Ciguatera fish poisoning in Korea: a case report

Ciguatera is the commonest syndrome of marine poisoning that is caused by the ingestion of ciguatoxins that accumulate in certain tropical and subtropical finfish. It is endemic throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean and has been rarely reported in Korea. With the expansion of travel, tourism, and the import of fish from the tropics, ciguatera poisoning now affects a diverse population. We report a case of ciguatera in a 70-year-old woman, presenting with general paralysis and coma, which developed after consuming codfish and mackerel in Korea.

Relationship Between Sleep Duration and Suicidal Ideation Among Farmers: Safety for Agricultural Injuries of Farmers Cohort Study of Jeju, Korea

Background@#This study was conducted to identify the association between sleep duration and suicidal ideation among farmers in Korea. @*Methods@#We used Safety for Agricultural Injuries of Farmers cohort data collected from September 2015 to June 2018, which was an agricultural survey on the health and behaviors of adult farmers in Jeju island, Korea. @*Results@#A total of 964 participants were included in the analysis, and 3.7% of them were identified with having suicidal ideation. The frequencies of average daily sleep duration of 8 h (long sleep) were 24.4%, 70%, and 5.6%, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that short sleep duration was significantly associated with suicidal ideation compared with normal sleep duration (odds ratio = 2.49, 95% confidence interval = 1.07–5.77). @*Conclusion@#Our findings suggest that short sleep duration in farmers result in higher suicidal ideation. Because individuals who have suicidal ideation often commit suicide, careful monitoring is required to prevent suicide in farmers with short sleep duration.

A patient who was diagnosed with arachnoid web due to weakness in the limb: a case report

Arachnoid web is a very rare disease that occurs when the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid is disturbed due to abnormal formation of the arachnoid membrane in the arachnoid space. Consequently, symptoms appear in the form of various myelopathies, such as loss of strength and sensation in the upper and lower extremities, or bladder control disorders. In general, surgical treatment can be considered if symptoms are exhibited. Arachnoid web requires a high consideration of appropriate diagnosis and treatment methods. However, due to its extremely rare occurrence in actual clinical practice, it is difficult to differentiate from other diseases such as herniated intervertebral disc or subdural tumor causing spinal myelopathy. This would effectively lead to a completely different direction of treatment. To date, there have been no case reports of Arachnoid web in Korea, except for collecting and reporting the focal anterior displacement of the thoracic spine, which is a similar lesion in the spinal cord. This article therefore provides information through case reports and literature review.

Traumatic brain injury in patients aged ≥65 years versus patients aged ≥80 years: a multicenter prospective study of mortality and medical resource utilization

Objective@#This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in mortality and medical resource utilization between geriatric (aged ≥65 years) and super-geriatric patients (aged ≥80 years) with traumatic brain injury (TBI). @*Methods@#We obtained comprehensive data (demographics, injury characteristics, injury severities, and outcomes) of geriatric and super-geriatric TBI patients from an emergency department-based injury surveillance system database from 2011 to 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to compare the mortality and nonroutine discharge (NRDC) status between both groups. @*Results@#Among 442,533 TBI patients, 48,624 were older than 65 years. A total of 48,446 patients (37,140 geriatric and 11,306 super-geriatric) without exclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. Both overall in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28 to 2.74; P=0.001) and NRDC (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.71; P=0.011) were significantly higher in the super-geriatric group. In the stratified analysis, there were no significant differences in NRDC rate for all stratifications of treatment timing (emergency department vs. ward admission), but mortality remained to be significant for all stratifications. @*Conclusion@#Super-geriatric TBI patients showed a significantly higher risk-adjusted overall mortality and more inadequate medical resource utilization than did geriatric TBI patients. However, super-geriatric patients were more likely to undergo NRDC after admission; thus, further research about age-related health inequalities is needed in the treatment of super-geriatric patients.

