This report presents the latest statistics on the stroke population in South Korea, sourced from the Clinical Research Collaborations for Stroke in Korea-National Institute for Health (CRCS-K-NIH), a comprehensive, nationwide, multicenter stroke registry. The Korean cohort, unlike western populations, shows a male-to-female ratio of 1.5, attributed to lower risk factors in Korean women. The average ages for men and women are 67 and 73 years, respectively.Hypertension is the most common risk factor (67%), consistent with global trends, but there is a higher prevalence of diabetes (35%) and smoking (21%). The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (19%) is lower than in western populations, suggesting effective prevention strategies in the general population. A high incidence of large artery atherosclerosis (38%) is observed, likely due to prevalent intracranial arterial disease in East Asians and advanced imaging techniques.There has been a decrease in intravenous thrombolysis rates, from 12% in 2017–2019 to 10% in 2021, with no improvements in door-to-needle and door-to-puncture times, worsened by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. While the use of aspirin plus clopidogrel for noncardioembolic stroke and direct oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation is well-established, the application of direct oral anticoagulants for non-atrial fibrillation cardioembolic strokes in the acute phase requires further research. The incidence of early neurological deterioration (13%) and the cumulative incidence of recurrent stroke at 3 months (3%) align with global figures. Favorable outcomes at 3 months (63%) are comparable internationally, yet the lack of improvement in dependency at 3 months highlights the need for advancements in acute stroke care.

Background: We investigated the association between geographic proximity to hospitals and the administration rate of reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We identified patients with acute ischemic stroke who visited the hospital within 12 hours of symptom onset from a prospective nationwide multicenter stroke registry. Reperfusion therapy was classified as intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), endovascular therapy (EVT), or combined therapy. The association between the proportion of patients who were treated with reperfusion therapy and the ground transport time was evaluated using a spline regression analysis adjusted for patient-level characteristics. We also estimated the proportion of Korean population that lived within each 30-minute incremental service area from 67 stroke centers accredited by the Korean Stroke Society. Results: Of 12,172 patients (mean age, 68 ± 13 years; men, 59.7%) who met the eligibility criteria, 96.5% lived within 90 minutes of ground transport time from the admitting hospital. The proportion of patients treated with IVT decreased significantly when stroke patients lived beyond 90 minutes of the transport time (P = 0.006). The proportion treated with EVT also showed a similar trend with the transport time. Based on the residential area, 98.4% of Korean population was accessible to 67 stroke centers within 90 minutes. Conclusion The use of reperfusion therapy for acute stroke decreased when patients lived beyond 90 minutes of the ground transport time from the hospital. More than 95% of the South Korean population was accessible to 67 stroke centers within 90 minutes of the ground transport time.

Background: We investigated the association between geographic proximity to hospitals and the administration rate of reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We identified patients with acute ischemic stroke who visited the hospital within 12 hours of symptom onset from a prospective nationwide multicenter stroke registry. Reperfusion therapy was classified as intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), endovascular therapy (EVT), or combined therapy. The association between the proportion of patients who were treated with reperfusion therapy and the ground transport time was evaluated using a spline regression analysis adjusted for patient-level characteristics. We also estimated the proportion of Korean population that lived within each 30-minute incremental service area from 67 stroke centers accredited by the Korean Stroke Society. Results: Of 12,172 patients (mean age, 68 ± 13 years; men, 59.7%) who met the eligibility criteria, 96.5% lived within 90 minutes of ground transport time from the admitting hospital. The proportion of patients treated with IVT decreased significantly when stroke patients lived beyond 90 minutes of the transport time (P = 0.006). The proportion treated with EVT also showed a similar trend with the transport time. Based on the residential area, 98.4% of Korean population was accessible to 67 stroke centers within 90 minutes. Conclusion The use of reperfusion therapy for acute stroke decreased when patients lived beyond 90 minutes of the ground transport time from the hospital. More than 95% of the South Korean population was accessible to 67 stroke centers within 90 minutes of the ground transport time.

