Impact of medical crisis on the critical care system in South Korea.

Background: The ongoing medical crisis in Korea has severely impacted the operational environment of intensive care units (ICU), posing significant challenges to quality care for critically ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the ongoing crisis on ICUs.

Methods: A survey was conducted in July 2024 among intensivists in charge of ICUs at institutions accredited by the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine for critical care.

Symptomatic venous thromboembolism after transsphenoidal surgery in Cushing's disease: incidence and risk factors.

Purpose: Cushing's Disease (CD) has been linked to increased venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. This study investigates the incidence and risk factors of postoperative VTE in patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) for CD.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients with CD and non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) who underwent TSS at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2005 to 2019.

Survival Is Just the Beginning of Recovery: A Qualitative Study of Survivors' Experiences after Severe Injury.

Purpose: Patients experience severe physical trauma every year. However, studies on survivors' experiences after severe injury are limited. Previous studies have mainly focused on time spans of trauma treatment.

Analysis of procedural performance after a pilot course on endovascular training for resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta.

Purpose: As resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is performed in an extremely emergent situation, achieving competent clinical practice is mandatory. Although there are several educational courses that teach the REBOA procedure, there have been no reports evaluating the impact of training on clinical practice. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the effects of the course on procedural performance during resuscitation and on clinical outcomes.

Repair of traumatic flank hernia with mesh strip suture: a case report.

Traumatic flank hernia is a relatively rare hernia. We report a case of a male patient with severe multiple trauma, including abdominal injury, who presented with flank hernia 3 years postinjury. The hernia was successfully repaired using mesh strips suture, and at the 12-month follow-up, no complications or recurrence was found.

Multiple intussusceptions after blunt abdominal trauma in a 9-year-old boy: A case report and literature review.

Traumatic intussusception is exceedingly rare. According to the existing literature, most cases are treated surgically. However, the treatment and prognosis of traumatic intussusception are not well understood, and more research is needed to determine the most beneficial treatment options.

Inner Ear Symptoms Are Prevalent in Patients with High Head Abbreviated Injury Scale Scores after Blunt Head Trauma.

Introduction: The purpose of this article was to determine the prevalence of inner ear symptoms in patients with blunt head trauma and to explore whether the severity of head trauma was associated with the incidence of such symptoms.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 56 patients admitted with blunt head trauma who underwent audiovestibular evaluation within 1 month after injury. Two scales were used to measure the severity of trauma; these were the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Head Abbreviated Injury Scale (H-AIS).

Impacts of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Outbreaks in Korea: Level 1 Trauma Center Data of Domestic Incidents and Intentional Injury.

Objectives: As a protective measure to slow down the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 in Korea, social distancing was implemented from February 29, 2020. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of domestic incidents and intentional injury during March 2020 when social distancing was in effect.

Methods: There were 12,638 patients who visited the Level 1 trauma center of Chungnam province with injuries from domestic incidents, familial discord, and intentional injury.

A course on endovascular training for resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta: a pilot study for residents and specialists.

Purpose: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has emerged as a salvage technique changing the paradigm in the management of noncompressible torso hemorrhage. However, training for the REBOA procedure is rarely performed. The endovascular training for REBOA (ET-REBOA) course was conducted to develop the endovascular skills of participants.

Effect of early enteral nutrition on the incidence of acute acalculous cholecystitis among trauma patients.

Background And Objectives: Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) often occurs in critically ill patients, especially in those that have experienced trauma, surgery, shock, and prolonged fasting. Early enteral nutrition has been shown to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality compared to other nutritional support strategies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of early enteral nutrition on the incidence of AAC among trauma patients.

Are management decisions in critical patients changed with use of hemodynamic parameters from transpulmonary thermodilution technique?

Background: The assessment of hemodynamic variables is a mainstay in the management of critically ill patients. Hemodynamic variables may help physicians to choose among use of a vasopressor, an inotropic agent, or discontinuation of drugs. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness of advanced hemodynamic variables in clinical decision-making.

Blunt trauma of unilateral intraperitoneal kidney: A case report.

The kidney is located and fixed with Gerota's fascia in the retroperitoneal space and is surrounded by a fat pad that acts as a shock absorber in the normal anatomy; however, the kidney becomes more vulnerable to external shock when it is located intraperitoneally. Bleeding from an injury may advance to hemoperitoneum and unstable hemodynamics may develop, requiring emergency surgery. Although various anatomical variations of the kidney have been reported, to our knowledge, an intraperitoneal kidney has never been reported previously except for one case in the world literature.

Comparison of long-term clinical outcomes of external and internal pancreatic stents in pancreaticoduodenectomy: randomized controlled study.

Background: To determine the most appropriate pancreatic drainage method, by investigating differences in 12-month clinical outcomes in patients implanted with external and internal pancreatic stents as an extension to a previous study on short-term outcome.

Methods: This prospective randomized controlled trial enrolled 213 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with duct to mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy between August 2010 and January 2014 (NCT01023594). Of the 185 patients followed-up for 12 months, 97 underwent external and 88 underwent internal stenting.

Prognostic significance of E-cadherin and ZEB1 expression in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.

There is an urgent need to investigate the genetic changes that occur in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), which is a well-known precursor of pancreatic cancer. In this study, gene expression profiling was performed by removing unwanted variation to determine the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with malignant progression of IPMN. Among the identified DEGs, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and E-cadherin, a crucial regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), was validated among identified DEGs.

Prediction of Pancreatic Fistula After Distal Pancreatectomy Based on Cross-Sectional Images.

Background: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is one of the most common and clinically relevant complications after distal pancreatectomy (DP), occurring in 5-40% of patients. Determining risk factors for this complication may aid in its prevention. This study sought to predict the development of POPF after DP preoperatively and objectively based on radiologic findings.

Incidental pancreatic cystic neoplasms in an asymptomatic healthy population of 21,745 individuals: Large-scale, single-center cohort study.

Although incidental pancreatic cystic neoplasms are being diagnosed with increasing frequency, little is known about the accurate prevalence of pancreatic cysts in the general population. The aims of this study were to evaluate the crude prevalence rate of pancreatic cystic neoplasms in asymptomatic healthy adults, and calculate the age- and sex-adjusted nationwide prevalence rate.A total of 21,745 asymptomatic individuals who underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) as a health screening examination were enrolled between 2003 and 2013 at the Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System Gangnam Center.

The natural course of pancreatic fistula and fluid collection after distal pancreatectomy: is drain insertion needed?

Purpose: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is one of the most common and clinically relevant complications after distal pancreatectomy. Some aspects of POPF management remain controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the natural course of POPF and fluid collection after distal pancreatectomy and to reappraise the necessity of intraoperative abdominal drainage insertion.

Effect of Polyglycolic Acid Mesh for Prevention of Pancreatic Fistula Following Distal Pancreatectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The rate of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after distal pancreatectomy ranges from 13% to 64%. To prevent POPF, polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh was introduced, but its effect has been evaluated only in small numbers of patients and retrospective studies.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of PGA mesh in preventing POPF after distal pancreatectomy.

An Analysis of Complications, Quality of Life, and Nutritional Index After Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy with Regard to Spleen Preservation.

Background: Whether splenectomy is adverse or spleen preservation offers significant advantages in distal pancreatic resection is unclear. The aim was to compare the early/late clinical results and the functional outcomes in terms of quality of life (QoL) and nutrition between conventional laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) and laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (LSPDP).

Study Design: Clinical data and computed tomography findings of 111 laparoscopic distal resections (79 LDPs and 32 LSPDPs) between 1999 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.

The clinical usefulness of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in follow-up of curatively resected pancreatic cancer patients.

Background: Computed tomography and serum tumor markers have limited value in detecting recurrence after curative surgery of pancreatic cancer. This study evaluated the clinical utility of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in diagnosing recurrence.

Methods: One hundred ten patients underwent curative resection of pancreatic cancer were enrolled.

Use of TachoSil(®) patches to prevent pancreatic leaks after distal pancreatectomy: a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled study.

Background: We performed a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled study to investigate the clinical outcomes, including postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPF), after using the TachoSil® patch in distal pancreatectomy (NCT01550406).

Methods: Between June 2012 and September 2014, 101 patients at five centers were randomized into Control (n = 53) and TachoSil (n = 48) groups. In all patients, the pancreas was resected using a stapler with Endo-GIA™ staples.

Effects of Surgical Methods and Tumor Location on Survival and Recurrence Patterns after Curative Resection in Patients with T2 Gallbladder Cancer.

Background/aims: Extended cholecystectomy is generally recommended for patients with T2 gallbladder cancer. However, few studies have assessed the extent of resection relative to T2 gallbladder tumor location. This study analyzed the effects of surgical methods and tumor location on survival outcomes and tumor recurrence in patients with T2 gallbladder cancer.