Purpose: In the present study, we determined the prevalence of obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), hyposecretory MGD, grossly normal MG, and hypersecretory MGD in patients with dry eye syndrome using lipid layer thickness (LLT) and MG dropout. Methods: Eighty-eight patients with dry eye syndrome were included in the study. Patients were categorized into four groups according to the LLT and weighted total meiboscore. The proportion of patients in each group was calculated. The age, sex, Ocular Surface Disease Index, LLT, Schirmer, tear film breakup time, cornea stain, weighted total meiboscore, expressibility, and quality of meibum were compared between the four groups. Results: Fifteen eyes (17.0%) had obstructive MGD, two eyes (2.3%) had hyposecretory MGD, 40 eyes (45.5%) had grossly normal MG, and 17 eyes (19.3%) had hypersecretory MGD. The obstructive MGD group was younger than the grossly normal MG group. In obstructive MGD, the ratio of men to women was higher than that of the other groups. However, Ocular Surface Disease Index, Schirmer, tear film breakup time, and corneal stain did not show statistically significant differences between the four groups. The meibum expressibility of the hyposecretoy MGD group was worse than those of the other groups. The meibum expressibility of the hyposecretoy MGD group was poor than those of the obstructive and hypersecretory MGD group. Conclusions This categorization was expected to help determine the best treatment method for dry eye syndrome, according to the MG status.

Purpose: Most bee sting injuries are benign, although sometimes they can result in life threatening outcomes, such as anaphylaxis and death. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic status of bee sting injuries in Korea and to identify risk factors associated with severe systemic reactions (SSRs). Materials and Methods: Cases were extracted from a multicenter retrospective registry for patients who had visited emergency departments (EDs) for bee sting injuries. SSRs were defined as hypotension or altered mental status upon ED arrival, hospitalization, or death. Patient demographics and injury characteristics were compared between SSR and non-SSR groups. Logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors for bee sting-associated SSRs, and the characteristics of fatality cases were summarized. Results: Among the 9673 patients with bee sting injuries, 537 had an SSR and 38 died. The most frequent injury sites included the hands and head/face. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the occurrence of SSRs was associated with male sex [odds ratio (95% confidence interval); 1.634 (1.133–2.357)] and age [1.030 (1.020–1.041)]. Additionally, the risk of SSRs from trunk and head/ face stings was high [2.858 (1.405–5.815) and 2.123 (1.333–3.382), respectively]. Bee venom acupuncture [3.685 (1.408–9.641)] and stings in the winter [4.573 (1.420–14.723)] were factors that increased the risk of SSRs. Conclusion Our findings emphasize the need for implementing safety policies and education on bee sting-related incidents to protect high-risk groups.

Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of percutaneous cannulated screws with tension band wiring (PC-STBW), a minimally invasive surgical technique, compared to conservative treatment for a minimally displaced patella transverse fracture. Materials and Methods: The subjects included patients from 2010 to 2019 with transverse patella fractures, who were diagnosed as minimally displaced fractures, and were followed up for at least 1 year. Of these, 61 patients who were treated with cylinder casts were classified as Group A, and 53 patients who were treated with PCSTBW were classified as Group B. The clinical evaluation was carried out by evaluation of the radiographic bone union and calculation of the Bostman knee score. Any complications observed were investigated. Results: All patients in both groups showed no further displacement of the fracture gap, and the bone union was achieved in all cases. The functional evaluation of the knee joint measured at the 8- and 12-week follow-up showed superior results in Group B wherein subjects were treated with surgery, and similar results were seen in both groups during the 6 months and 1-year follow-up. One case in Group A suffered the complication of knee stiffness. Conclusion For the treatment of minimally displaced transverse patellar fractures, both conservative treatment and PCSTBW showed similar good results at the 6-month and one-year follow-up. However, the PCSTBW technique showed superior clinical results in the early stage follow-up within 12 weeks.

Purpose: Access block due to the lack of hospital beds causes crowding of emergency departments (ED). We initiated the “boarding restriction protocol” that limits the time of stay in the ED for patients awaiting hospitalization to 24 hours from arrival. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the boarding restriction protocol on ED crowding. Materials and Methods: The primary outcome was ED occupancy rate, which was calculated as the ratio of the number of occupying patients to the total number of ED beds. Time factors, such as length of stay (LOS), treatment time, and boarding time, were investigated. Results: The mean of the ED occupancy rate decreased from 1.532±0.432 prior to implementation of the protocol to 1.273±0.353 after (p<0.001). According to time series analysis, the absolute effect caused by the protocol was -0.189 (-0.277 to -0.110) (p=0.001). The proportion of patients with LOS exceeding 24 hours decreased from 7.6% to 4.0% (p<0.001). Among admitted patients, ED LOS decreased from 770.7 (421.4–1587.1) minutes to 630.2 (398.0–1156.8) minutes (p<0.001); treatment time increased from 319.6 (198.5–482.8) minutes to 344.7 (213.4–519.5) minutes (p<0.001); and boarding time decreased from 298.9 (109.5–1149.0) minutes to 204.1 (98.7–545.7) minutes (p<0.001). In pre-protocol period, boarding patients accumulated in the ED during the weekdays and resolved on Friday, but this pattern was alleviated in post-period. Conclusion The boarding restriction protocol was effective in alleviating ED crowding by reducing the accumulation of boarding patients in the ED during the weekdays