A 31-year-old man was referred for further management of a urethral stricture. He was a victim of a traffic accident and his urethral injury was associated with a pelvic bone fracture. He had previously undergone a suprapubic cystostomy only owing to his unstable general condition at another hospital. After 3 months of urethral injury, direct urethral anastomosis was attempted, but the surgery failed. An additional 4 failed internal urethrotomies were performed before the patient visited Chungbuk National University Hospital. Preoperative images revealed complete posterior urethral disruption, and the defect length was 4 cm. We performed a buccal mucosa tubal graft without anastomosis of the proximal urethra for a long segment posterior urethral defect. The Foley catheter was removed 3 weeks after the operation and the patient was able to void successfully. After 8 months, he had normal voiding function without urinary incontinence.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adult ; Catheters ; Cystostomy ; Humans ; Mouth Mucosa ; Pelvic Bones ; Transplants ; Urethra ; Urethral Stricture ; Urinary Incontinence

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little evidence is available on the optimal antithrombotic therapy following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the outcomes of antithrombotic treatment strategies in AF patients who underwent PCI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Three hundred sixty-two patients (68.0% men, mean age: 68.3+/-7.8 years) with AF and who had undergone PCI with stent implantation between 2005 and 2007 were enrolled. The clinical, demographic and procedural characteristics were reviewed and the stroke risk factors as well as antithrombotic regimens were analyzed. RESULTS: The accompanying comorbidities were as follows: hypertension (59.4%), diabetes (37.3%) and congestive heart failure (16.6%). The average number of stroke risk factors was 1.6. At the time of discharge after PCI, warfarin was prescribed for 84 patients (23.2%). Cilostazol was used in addition to dual antiplatelet therapy in 35% of the patients who did not receive warfarin. The mean follow-up period was 615+/-385 days. The incidences of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), stroke and major bleeding were 11.3%, 3.6% and 4.1%, respectively. By Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, warfarin treatment was not associated with a lower risk of MACE (p=0.886), but it was associated with an increased risk of major bleeding (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Oral anticoagulation therapy after PCI may increase hemorrhagic events in Korean AF patients.
Angioplasty ; Anticoagulants ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Comorbidity ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Male ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Risk Factors ; Stents ; Stroke ; Tetrazoles ; Warfarin

A 71-year-old woman with minimal change disease visited our clinic complaining of pleuritic chest pain. Cefepime was given under the impression that she had pneumonia. Three days after cefepime administration, she became unconscious. A brain MRI scan was non-revealing and an EEG showed triphasic waves. As there was no evidence of septic, uremic or hepatic encephalopathy, we suspected cefepime-induced neurotoxicity. Cefepime was stopped and she underwent hemodialysis to decrease the blood levels of the drug. Following hemodialysis, she regained consciousness.
Aged ; Brain ; Cephalosporins ; Chest Pain ; Consciousness ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes ; Pneumonia ; Renal Dialysis ; Unconscious (Psychology)

