Background/Aims: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a leading cause of emergency hospitalization. We present the current diagnostic and therapeutic status of AP as revealed by analysis of a large multicenter dataset. Methods: The medical records of patients diagnosed with AP between 2018 and 2019 in 12 tertiary medical centers in Korea were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In total, 676 patients were included, of whom 388 (57.4%) were male, and the mean age of all patients was 58.6 years. There were 355 (52.5%), 301 (44.5%), and 20 (3.0%) patients with mild, moderate, and severe AP, respectively, as assessed by the revised Atlanta classification. The most common etiologies of AP were biliary issues (41.6%) and alcohol consumption (24.6%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (6.8%). The etiology was not identified in 111 (16.4%) patients at the time of initial admission. The overall mortality rate was 3.3%, increasing up to 45.0% among patients with severe AP. Notably, 70.0% (14/20) of patients with severe AP and 81.5% (154/189) of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome had received <4 L per day during the initial 24 hours of admission. Only 23.8% (67/281) of acute biliary pancreatitis patients underwent cholecystectomy during their initial admission. In total, 17.8% of patients experienced recurrent attacks during follow-up. However, none of the patients with acute biliary pancreatitis experienced recurrent attacks if they had undergone cholecystectomy during their initial admission. Conclusions This study provides insights into the current status of AP in Korea, including its etiology, severity, and management. Results reveal disparities between clinical guidelines and their practical implementation for AP treatment.

Background/Aims: Sedation has become a standard practice for patients undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. However, considering the serious cardiopulmonary adverse events associated with sedatives, it is important to identify patients at high risk. Machine learning can generate reasonable prediction for a wide range of medical conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with sedation during GI endoscopy and develop a predictive model for hypoxia during endoscopy under sedation. Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled 446 patients who underwent sedative endoscopy at the Korea University Ansan Hospital. Clinical data were used as predictor variables to construct predictive models using the random forest method that is a machine learning algorithm. Results: Seventy-two of the 446 patients (16.1%) experienced life-threatening hypoxia requiring immediate medical intervention. Patients who developed hypoxia had higher body weight, body mass index (BMI), neck circumference, and Mallampati scores. Propofol alone and higher initial and total dose of propofol were significantly associated with hypoxia during sedative endoscopy. Among these variables, high BMI, neck circumference, and Mallampati score were independent risk factors for hypoxia. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the random forest-based predictive model for hypoxia during sedative endoscopy was 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.86) and displayed a moderate discriminatory power. Conclusions High BMI, neck circumference, and Mallampati score were independently associated with hypoxia during sedative endoscopy. We constructed a model with acceptable performance for predicting hypoxia during sedative endoscopy.

Chronic pancreatitis, a significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer, necessitates monitoring for pancreatic cancer development. Chronic pancreatitis can be broadly categorized into hereditary and sporadic. Given the variability in the risk for pancreatic cancer based on the presence and type of genetic mutations, it is crucial to establish and be aware of guidelines for screening and surveillance tailored to each risk level. In cases of hereditary chronic pancreatitis with PRSS1 mutations, patients demonstrated a high incidence of pancreatic cancer, justifying the rationale for screening and surveillance. However, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is relatively low in hereditary chronic pancreatitis with other genetic mutations and sporadic chronic pancreatitis;thus, precise screening and periodic surveillance are not recommended. For individuals with PRSS1 mutation-related hereditary chronic pancreatitis, surveillance may be considered from the age of 40 years. While computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is suitable for pancreatic cancer screening, endoscopic ultrasonography is not recommended because of parenchymal inflammation, fibrosis, and calcification. However, in cases of sporadic chronic pancreatitis where various risk factors for pancreatic cancer coexist, the incidence of pancreatic cancer significantly increases. Therefore, in 5 years after the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, the pancreatic cancer incidence has been observed to continuously increase. In such cases, individualized screening tests and surveillance based on the patient’s symptoms and specific circumstances must be considered.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer and there had been a great deal of interest in surveillance and detection of pancreatic cancer. According to presence of genetic mutation, CP can be classified into hereditary CP and sporadic CP. CP with PRSS1 gene mutation showed a high incidence of pancreatic cancer justifying screening and surveillance for those older than 40 years. But CP with other mutations and sporadic CP have relatively low incidence of pancreatic cancer and surveillance is not recommended. While computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is widely used for screening, endoscopic ultrasound is not recommended because of parenchymal inflammation, fibrosis, and calcification associated with CP. However, when a patient with CP has multiple risk factors for pancreatic cancer, risk of pancreatic cancer increases significantly. Patients with CP have increased risk of pancreatic cancer at five years after diagnosis; individualized screening and surveillance based on symptoms and specific circumstances should be considered. Patients with CP have a high risk of malnutrition and malnutrition is quite common. Clinicians should assess nutritional status and implement nutritional support. Nutritional support must include both macronutrients and micronutrients. Given the high risk of osteoporosis and osteopathy in CP, clinicians should consider early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Consultation with nutritional support team is highly recommended.