Purpose: Given the morphological characteristics of schistocytes, thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) score can be beneficial as it can be automatically and accurately measured. This study aimed to investigate whether serial TMA scores until 48 h post admission are associated with clinical outcomes in patients undergoing targeted temperature management (TTM) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 185 patients using a prospective registry. We analyzed TMA scores at admission and after 12, 24, and 48 hours. The primary outcome measures were poor neurological outcome at discharge and 30-day mortality. Results: Increased TMA scores at all measured time points were independent predictors of poor neurological outcomes and 30-day mortality, with TMA score at time-12 showing the strongest correlation [odds ratio (OR), 3.008; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.707–5.300; p<0.001 and hazard ratio (HR), 1.517; 95% CI, 1.196–1.925; p<0.001]. Specifically, a TMA score ≥2 at time-12 was closely associated with an increased predictability of poor neurological outcomes (OR, 6.302; 95% CI, 2.841–13.976; p<0.001) and 30-day mortality (HR, 2.656; 95% CI, 1.675–4.211; p<0.001). Conclusion Increased TMA scores predicted neurological outcomes and 30-day mortality in patients undergoing TTM after OHCA. In addition to the benefit of being serially measured using an automated hematology analyzer, TMA score may be a helpful tool for rapid risk stratification and identification of the need for intensive care in patients with return of spontaneous circulation after OHCA.

Objective: It is important to identify high-risk elderly patients in the emergency department (ED), and various screening tools should be used. This study aimed to find the most appropriate tool by comparing frailty screening tools used in the ED. Methods: The authors searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and KoreaMed databases for medical literature. Two or more frailty screening tools were studied. Sensitivities and values of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of each tool used in individual studies were compared. Results: After the screening process, six studies using 12 tools were selected. Most of the tools had low sensitivities. The sensitivities were 90% or more in case of the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and Program of Research to Integrate Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy (PRISMA-7). Seniors at Risk (ISAR) tools for frailty screening, Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) and Geriatric (G8) tools were identified for predicting postoperative mortality, and CFS, Fried and Stable, Unstable, Help to walk, Bedbound (SUHB) tools were used for determining bad composite outcomes. The areas under the curve values predicting outcome were as follows: 0.63-0.67 for death, 0.52-0.64 for postoperative death, 0.52-0.68 for postoperative adverse outcome, 0.55-0.64 for poor prognosis, 0.65-0.69 for activity daily living disability, 0.66-0.78 for functional decline, 0.58-0.61 for hospitalization, 0.57-0.59 for fall, and 0.77-0.91 for frailty screening. Conclusion It was difficult to select the most appropriate tool among the 12 frailty tools included in this review. However, Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, Loss of weight (FRAIL), Study of Osteoporotic Fracture (SOF), CFS, VES-13, and PRISMA-7 were relatively useful in the ED.

Purpose: This study compared the functional and radiologic outcomes of intramedullary nailing (IMN) and minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) for tibia fractures in distal tibial spiral fractures combined with posterior malleolar fractures, as well as the functional and radiologic outcomes with and without fixation for posterior malleolar fractures. Materials and Methods: From January 2010 to December 2018 the radiological and clinical outcomes of 30 skeletally mature patients with tibial spiral fractures (AO Foundation/Orthopaedic Trauma Association classification 42-A1, B1, C1) combined with posterior malleolar fractures were analyzed. Sixteen patients were treated with IMN, and 14 patients were treated with MIPO. Depending on the surgical methods, the radiologic and clinical outcomes were compared by evaluating the bone union time, postoperative alignment, postoperative displacement of the posterior malleolar fragment, and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. Moreover, the functional and clinical outcomes with and without fixation for posterior malleolar fractures were compared. Results: The mean bone union time was 21.8 weeks in the IMN group and 23.1 weeks in the MIPO group (p=0.500). At the final follow up, the mean alignment was coronal angulation of 1.8°, sagittal angulation of 1.6° in the IMN group and coronal angulation of 1.2° and sagittal angulation of 1.7° in the MIPO group (conoral angulation: p=0.131, sagittal angulation: p=0.850). The postoperative and final radiologic evaluation showed no displacement of the posterior malleolar fragment and excellent joint congruity in all cases. At the final follow-up, the mean AOFAS score was 88.0 on average in the IMN group and 87.6 on average in the MIPO group (p=0.905). The ankle range of motion and AOFAS score were similar in the fixation group and no fixation group for posterior malleolar fractures. Conclusion Both IMN and MIPO for tibial spiral fractures combined with posterior malleolar fractures result in satisfactory radiological and clinical outcomes.