The aim of this study was to represent the trend of early menarche and to assess the association of age at menarche with anthropometric profiles of Korean children and adolescents. A cross sectional survey was conducted with 13,371 girls aged 10 to 18 yr, recruited nationwide from April, 2005 to March, 2006. Height, weight and waist circumference of the subjects were measured; and the subjects self-reported their ages at menarche. We found that the menarcheal girls were taller (P<0.05 for the girls between 10 and 14 yr) and heavier (P<0.05 for the girls between 10 and 18 yr) than non-menarcheal ones. Menarcheal girls also showed higher body mass index (BMI), and greater waist circumference than non-menarcheal ones. Significant differences were represented according to the age at menarche in terms of BMI, waist circumference, % body fat mass, waist hip ratio and neck circumference as well as height and weight (P<0.05). In conclusion, girls who matured early were taller and heavier in early adolescence than those who matured later.
Adolescent ; Body Fat Distribution ; Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; *Body Weights and Measures ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Menarche/*physiology ; Republic of Korea ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: While pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an effective curative procedure for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis is a potential complication which may lead to symptoms that are often unrecognized. The aim of this study was to compare differences between ablation sites in pulmonary venous flow (PVF) measured by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTE) before and after PVI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred five patients (M : F=64 : 41; mean age 56+/-10 years) with paroxysmal AF (n=78) or chronic, persistent AF (n=27) were enrolled. PVI strategies consisted of ostial ablation (n=75; OA group) and antral ablation using an electroanatomic mapping system (n=30; AA group). The ostial diameter was estimated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with PVF > or =110 cm/sec by TTE after PVI. RESULTS: No patient complained of PV stenosis-related symptoms. Changes in mean peak right PV systolic (-6.7+/-28.1 vs. 10.9+/-25.9 cm/sec, p=0.038) and diastolic (-4.1+/-17.0 vs. 9.9+/-25.9 cm/sec, p=0.021) flow velocities were lower in the AA group than in the OA group. Although the change in mean peak systolic flow velocity of the left PV before and after PVI in the AA group was significantly lower than the change in the OA group (-13.4+/-25.1 vs. 9.2+/-22.3 cm/sec, p=0.016), there was no difference in peak diastolic flow velocity. Two patients in the OA group had high PVF velocities (118 cm/sec and 133 cm/sec) on TTE, and their maximum PV stenoses measured by MRI were 62.5% and 50.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: PV stenosis after PVI could be detected by TTE, and PVI by antral ablation using an electroanatomic mapping system might be safer and more useful for the prevention of PV stenosis.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Carbamates ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Organometallic Compounds ; Pulmonary Veins

PURPOSE: The length of stay (LOS) for patients in the emergency department (ED) provides an important measure of both ED overcrowding and patient satisfaction. Specialty consultation is one of the major factors that contributes to longer LOS. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a computer-based emergency auto-consultation system (EACS) in reducing additional LOS caused by specialty consultation. METHODS: The EACS was developed for use in managing specialty consultation in the ED. Each clinical department provides a daily list of 4 residents and 1 specialist as the doctors on duty. The ED doctors then use the EACS to contact the departments required for a specialty consultation: Clicking the department's name on the computer screen activates the short message service (SMS) calling system, which sends a message with the registration numbers and names of the relevant patients every 10 min to the mobile phones of individuals assigned as doctors on duty, in the order listed. The doctors who receive the SMS are asked to arrive at the ED within 10 minutes. If the the firstlisted doctors on duty do not show up in 10 minutes, an SMS is sent to the next group of doctors on duty on the list. In 50 minutes, therefore, 5 groups of doctors on duty will have received the SMS in the order listed. Each clinical department estimated the response time of doctors on duty 2 months before the adoption of the EACS versus afterward. The LOS of patients admitted to the ED was also compared before and after the adoption of the EACS. A questionnaire was used to survey the health professionals working in the ED about the changes in the intensity of labor and the needs of the EACS. RESULTS: The number of patients participating in the study were 2,035 and 2,216, respectively, before and after the adoption of the EACS. The EACS significantly decreased both the response time of doctors on duty (34.8+/-35.5 min vs. 9.7+/-16.8 min, p=0.000) and the LOS (155.3+/-126.7 min vs. 144.6+/-110.7 min, p=0.003). In the survey, 44.7% of ED health care professionals responded that their intensity of labor were improved, and most of them agreed that the EACS should be required in the ED. CONCLUSION: The computer-based EACS decreased LOS by reducing the response time of doctors on duty, and it also increased satisfaction among the ED health professionals.
Adoption ; Aminocaproic Acids ; Cellular Phone ; Delivery of Health Care ; Emergencies ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Patient Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reaction Time ; Specialization ; Text Messaging