of ARDS, and reviewed ARDS patients with DM. Metformin use was defined as prescribed within 3-month pre-admission. RESULTS: Of 558 patients diagnosed with ARDS, 128 (23.3%) patients had diabetes and 33 patients were treated with metformin monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic medications. Demographic characteristics, cause of ARDS, and comorbid conditions (except chronic kidney disease) were not different between metformin users and nonusers. Several severity indexes of ARDS were similar in both groups. The 30-day mortality was 42.42% in metformin users and 55.32% in metformin nonusers. On multivariable regression analysis, use of metformin was not significantly related to a reduced 30-day mortality (adjusted β-coefficient, −0.19; 95% confidence interval, −1.76 to 1.39; p=0.816). Propensity score-matched analyses showed similar results. CONCLUSION: Pre-admission metformin use was not associated with reduced 30-day mortality among ARDS patients with DM in our medical ICU.
Cohort Studies ; Critical Illness* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Kidney ; Metformin* ; Morinda ; Mortality ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Tidal Volume ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the clinical features, angiographic findings, and outcomes of younger Korean ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry from November 2005 to October 2010. The registered patients were divided into two groups; young age group (<65 years) and old age group (> or =65 years). RESULTS: The young age group included 5281 patients (age, 53+/-7.8 years), and the old age group included 4896 patients (age, 74.3+/-6.5 years). Male gender, smoking, family history, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome were more frequently observed in the young age group than in the old age group (89.5% vs. 59.3%, p<0.001; 77.3% vs. 47.2%, p<0.001; 11% vs. 4.6%, p<0.001; 11.2% vs. 7.7%, p<0.001; 67.6% vs. 62.9%, p<0.001). Most of the young Korean adults with STEMI complained of typical chest pain (89.8%), and they had a shorter symptom-to-door time (12+/-53.2 hours vs. 17.3+/-132 hours, p=0.010). The young age group showed a favorable prognosis, which was represented by the MACE, compared with the old age group at one month (1.8% vs. 2.8%, p=0.028), six months (6.8% vs. 8.2%, p<0.001), and twelve months (10.1% vs. 11.9%, p=0.025). However, there was no significant difference in the adjusted MACE rate at one month {hazard ratio (HR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60-1.51, p=0.828} and twelve months (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.68-1.10, p=0.233). CONCLUSION: Younger Korean adults with STEMI have clinical outcomes similar to old aged patients, and therefore, they should be treated intensively like the elderly patients.
Adult* ; Aged ; Chest Pain ; Dyslipidemias ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was conducted in order to describe how intern physicians in the emergency department (ED) spent their time, and the frequency of tasks performed by them. METHODS: This was an observational, time-motion study for 15 intern physicians in 15 emergency centers. Observers in each hospital shadowed interns for a 60-minute period, two times, both day and night shift. They recorded time spent on various activities, type and number of activities. The proportion of activity that can be replaced by other staff members was calculated. RESULTS: Average number of duty hours of interns was 80.9 hours (63~87.8) per week. A total of 662 activities were observed during 30 hours. Interns' activities were classified as direct patient care 28.2%, personal time 24.2%, documentation 17.0%, procedures 16.7%, communication 8.1%, transportation 2.6%, indirect patient care 2.0%, learning activity 0.8%, and administrative work 0.4%. The proportion of procedural task showed negative correlation with the number of emergency medical technicians (r=-0.710, p=0.003). The proportion of activity that can be replaced by staff members other than doctors was 24.3% (0~47%) of time, except personal or learning activity. CONCLUSION: Results of this study showed that only 24.3% of interns' activity in the emergency department could be replaced by staff members other than doctors. Because the proportion of activities that could be replaced was variable among hospitals, each hospital should perform task analysis of interns' activity in order to forecast alternative manpower.
Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Learning ; Patient Care ; Time and Motion Studies ; Transportation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Prehypertension according to JNC7 is common and is associated with increased vascular mortality. The importance of management in high-normal blood pressure (BP) is underemphasized. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry in normal BP (group I) and high-normal BP (group II) patients. RESULTS: Among 14871 patients, 159 (61+/-12.3 years, 122 males) satisfied the study indication. Six-month and one-year clinical follow-up rate was 88.9% and 85.8%, respectively. Group I had 78 patients (60.9+/-12.4 years). Group II had 81 patients (61.6+/-12.5 years). Demographics of patients were not different between groups. Treatment strategy was not different. Initial Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction flow grade 0 was less frequent in group II (n=32, 47.1%) than in group I (n=16, 21.9%) (p=0.001). Successful intervention rate was not different between group II (93.8%) and group I (97.1%) (p=0.590). Six-month MACE occurred in 3 patients in group I (4.4%) and 10 in group II (15.6%) (p=0.031). Compared with normal BP, the odds ratio for patients with high-normal BP was 1.147 (p=0.045, 95% confidence interval 1.011-1.402) for 6-month MACE. CONCLUSION: Even though high-normal BP patients had a better baseline clinical status, the prognosis was poorer than patients with normal BP. Therapeutic BP target goal for the patients with acute myocardial infarction should be <140/90 mm Hg, which is recommended in JNC7.