Relationship Between Sleep Duration and Suicidal Ideation Among Farmers: Safety for Agricultural Injuries of Farmers Cohort Study of Jeju, Korea

Background@#This study was conducted to identify the association between sleep duration and suicidal ideation among farmers in Korea. @*Methods@#We used Safety for Agricultural Injuries of Farmers cohort data collected from September 2015 to June 2018, which was an agricultural survey on the health and behaviors of adult farmers in Jeju island, Korea. @*Results@#A total of 964 participants were included in the analysis, and 3.7% of them were identified with having suicidal ideation. The frequencies of average daily sleep duration of 8 h (long sleep) were 24.4%, 70%, and 5.6%, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that short sleep duration was significantly associated with suicidal ideation compared with normal sleep duration (odds ratio = 2.49, 95% confidence interval = 1.07–5.77). @*Conclusion@#Our findings suggest that short sleep duration in farmers result in higher suicidal ideation. Because individuals who have suicidal ideation often commit suicide, careful monitoring is required to prevent suicide in farmers with short sleep duration.

A patient who was diagnosed with arachnoid web due to weakness in the limb: a case report

Arachnoid web is a very rare disease that occurs when the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid is disturbed due to abnormal formation of the arachnoid membrane in the arachnoid space. Consequently, symptoms appear in the form of various myelopathies, such as loss of strength and sensation in the upper and lower extremities, or bladder control disorders. In general, surgical treatment can be considered if symptoms are exhibited. Arachnoid web requires a high consideration of appropriate diagnosis and treatment methods. However, due to its extremely rare occurrence in actual clinical practice, it is difficult to differentiate from other diseases such as herniated intervertebral disc or subdural tumor causing spinal myelopathy. This would effectively lead to a completely different direction of treatment. To date, there have been no case reports of Arachnoid web in Korea, except for collecting and reporting the focal anterior displacement of the thoracic spine, which is a similar lesion in the spinal cord. This article therefore provides information through case reports and literature review.

Traumatic brain injury in patients aged ≥65 years versus patients aged ≥80 years: a multicenter prospective study of mortality and medical resource utilization

Objective@#This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in mortality and medical resource utilization between geriatric (aged ≥65 years) and super-geriatric patients (aged ≥80 years) with traumatic brain injury (TBI). @*Methods@#We obtained comprehensive data (demographics, injury characteristics, injury severities, and outcomes) of geriatric and super-geriatric TBI patients from an emergency department-based injury surveillance system database from 2011 to 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to compare the mortality and nonroutine discharge (NRDC) status between both groups. @*Results@#Among 442,533 TBI patients, 48,624 were older than 65 years. A total of 48,446 patients (37,140 geriatric and 11,306 super-geriatric) without exclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. Both overall in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28 to 2.74; P=0.001) and NRDC (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.71; P=0.011) were significantly higher in the super-geriatric group. In the stratified analysis, there were no significant differences in NRDC rate for all stratifications of treatment timing (emergency department vs. ward admission), but mortality remained to be significant for all stratifications. @*Conclusion@#Super-geriatric TBI patients showed a significantly higher risk-adjusted overall mortality and more inadequate medical resource utilization than did geriatric TBI patients. However, super-geriatric patients were more likely to undergo NRDC after admission; thus, further research about age-related health inequalities is needed in the treatment of super-geriatric patients.

Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Associated Risk Factors among Farmers in Jeju

Background@#We aimed to investigate the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and its associated agricultural work-related, biomechanical factors among this population. @*Methods@#We analyzed initial survey data from the Safety for Agricultural Injury of Farmers cohort study involving adult farmers in Jeju Island. The prevalence of LBP was calculated with associated factors. @*Results@#In total, 1,209 participants were included in the analysis. The overall prevalence of LBP was 23.7%. Significant associations for LBP were the type of farming activity, length of farming career, prior agricultural injury within 1 year, and stress levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed three biomechanical factors significantly related to LBP: repetitive use of particular body parts; the inappropriate posture of the lower back and neck. @*Conclusions@#Some occupational, and biomechanical risk factors contribute to LBP. Therefore, postural education, injury prevention education, and psychological support will be needed to prevent LBP.