Objectives: . Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCs) are frequently diagnosed at the locoregional advanced stage (stage IVa), but controversy remains regarding whether stage IVa HSNCs should be treated with upfront surgery or definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT). The purpose of this study was to compare overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with stage IVa HNSC treated primarily by surgery with curative intent with/without (neo)adjuvant treatment (surgery group) versus those treated primarily with CRT (CRT group). Methods: . We reviewed data of 1,033 patients with stage IVa HNSC treated with curative intent at 17 cancer centers between 2010 and 2016. Results: . Among 1,033 patients, 765 (74.1%) received upfront surgery and 268 (25.9%) received CRT. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were 64.4% and 62.0% in the surgery group and 49.5% and 45.4% in the CRT group, respectively. In multivariate analyses, OS and DFS were better in the surgery group than in the CRT group (odds ratio [OR] for death, 0.762; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.592–0.981; OR for recurrence, 0.628; 95% CI, 0.492–0.802). In subgroup analyses, the OS and DFS of patients with oropharyngeal cancer were better in the surgery group (OR for death, 0.548; 95% CI, 0.341–0.879; OR for recurrence, 0.598; 95% CI, 0.377–0.948). In the surgery group, patients with laryngeal cancer showed better OS (OR for death, 0.432; 95% CI, 0.211–0.882), while those with hypopharyngeal cancer DFS was improved (OR for recurrence, 0.506; 95% CI, 0.328–0.780). Conclusion . A survival benefit from surgery may be achieved even in patients with stage IVa HNSC, particularly those with oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Surgery led to a reduction in the recurrence rate in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.

Objective: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a common emergency condition, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. The delta neutrophil index (DNI), which reflects the fraction of circulating immature granulocytes, is significantly associated with systemic inflammation after infection or sterile injury. Aneurysmal SAH also leads to systemic inflammation after a brain injury. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the DNI and poor neurologic outcomes in patients with aneurysmal SAH. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients (>18 years old) with aneurysmal SAH consecutively admitted to the emergency department (ED) between January 1, 2011, and November 30, 2018. The diagnosis of aneurysmal SAH was confirmed using clinical and radiological findings. DNI was determined at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours after ED admission. The primary result was a poor neurologic outcome using the modified Rankin scale. Results: A total of 352 patients with aneurysmal SAH were included in this study. A multivariable logistic regression model revealed that a high value of DNI at 24 hours after ED admission was a strong independent predictor of poor neurologic outcome upon discharge (odds ratio [OR], 1.471; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.081-2.001; P=0.014). Among patients with aneurysmal SAH, DNI >1.0% at 24 hours was significantly associated with poor neurologic outcomes upon discharge (OR, 5.037; 95% CI, 3.153-8.044; P<0.001). Conclusion DNI can be determined easily and rapidly after ED admission without any additional cost or time burden. A high DNI value at 24 hours after ED admission is significantly associated with a poor neurologic outcome upon discharge among patients with aneurysmal SAH.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of post-contrast acute kidney injury (PAKI) and the usefulness of the Mehran score for predicting PAKI in patients who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic computed tomography (CE-APCT) in the emergency department (ED). Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. Patients who underwent CE-APCT and had a follow-up creatinine test within 72 hours in the period January to June, 2017, were enrolled for the study. PAKI is defined as a 25% or higher increase in the level of serum creatinine (sCr) within 72 hours after receiving contrast, or an increase in the level of sCr by 0.5 mg/dL. The odds ratio (OR) of risk factors and incidence of PAKI after CE-APCT were analyzed according to the Mehran risk group, and compared to expected incidence. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for each risk factor. Results: A total of 1,718 patients were enrolled in the study. Of these, 203 patients (11.8%) developed PAKI, and 2 patients (0.1%) required dialysis. Hypotension (systolic blood pressure <80 mmHg) was determined to be statistically significant (P=0.029; OR, 3.181) among the considered risk factors of PAKI. In the group having abnormal estimatedglomerular filtration rate (<90 mL/min/1.73 m2), the age and rate of the underlying disease (congestive heart failure, hypertension) was found to be higher in the PAKI group. The receiver operating curve of Mehran score (area under the curve: 0.521 in model A, 0.520 in model B) was statistically not significant in the univariate analysis. A higher Mehran score was associated with a higher proportion of patients who underwent prophylactic treatment. Conclusion There are no definite useful risk factors, including the Mehran score, for predicting PAKI in patients who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the ED.