Objectives: Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between Helicobacter pylori infection and ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we investigated the protective effects of H. pylori infection on the severity of UC. Methods: This single-center study included 316 patients with newly diagnosed UC based on findings of colonoscopy and upper endoscopy for H. pylori evaluation between January 1994 and December 2015. Patients’ medical records were retrospectively reviewed, and severity of UC was assessed based on endoscopic findings, clinical symptoms, treatment regimens, and Mayo scores. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with UC was 74/316 (23.4%). Based on upper endoscopic findings, the percentage of patients with duodenal ulcers was significantly higher in the H. pylori positive group than that in the H. pylori negative group (27.0% vs. 11.6%, p=0.022). Disease extent and endoscopic severity showed no significant intergroup difference (p=0.765 and p=0.803, respectively). Endoscopic severity was unaffected by the H. pylori infection status, based on the extent of endoscopically documented disease and endoscopic findings. Furthermore, UC-related symptom severity assessed on the basis of stool frequency, rectal bleeding severity, and rate of admission necessitated by UC aggravation was not associated with H. pylori infection (p=0.185, 0.144, and 0.182, respectively). Use of steroids as induction therapy for severe UC did not differ with regard to H. pylori infection (p=0.327). No intergroup difference was observed in disease severity of UC classified using the Mayo score (p=0.323). Conclusions H. pylori infection was detected in approximately 25.0% of patients with UC. However, the H. pylori infection status was not associated with the severity of UC based on endoscopic disease activity, patients’ symptoms, steroid use, or the Mayo clinic score.

Acute pancreatitis can range from a mild, self-limiting disease requiring no more than supportive care, to severe disease with life-threatening complications. With the goal of providing a recommendation framework for clinicians to manage acute pancreatitis, and to contribute to improvements in national health care, the Korean Pancreatobiliary Association (KPBA) established the Korean guidelines for acute pancreatitis management in 2013. However, many challenging issues exist which often lead to differences in clinical practices. In addition, with newly obtained evidence regarding acute pancreatitis, there have been great changes in recent knowledge and information regarding this disorder. Therefore, the KPBA committee underwent an extensive revision of the guidelines. The revised guidelines were developed using the Delphi method, and the main topics of the guidelines include the following: diagnosis, severity assessment, initial treatment, nutritional support, convalescent treatment, and the treatment of local complications and necrotizing pancreatitis. Specific recommendations are presented, along with the evidence levels and recommendation grades.

With the widespread adoption of health check-ups, tumor markers are being used for screening healthy individuals without symptoms related to cancer. Although CA 19-9 is known to have diagnostic value when a patient presents with symptoms, the evidence for its clinical value as a cancer screening test in asymptomatic patients is still lacking. However, patients who experience an increase in CA 19-9 levels may feel anxious about the possibility of having cancer and may seek medical attention. If the CA 19-9 level is elevated, it may be necessary to consider initial testing for malignant tumors of the pancreas. It should be recognized that the level can also increase in malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid, and reproductive organs. Since the CA 19-9 levels can also increase in various benign diseases, it is important to evaluate if there is an underlying benign disease through appropriate testing and follow-up to reduce patient anxiety and discontinue unnecessary follow-up tests.

Background: The relationship between changes in anxiety levels and personal protective equipment (PPE) use is yet to be evaluated. The present study assessed this relationship among healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in the care of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: An online survey was conducted in a municipal hospital with 195 nationally designated negative pressure isolation units in Korea. Anxiety level was measured using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and changes in anxiety levels were assessed based on the time when COVID-19 vaccine was introduced in March 2021 in Korea. Monthly PPE usage between June 2020 and May 2021 was investigated. Results: The mean SAS score (33.25 ± 5.97) was within normal range and was lower than those reported in previous studies conducted before COVID-19 vaccination became available.Among the 93 HCWs who participated, 64 (68.8%) answered that their fear of contracting COVID-19 decreased after vaccination. The number of coveralls used per patient decreased from 33.6 to 0. However, a demand for more PPE than necessary was observed in situations where HCWs were exposed to body fluids and secretions (n = 38, 40.9%). Excessive demand for PPE was not related to age, working experience, or SAS score. Conclusion Anxiety in HCWs exposed to COVID-19 was lower than it was during the early period of the pandemic, and the period before vaccination was introduced. The number of coveralls used per patient also decreased although an excessive demand for PPE was observed.