Interpersonal violence epidemiology and mortality by violence victim-perpetrator relationships

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the interpersonal violence (IPV) epidemiology and mortality according to the violence victim-perpetrator relationships. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was done using the comprehensive data of the emergency department (ED)-based Jeju Injury Surveillance System from all EDs in Jeju Island. The demographic characteristics of the victims, the types of perpetrators (spouse, family members, acquaintance, and stranger), injury characteristics and clinical outcomes from the injury were collected. The IPV epidemiology was reported by descriptive statistics. Multivariate Poisson regression was used to analyze the association between the mortality and violence victim-perpetrator relationships. RESULTS: Among the 23,508 violent injury patients enrolled from January 1, 2008, and December 31 of 2016, 19,879 (84.6%) were analyzed; 16 (0.08%) died at the ED. The types of perpetrators were the spouse (10.1%), family members (3.9%), acquaintances (43.4%), and strangers (42.7%). The mortality of the violence victims was increased significantly by the spouse (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 6.336; P=0.043) or family members (IRR, 11.089; P=0.016) compared to strangers. On the other hand, there was no difference between the acquaintances and strangers. CONCLUSION: The epidemiology and mortality of IPV were associated with the violence victim-perpetrator relationships. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and apply prevention programs considering these differences, particularly for intimidate/ family violence because of its high fatality.

Low Plasma Insulin Level Prolonged Hypoglycemia after High dose Insulin Lispro Injection

Increased plasma insulin levels are often observed in exogenous insulin overdose patients. However, plasma insulin level may decrease with time. We report a case of low plasma insulin level hypoglycemia after insulin lispro overdose. The patient was a 37-year-old man with no previous medical history who suspected insulin lispro overdose. Upon arrival, his Glasgow coma scale was 3 points and his blood sugar level (BSL) was 24 mg/dl. We found five humalog-quick-pen (insulin lispro) in his bag. There was no elevation of glucose level, despite an initial 50 ml bolus of 50% glucose and 150 cc/hr of 10% dextrose continuous intravenous infusion. He also suffered from generalized tonic-clonic seizure, which was treated with lorazepam and phenytoin. We conducted endotracheal intubation, after which he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). There were recurrent events of hypoglycemia below BSL<50 mg/dl after admission. We repeatedly infused 50 ml 50% glucose 10 times and administered 1 mg of glucagon two times. The plasma insulin level was 0.2 uU/ml on initial blood sampling and 0.2 uU/ml after 5 hours. After 13 hours, his BSL stabilized but his mental status had not recovered. Diffuse brain injury was observed upon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and severe diffuse cerebral dysfunction was found on electroencephalography (EEG). Despite 35 days of ICU care, he died from ventilator associated pneumonia.

Comparison of Injury Patterns between All-terrain Vehicles and Motorbike Riders in Jeju Island

PURPOSE: As the usage rate of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) the number of injuries caused by ATVs is also surging. This has led to an increase in social attention to the safety of ATVs and the law for ATV safety standards was revised in 2009 and 2011. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of ATV injury compared with motorbike injury after implementation of the ATV safety policy. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional observation study was conducted using emergent department (ED)-based indepth injury surveillance system data from 2011 January to 2014 December. Demographics, injury-related characteristics, injury severity, and outcomes of patients related to ATV and motorbike injury visiting our ED were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used for major adverse event (MAE), which was defined as any intensive care, emergent operation, or death between ATV and motorbike related injury adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 101 ATV- and 584 motorbike-related injuries. Females had more ATV-related injuries (63.4% vs 32.9%, p<0.001) during leisure activities (93.1%) with higher helmet usage (73.3% vs 62.0%, p=0.01) and lower usage in terms of emergency medical service (23.8% vs 46.4%, p<0.001), automobile insurance (10.9% vs 54.1%, p<0.001) compared with motorbike-related injuries. MAE in ATV-related injuries was less likely in a univariate logistic model (unadjusted odd ratios [ORs] 0.489, 95% confidential intervals [Cis] 0.282 to 0.848), but the multivariate logistic model showed no significant difference (adjusted ORs 1.018, 95% CIs 0.376 to 1.414). CONCLUSION: Results of this study showed no significant difference in occurrence of clinical major adverse events between motorbikes and ATVs-related injury on Jeju Island. However, considering the high injury prevalence in young age, female, and passengers during leisure activities, development of an education and injury prevention program will be needed for this vulnerable population.

Osteochondrolipoma Presenting as a Popliteal Cyst

Here, we describe a popliteal mass that was initially misdiagnosed as a simple popliteal cyst, which finally turned out to be osteochondrolipoma. A 63-year-old housewife presented with sustained knee pain in association with a palpable mass on the popliteal fossa. The mass was in the posteromedial area and soft, non-tender, non-movable in the posteromedial area. Using plain radiography, the mass appeared as a round, soft tissue density lesion containing bony fragments. We performed an ultrasound-guided needle biopsy in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging, followed by an open excisional biopsy. Microscopically, histological sections showed a lipoma with cartilaginous and osseous differentiation, finally diagnosed as osteochondrolipoma. In conclusion, popliteal masses are not always simple cysts, and the evaluation of masses in the popliteal fossa is always necessary.

Surgical Ligation on Significant Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Comparison between Early and Late Ligations

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early surgical ligation (within 15 days of age) over late surgical ligation (after 15 days of age) by a comparative analysis of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants undergoing surgical correction for symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) over the course of 6 years in our hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all the medical records in the neonatal intensive care unit at Hanyang University Seoul Hospital, from March 2007 to May 2013, to identify VLBW infants (< 1,500 g) who underwent surgical PDA ligation. RESULTS: The gestational age (GA) in the late ligation (LL) group was significantly younger than in the early ligation (EL) group (p=0.010). The other baseline characteristics and preoperative conditions did not differ significantly between the two groups. The intubation period before surgery (p < 0.001) and the age at surgery (p < 0.001) were significantly different. The postoperative clinical outcomes of the study patients, including major morbidity and mortality, are summarized. There were no significant differences in bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis, or mortality between the EL and the LL groups. However, the LL group was significantly associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (p=0.037) and with a prolonged duration of the total parenteral nutrition (p=0.046) after adjusting for GA. CONCLUSION: Early surgical ligation for the treatment of PDA that failed to close after medical treatment or in cases contraindicated for medical treatment might be desirable to reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and to alleviate feeding intolerance in preterm infants.

The Demand and Causes of Emergency Medical Service Utilization of Visitors on Jeju Island, South Korea

PURPOSE: Providing proper emergency medical services (EMS) for domestic or international visitors to popular destinations is becoming increasingly important. Jeju Island is the most visited spot in South Korea. The number of people visiting Jeju Island has increased every year, and this was over ten times the registered population on Jeju Island. The purpose of this study was to describe EMS use behavior and to estimate demand for EMS for visitors on Jeju Island. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted on Jeju Island, with 580,000 citizens. EMS is a fire-based system with a single tiered intermediate service level by a single centralized dispatch center, 29 ambulances, and approximately 130 EMS providers. We collected all ambulance run-sheet data, which included comprehensive information as well as patients' address identification, monthly number of visitors, and census data of Jeju Island from January, 2010 to December, 2012. RESULTS: Among 90,674 EMS transports, 7,209 (8%) were excluded because of unknown address of patients, and of all 83,456 (100%) patients using EMS, 9,733 (12%) were visitors and 73,732 (88%) were residents. The percentage of females was higher for visitors than residents (45% vs. 43%, p<0.001) and the mean age was younger in visitors (38+/-19 vs. 54+/-22, p<0.001). Injury was much higher for visitors than residents (63% vs. 38%, p<0.001). The estimated monthly number of EMS use per 10,000 people was 3.7 (95% CI 3.5 to 3.9) in visitors and 35.7 (95% CI 34.9 to 36.5) in residents, with a ratio of 0.104 (95% CI 0.099 to 0.108). The trend of ratio by year was not significant (p=0.630). The correlation between monthly EMS use in visitors and monthly number of unregistered population was significant (Pearson's correlation 0.844). CONCLUSION: Determining EMS use behavior and the demand of EMS in visitors is a critical task. Our results are of interest in preparing and providing the provision of EMS for visitors.

Preoperative Prediction for Length of Patellar Tendon in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autograft / 대한스포츠의학회지

Preoperative prediction of patellar tendon length is important during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft. Three methods of imaging analysis to predict patellar tendon length were compared in this study. One hundred and twenty-three patients who underwent ACL reconstruction using BPTB autograft by single surgeon during October 2002 through April 2011 were included. We measured the patellar tendon length from true and oblique lateral simple radiographs (classified according to degree of rotation) and magnetic resonance image (MRI). These values were compared with actual length measured during operation and assessed accuracy by calculating the coefficient of determination. The mean length of patellar tendon measured during operation and by true lateral and oblique lateral radiographs and MRI were 42.4+/-0.45 mm (range, 32.0-54.0 mm), 41.7+/-0.61 mm (range, 24.2-55.3 mm), 40.7+/-0.57 mm (range, 24.8-51.5 mm), and 41.7+/-0.52 mm (range, 28.7-56.0 mm), respectively. The correlation of patellar tendon length was the most strong between actual length and value from true lateral radiograph (coefficient of determination, r2=0.660) according to simple linear regression analysis. R2 values were 0.361 and 0.332 for oblique lateral radiograph and MRI compared to actual value, respectively. In conclusion, Patellar tendon length measured on true lateral radiograph was the best method to coincide with actual patellar tendon length among various preoperative prediction methods.

Long-term Results of Hybrid Total Knee Arthroplasty: Minimum 10-years Follow-up

PURPOSE: To evaluate the survival rate and long term clinical outcomes of hybrid total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 113 hybrid TKAs (NexGen) in 86 patients that were followed for more than 10 years. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated using revision as an end point. Knee Society Score (KSS) and range of motion were evaluated for clinical assessment and plane radiographs were used to evaluate implant problems. RESULTS: At 11.2 years (range, 10 to 12.2 years) of follow-up on average, 7 knees required revision. The reason for revision was aseptic loosening in 4 knees (1 in femoral and tibial component and 3 in tibial component only) and infection in 3 knees. The survival rate was 93.8% at 12 years for all knees, and 96.5% when septic loosening was excluded. The KSS improved from 29.3 to 91.5 in the Cruciate-Retaining type (CR) and from 21.5 to 90.3 in the posterior stabilizing type (PS) at latest follow-up. The average range of motion was improved from 120.6degrees to 133.8degrees in the CR type and 119.5degrees to 135.5degrees in the PS type. CONCLUSIONS: Hybrid TKA provides good survival rates and clinical results comparable to cemented TKA.

Early Aseptic Loosening after Total Knee Replacement Using Legacy Posterior Stabilized-Flex Prosthesis / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: We analyzed the patterns and causative factors of early aseptic loosening after total knee arthroplasty (TKR) using a legacy posterior stabilized (LPS)-flex prosthesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 483 cases that occurred in 311 patients who underwent TKR using LPS-flex by single surgeon between August 2001 and March 2007 and who were followed-up for at least 2 years. The loosened group included 25 cases that exhibited early aseptic loosening on radiograph, the remaining 458 cases were regarded as the control group, and analysis was performed. RESULTS: The mean loosening period was 34.7 months and femoral component loosening alone was found in 22 cases (88%). There were no statistically significant differences in age, body mass index, or pre-operative range of motion between the 2 groups, but varus deformity was more severe in the loosened group (mean 8.92degrees) than in the control group (mean 5.21degrees) (p=0.003). Protrusion of the femoral component proximally over posterior condyle of the distal femur were more prominent in the loosened group (mean 20.3%) than in the control group (mean 13.4%) (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Early loosening after TKR using LPS-flex prosthesis developed mostly in the femoral component. Choosing a proper size for the femoral component and cutting level for the distal femur should be considered.

Postinfarct Ventricular Septal Defect after Coronary Covered Stent Implantation

We report a case of a postinfarction ventricular septal defect caused by an acute recurrent occlusion after the implantation of a covered stent, which was performed as a rescue procedure for the ruptured left anterior descending artery during a percutaneous coronary intervention. Although the emergent implantation of a covered stent for the ruptured coronary arteries such as the left main coronary artery or the origins of the left anterior descending artery can be performed during a percutaneous coronary intervention, and a coronary bypass surgery should be considered in order to decrease the risk of complete occlusion, thus providing a superior long term patency.

Silastic Molding Method for Pectus Excavatum Correction Using a Polyvinyl Alcohol (Ivalon) Sponge

Pectus excavatum is rare, but it is the most common type of sternal congenital disorder. There are many surgical methods to correct pectus excavatum such as the Ravitch method, Wada method, Silastic mold method, and the Nuss operation. We report a case of minimal invasive surgery for pectus excavatum using a polyvinyl alcohol sponge.

Emergent Surgical Intervention for Embolization of Atrial Septal Defect Closure Device

The percutaneous transcatheter closure of secundum atrial septal defect has recently become an increasingly widespread alternative to surgical closure in many centers. Although immediate, short, and intermediate term results of percutaneous transcatheter septal closure are promising, the procedure is not free from inherent complications that could be lethal. We report a case of device embolization necessitating emergent surgical retrieval.