Blood Pressure ; Demography ; Emergencies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Odds Ratio ; Prehypertension ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine which drug-eluting stents are more effective in acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: This study included a total of 3,566 acute MI survivors with CKD from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry who were treated with stenting and followed up for 12 months: 1,845 patients who received sirolimus-eluting stents (SES), 1,356 who received paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES), and 365 who received zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES). CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 calculated by the modification of diet in renal disease method. RESULTS: At the 12-month follow-up, patients receiving ZES demonstrated a higher incidence (14.8%) of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) compared to those receiving SES (10.1%) and PES (12%, p = 0.019). The ZES patients also had a higher incidence (3.9%) of target lesion revascularization (TLR) compared to those receiving SES (1.5%) and PES (2.4%, p = 0.011). After adjusting for confounding factors, ZES was associated with a higher incidence of MACE and TLR than SES (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.623; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.442 to 0.879; p = 0.007; adjusted HR, 0.350; 95% CI, 0.165 to 0.743; p = 0.006, respectively), and with a higher rate of TLR than PES (adjusted HR, 0.471; 95% CI, 0.223 to 0.997; p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ZES is less effective than SES and PES in terms of 12-month TLR, and has a higher incidence of MACE due to a higher TLR rate compared with SES, in acute MI patients with CKD.
Aged ; *Drug-Eluting Stents/adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction/*etiology/mortality/*therapy ; Paclitaxel/administration & dosage ; Prospective Studies ; Registries ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/*complications ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Sirolimus/administration & dosage/analogs & derivatives

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The delay between the onset of myocardial infarction symptoms and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an important prognostic factor in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). We reviewed this delay in patients with STEMI and analyzed clinical outcomes. METHODS: The study enrolled 3,399 patients (age, 61.4 +/- 12.8 years; 25.6% women) with STEMI who underwent primary PCI within 12 hours of symptom onset between October 2005 and February 2008 from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry. The patients were divided into two groups according to the symptom-to-balloon time: group I (< or = 3 hours, n = 955) and group II (> 3 hours, n = 2444). The in-hospital mortality rates and 1-year mortality and major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rates were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean time interval from the onset of symptoms to arrival at the emergency room (ER) was 188.0 +/- 133.6 minutes (median, 152 minutes). The mean time interval from the ER to reperfusion (door-to-balloon time) was 97.8 +/- 67.9 minutes (median, 80 minutes). The mean time interval from the onset of symptoms to reperfusion (symptom-to-balloon time) was 285.8 +/- 146.2 minutes (median 250 minutes). The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly lower in group I as compared with group II (3.6% versus 5.2%, p = 0.044). The 1-year mortality rate was also significantly lower in group I (4.7% versus 7.2%, p = 0.012), while the 1-year MACE rate was not significantly different between groups (17.9% versus 20.4%, p = 0.179). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that there is a significant pre-hospital time delay in patients with STEMI in Korea and this time delay is associated with increased 1-year mortality.
Angioplasty ; Emergencies ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Reperfusion ; Time Factors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease, complete revascularization (CR) for non-culprit lesions is not routinely recommended. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of multivessel compared with infarct-related artery (IRA)-only revascularization in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for STEMI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From the Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR) database, 1,094 STEMI patients with multivessel disease who underwent primary PCI with drug-eluting stents were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: culprit-vessel-only revascularization (COR, n=827) group; multivessel revascularization, including non-IRA (MVR, n=267) group. The primary endpoint of this study included major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), such as death, myocardial infarction, or target or nontarget lesion revascularization at one year. RESULTS: There was no difference in clinical characteristics between the two groups. During the one-year follow-up, 102 (15.2%) patients in the COR group and 32 (14.2%) in the MVR group experienced at least one MACE (p=0.330). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of rates of death, myocardial infarction, or revascularization (2.1% vs. 2.0%, 0.7% vs. 0.8%, and 11.7% vs. 10.1%, respectively; p=0.822, 0.910, and 0.301, respectively). The MACE rate was higher in the incompletely revascularized patients than in the completely revascularized patients (15% vs. 9.5%, p=0.039), and the difference was attributable to a higher rate of nontarget vessel revascularization (8.6% vs. 1.8%, p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Although multivessel angioplasty during primary PCI for STEMI did not reduce the MACE rate compared with culprit-vessel-only PCI, CR was associated with a lower rate of repeat revascularization after multivessel PCI.
Angioplasty ; Arteries ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score (TRS) has proven value in predicting prognosis in unstable angina/non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) as well as in ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The TRS system has little implication, however, in the extent of myocardial damage in high-risk patients with NSTEMI. A total of 1621 patients (63.6+/-12.2 years; 1043 males) with NSTEMI were enrolled in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR). We analyzed the risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during a 6-month follow-up period. The TRS system showed good correlation with MACE for patients in the low and intermediate groups but had poor correlation when the high-risk group was included (p=0.128). The MACE rate was 3.8% for TRS 1, 9.4% for TRS 2, 10.7% for TRS 3, and 12.3% for TRS 4 (HR=1.29, p=0.026). Among the biomarkers and clinical risk factors, elevated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (HR=2.61, p=0.001) and Killip class above III showed good correlation with MACE (HR=0.302, p<0.001). Therefore, we revised an alternative clinical scoring system by including these two variables that reflect left ventricular dysfunction: age > 65 years, history of ischemic heart disease, Killip class above III, and elevated pro-BNP levels above the 75th percentile. This modified scoring system, when tested for validity, showed good predictive value for MACE (HR=1.64, p<0.001). Compared with the traditional TRS, the novel alternative scoring system based on age, history of ischemic heart disease, Killip class, and NT-proBNP showed a better predictive value for 6-month MACE in high-risk patients with NSTEMI.
Angina, Unstable ; Biomarkers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Peptide Fragments ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors