Gender Difference of Blood Pressure Control Rate and Clinical Prognosis in Patients With Resistant Hypertension: Real-World Observation Study

Background@#There are several differences in the clinical course of hypertension due to the biological and social differences between men and women. Resistant hypertension is an advanced disease state, and significant gender difference could be expected, but much has not been revealed yet. The purpose of this study was to compare gender differences on the current status of blood pressure (BP) control and clinical prognosis in patients with resistant hypertension. @*Methods@#This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study using common data model databases of 3 tertiary hospitals in Korea. Total 4,926 patients with resistant hypertension were selected from January 2017 to December 2018. Occurrence of dialysis, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, myocardial infarction, stroke, dementia or all-cause mortality was followed up for 3 years. @*Results@#Male patients with resistant hypertension were younger but had a higher cardiovascular risk than female patients. Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and proteinuria was higher in men than in women. On-treatment diastolic BP was lower in women than in men and target BP achievement rate was higher in women than in men.During 3 years, the incidence of dialysis and myocardial infarction was higher in men, and the incidence of stroke and dementia was higher in women. After adjustment, male sex was an independent risk factor for HF hospitalization, myocardial infarction, and all-cause death. @*Conclusion@#In resistant hypertension, men were younger than women, but end-organ damage was more common and the risk of cardiovascular event was higher. More intensive cardiovascular prevention strategies may be required in male patients with resistant hypertension.

Safety and Efficacy of Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Versus Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in Real-World Practice

Background@#The risk of device thrombosis and device-oriented clinical outcomes with bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) was reported to be significantly higher than with contemporary drug-eluting stents (DESs). However, optimal device implantation may improve clinical outcomes in patients receiving BVS. The current study evaluated mid-term safety and efficacy of Absorb BVS with meticulous device optimization under intravascular imaging guidance. @*Methods@#The SMART-REWARD and PERSPECTIVE-PCI registries in Korea prospectively enrolled 390 patients with BVS and 675 patients with DES, respectively. The primary endpoint was target vessel failure (TVF) at 2 years and the secondary major endpoint was patientoriented composite outcome (POCO) at 2 years. @*Results@#Patient-level pooled analysis evaluated 1,003 patients (377 patients with BVS and 626 patients with DES). Mean scaffold diameter per lesion was 3.24 ± 0.30 mm in BVS group.Most BVSs were implanted with pre-dilatation (90.9%), intravascular imaging guidance (74.9%), and post-dilatation (73.1%) at proximal to mid segment (81.9%) in target vessel.Patients treated with BVS showed comparable risks of 2-year TVF (2.9% vs. 3.7%, adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.283, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.487–3.378, P = 0.615) and 2-year POCO (4.5% vs. 5.9%, adjusted HR, 1.413, 95% CI, 0.663–3.012,P = 0.370) than those with DES. The rate of 2-year definite or probable device thrombosis (0.3% vs. 0.5%, P = 0.424) was also similar. The sensitivity analyses consistently showed comparable risk of TVF and POCO between the 2 groups. @*Conclusion@#With meticulous device optimization under imaging guidance and avoidance of implantation in small vessels, BVS showed comparable risks of 2-year TVF and device thrombosis with DES.

The Clinical Impact of β-Blocker Therapy on Patients With Chronic Coronary Artery Disease After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background and Objectives@#The outcome benefits of β-blockers in chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) have not been fully assessed. We evaluated the prognostic impact of β-blockers on patients with chronic CAD after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). @*Methods@#A total of 3,075 patients with chronic CAD were included from the Grand DrugEluting Stent registry. We analyzed β-blocker prescriptions, including doses and types, in each patient at 3-month intervals from discharge. After propensity score matching, 1,170 pairs of patients (β-blockers vs. no β-blockers) were derived. Primary outcome was defined as a composite endpoint of all-cause death and myocardial infarction (MI). We further analyzed the outcome benefits of different doses (low-, medium-, and high-dose) and types (conventional or vasodilating) of β-blockers. @*Results@#During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 3.1 (3.0–3.1) years, 134 (5.7%) patients experienced primary outcome. Overall, β-blockers demonstrated no significant benefit in primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63–1.24), all-cause death (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.60–1.25), and MI (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.49–3.15). In subgroup analysis, β-blockers were associated with a lower risk of all-cause death in patients with previous MI and/ or revascularization (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.14–0.99) (p for interaction=0.045). No significant associations were found for the clinical outcomes with different doses and types of β-blockers. @*Conclusions@#Overall, β-blocker therapy was not associated with better clinical outcomes in patients with chronic CAD undergoing PCI. Limited mortality benefit of β-blockers may exist for patients with previous MI and/or revascularization.

Characteristics of Symptomatic Belching in Patients With Belching Disorder and Patients Who Exhibit Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease With Belching

Background/Aims@#Belching disorder (BD) is clinically distinct from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with belching. Supragastric belching (SGB) is closely associated with reflux episodes. This study investigates belch characteristics in association with reflux, compared between patients with BD and those who had GERD with belching. @*Methods@#Impedance pH monitoring data from 10 patients with BD and 10 patients with GERD who exhibited belching were retrospectively analyzed. Belches were considered “isolated“ or “reflux-related” and acidicon-acidic. Belch characteristics were compared between patients with BD and those with GERD. @*Results@#Symptomatic belches were more frequent in patients with BD than in patients with GERD (median, 160.5 vs 56.0, P < 0.05). SGB was the most common type in both groups; common subtypes comprised “isolated“ in patients with BD and “isolated during the reflux period” in patients with GERD. Reflux-related SGB was more common in patients with GERD than in BD (78.3% vs 45.2%, P < 0.005).Both “preceding belching” including the reflux period and acidic SGB were more common in patients with GERD than in BD (31.8% vs 8.6% and 38.1% vs 8.9%, both P < 0.05). Supragastric belch number positively correlated with all reflux episodes in patients with GERD (adjusted R2 = 0.572, P = 0.007). @*Conclusions@#BD is characterized by more belching, compared to GERD. SGB is more frequently associated with reflux in GERD than in BD; acidity may be related to GERD. In BD, SGB is typically non-acidic and unrelated to reflux. Distinct SGB characteristics may reflect different pathogenic mechanisms of reflux and associated symptoms.

Characteristics of Symptomatic Belching in Patients With Belching Disorder and Patients Who Exhibit Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease With Belching

Background/Aims@#Belching disorder (BD) is clinically distinct from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with belching. Supragastric belching (SGB) is closely associated with reflux episodes. This study investigates belch characteristics in association with reflux, compared between patients with BD and those who had GERD with belching. @*Methods@#Impedance pH monitoring data from 10 patients with BD and 10 patients with GERD who exhibited belching were retrospectively analyzed. Belches were considered “isolated“ or “reflux-related” and acidicon-acidic. Belch characteristics were compared between patients with BD and those with GERD. @*Results@#Symptomatic belches were more frequent in patients with BD than in patients with GERD (median, 160.5 vs 56.0, P < 0.05). SGB was the most common type in both groups; common subtypes comprised “isolated“ in patients with BD and “isolated during the reflux period” in patients with GERD. Reflux-related SGB was more common in patients with GERD than in BD (78.3% vs 45.2%, P < 0.005).Both “preceding belching” including the reflux period and acidic SGB were more common in patients with GERD than in BD (31.8% vs 8.6% and 38.1% vs 8.9%, both P < 0.05). Supragastric belch number positively correlated with all reflux episodes in patients with GERD (adjusted R2 = 0.572, P = 0.007). @*Conclusions@#BD is characterized by more belching, compared to GERD. SGB is more frequently associated with reflux in GERD than in BD; acidity may be related to GERD. In BD, SGB is typically non-acidic and unrelated to reflux. Distinct SGB characteristics may reflect different pathogenic mechanisms of reflux and associated symptoms.

One-Year Clinical Outcomes between Single- versus Multi-Staged PCI for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction with Multi-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease: from Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health (KAMIR-NIH)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although complete revascularization is known superior to incomplete revascularization in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease (MVCD), there are no definite instructions on the optimal timing of non-culprit lesions percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We compared 1-year clinical outcomes between 2 different complete multi-vessel revascularization strategies.METHODS: From the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health, 606 patients with STEMI and MVCD who underwent complete revascularization were enrolled from November 2011 to December 2015. The patients were assigned to multi-vessel single-staged PCI (SS PCI) group (n=254) or multi-vessel multi-staged PCI (MS PCI) group (n=352). Propensity score matched 1-year clinical outcomes were compared between the groups.RESULTS: At one year, MS PCI showed a significantly lower rate of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42; 95% confidential interval [CI], 0.19–0.92; p=0.030) compared with SS PCI. In subgroup analysis, all-cause mortality increased in SS PCI with cardiogenic shock (HR, 4.60; 95% CI, 1.54–13.77; p=0.006), age ≥65 years (HR, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.67–9.58, p=0.002), Killip class III/IV (HR, 7.32; 95% CI, 1.68–31.87; p=0.008), and creatinine clearance ≤60 mL/min (HR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.10–7.18; p=0.031). After propensity score-matching, MS PCI showed a significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular event than SS PCI.CONCLUSIONS: SS PCI was associated with worse clinical outcomes compared with MS PCI. MS PCI for non-infarct-related artery could be a better option for patients with STEMI and MVCD, especially high-risk patients.

One-Year Clinical Outcomes between Single- versus Multi-Staged PCI for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction with Multi-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease: from Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health (KAMIR-NIH)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#Although complete revascularization is known superior to incomplete revascularization in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease (MVCD), there are no definite instructions on the optimal timing of non-culprit lesions percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We compared 1-year clinical outcomes between 2 different complete multi-vessel revascularization strategies.@*METHODS@#From the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health, 606 patients with STEMI and MVCD who underwent complete revascularization were enrolled from November 2011 to December 2015. The patients were assigned to multi-vessel single-staged PCI (SS PCI) group (n=254) or multi-vessel multi-staged PCI (MS PCI) group (n=352). Propensity score matched 1-year clinical outcomes were compared between the groups.@*RESULTS@#At one year, MS PCI showed a significantly lower rate of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42; 95% confidential interval [CI], 0.19–0.92; p=0.030) compared with SS PCI. In subgroup analysis, all-cause mortality increased in SS PCI with cardiogenic shock (HR, 4.60; 95% CI, 1.54–13.77; p=0.006), age ≥65 years (HR, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.67–9.58, p=0.002), Killip class III/IV (HR, 7.32; 95% CI, 1.68–31.87; p=0.008), and creatinine clearance ≤60 mL/min (HR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.10–7.18; p=0.031). After propensity score-matching, MS PCI showed a significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular event than SS PCI.@*CONCLUSIONS@#SS PCI was associated with worse clinical outcomes compared with MS PCI. MS PCI for non-infarct-related artery could be a better option for patients with STEMI and MVCD, especially high-risk patients.

Gender differences in the presentation of chest pain in obstructive coronary artery disease: results from the Korean Women’s Chest Pain Registry

Background/Aims@#Chest pain in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (OCAD) is affected by several social factors. The gender-based differences in chest pain among Koreans have yet to be investigated. @*Methods@#The study consecutively enrolled 1,549 patients (male/female, 514/1,035; 61 ± 11 years old) with suspected angina. The predictive factors for OCAD based on gender were evaluated. @*Results@#Men experienced more squeezing type pain on the left side of chest, while women demonstrated more dull quality pain in the retrosternal and epigastric area. After adjustment for risk factors, pain in the retrosternal area (odds ratio [OR], 1.491; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.178 to 1.887) and aggravation by exercise (OR, 2.235; 95% CI, 1.745 to 2.861) were positively associated with OCAD. In men, shorter duration (OR, 1.581; 95% CI, 1.086 to 2.303) and dyspnea (OR, 1.610; 95% CI, 1.040 to 2.490) increased the probability for OCAD, while left-sided chest pain suggested a low probability for OCAD (OR, 0.590; 95% CI, 0.388 to 0.897). In women, aggravation by emotional stress (OR, 0.348; 95% CI, 0.162 to 0.746) and dizziness (OR, 0.457; 95% CI, 0.246 to 0.849) decreased the probability for OCAD. @*Conclusions@#This is the first study to focus on gender differences in chest pain among Koreans with angina. Symptoms with high probability for OCAD were different between sexes. Our findings suggest that patient’s medical history in pretest assessment for OCAD should be individualized considering gender.

Pulmonary hypertension in patients with Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms: a single-center retrospective analysis of 225 patients

Background@#The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) varies among studies. We analyzed the prevalence of PH in Korean patients with Philadelphia-negative (Ph-) MPNs. @*Methods@#Medical records of patients with Ph- MPNs [essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), or primary myelofibrosis (PMF)] visiting a single hospital between 1993 and 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Transthoracic echocardiographic examination (TTE) results were reviewed and PH was diagnosed according to established guidelines. @*Results@#Of the 320 MPN (179 ET, 107 PV, and 34 PMF) patients, 225 (121 ET, 83 PV, and 21 PMF) underwent TTE. Of these 225 MPN patients, 19 of 121 (15.7%) ET, 9 of 83 (10.8%) PV, and 6 of 21 (28.6%) PMF patients had PH. PV patients with PH were older [71 (42‒85) vs. 61.5 (26‒91) yr, respectively; P =0.049], predominantly female (male:female ratio, 0.29 vs. 1.96, respectively; P =0.010), had lower hemoglobin levels (15.9±2.6 g/dL vs. 18.4±2.6 g/dL, respectively; P =0.010), and higher platelet counts (616.6±284.2×109/L vs. 437.7±191.7×109/L, respectively; P =0.020) than PV patients without PH. PMF patients with PH had higher monocyte counts (1.3±0.5×109/L vs. 0.8±0.4×109/L, respectively; P =0.031) than those without PH. PH was a risk factor for poor survival in PV (HR, 12.4; 95% CI, 1.8‒86.6). @*Conclusion@#PH is common in patients with Ph- MPNs and hence, careful screening for PH is warranted.

Impact of Thrombus Aspiration on Clinical Outcomes in Korean Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction / 전남의대학술지

We evaluated whether thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduces adverse clinical outcomes within 30-days and 1-year periods. There is no well-designed, Korean data about the clinical impact of intracoronary TA during primary PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). From the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health, 3749 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI within 12 hours (60.8±12.9 years, 18.7% women) with pre-procedural Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow 0, 1 in coronary angiography were enrolled between November 2011 and December 2015. The patients were divided into two groups: PCI with TA (n=1630) and PCI alone (n=2119). The primary end-point was major adverse cardiac event (MACE), defined as the composite of cardiovascular death (CVD), recurrent MI and stroke for 30-days and 1-year. TA did not diminish the risk of MACE, all-cause mortality and CVD in all patients during 30-days or 1-year. After performing the propensity score matching, TA also did not reduce the risk of MACE (Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.187 [0.863-1.633], p value=0.291), all-cause mortality (HR with 95% CI: 1.130 [0.776-1.647], p value=0.523) and CVD (HR with 95% CI: 1.222 [0.778-1.920], p value=0.384) during the 1-year period. In subgroup analysis, there was no benefit of clinical outcomes favoring PCI with TA. In conclusion, primary PCI with TA did not reduce MACE, all-cause mortality or CVD among the Korean patients with STEMI and pre-procedural TIMI flow 0, 1 during the 30-day and 1-year follow ups.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension: Based on the Guidelines of the Korean Society of Hypertension

Since the new hypertension guideline published by the American Heart Association/American College Cardiology/American Society of Hypertension in 2017, the Korean Society of Hypertension and the European Society of Hypertension revised and announced new hypertension guidelines. Also the Korean Society of Hypertension published Korea hypertension fact sheet 2018, including prevalence, awareness, management status of hypertension, and their trends in Korea. Herein, I provide information on diagnosis and treatment of hypertension based on the new guidelines of the Korean Society of Hypertension.

The Effect of an Empathy Education Program on Nursing Students' Empathy Ability, Interpersonal Ability, and Caring / 한국간호교육학회지

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effects of an empathy education program for undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: The study employed a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. A total of 46 nursing students were voluntarily recruited by convenience sampling from senior nursing students from the nursing department of K college in I city, Korea. Participants were divided into two groups, an experimental group of 23 and a control group of 23. The experimental intervention (empathy education program) was conducted from April 19 to May 6, 2016 and consisted of 150-minute sessions, twice a week, for 3 weeks for a total of 15 hours. RESULTS: Participants demonstrated improvements in perspective taking in cognitive empathy, improved empathic concern in emotional empathy, and improved communicative empathy. Analysis of reflective writings identified four theme clusters regarding communicative empathy: improvement of empathic expression, experiencing comfort and healing, improvement of interpersonal relationships, and experience of conflict resolution. Improved interpersonal ability and caring were also identified. CONCLUSION: The empathy education program improved cognitive, emotional and communicative empathy, and interpersonal skills and care, which are all necessary qualities for nurses.

The Proximal Optimization Technique Improves Clinical Outcomes When Treated without Kissing Ballooning in Patients with a Bifurcation Lesion

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are limited data regarding the clinical efficacy of the proximal optimization technique (POT) in the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions. We investigated the influence of POT on the clinical outcomes of patients with coronary bifurcation lesions. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 1,191 patients with a bifurcation lesion with a side branch (SB) diameter ≥2.5 mm treated with a drug-eluting stent from 18 centers between January 2003 and December 2009. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs: cardiac death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization [TLR]). We performed one-to-many (1:N) propensity score matching with non-fixed matching ratio. RESULTS: POT was performed in 252 patients. During follow-up (median 37 months), the incidence of MACE was lower in the POT group than it was in the non-POT group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24–0.79; p=0.006). After propensity score matching, these were 0.34; 95% CI, 0.17–0.69; p=0.003 for MACE and 0.37; 95% CI, 0.17–0.78; p=0.01 for TLR. The use of POT was associated with significantly lower TLR in patients treated without kissing ballooning, but was not in those who underwent kissing ballooning (p for interaction=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In coronary bifurcation lesions with a large SB, POT may be beneficial to improve long-term clinical outcome, particularly in patients treated without kissing ballooning during the procedure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01642992

Influence of Career Plateau on the Job Satisfaction and Nursing Competency of General Hospital Nurses / 산업간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the degree of career plateau in general hospital nurses, to examine the affects of career plateau on nurses' job satisfaction and nursing competency. METHODS: The sample consisted of 234 general hospital nurses. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation and Hierarchical Multiple Regression. RESULTS: Nurses' career plateau was associated with their job satisfaction, nursing competency. A statistically significant difference in job satisfaction was career plateau, charge nurse or higher in position and resilience predicted 41% of variance in job satisfaction of general hospital nurses. A statistically significant difference in nursing competency was total clinical experience, career plateau, preceptorship experience, charge nurse or higher in position and resilience predicted 43% of variance in nursing competency of general hospital nurses. CONCLUSION: These results of this study as presented above show that general hospital nurses' career plateau is associated with their job satisfaction and nursing competency. Career plateau is the most important variable in nursing competency. Based on the findings, general hospital nurses' career plateau management is empirically verified as a useful and effective method to increase their job satisfaction and nursing competency.

Clinical outcomes of positive resection margin after endoscopic mucosal resection of early colon cancers

BACKGROUND/AIMS: When determining the subsequent management after endoscopic resection of the early colon cancer (ECC), various factors including the margin status should be considered. This study assessed the subsequent management and outcomes of ECCs according to margin status.METHODS: We examined the data of 223 ECCs treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) from 215 patients during 2004 to 2014, and all patients were followed-up at least for 2 years.RESULTS: According to histological analyses, the margin statuses of all lesions after EMR were as follows: 138 cases (61.9%) were negative, 65 cases (29.1%) were positive for dysplastic cells on the resection margins, and 20 cases (8.9%) were uncertain. The decision regarding subsequent management was affected not only by pathologic outcomes but also by the endoscopist’s opinion on whether complete resection was obtained. Surgery was preferred if the lesion extended to the submucosa (odds ratio [OR], 25.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.09–91.42), the endoscopic resection was presumed incomplete (OR, 15.55; 95% CI, 4.28–56.56), or the lymph system was invaded (OR, 13.69; 95% CI, 1.76–106.57). Fourteen patients (6.2%) had residual or recurrent malignancies at the site of the previous ECC resection and were significantly associated with presumed incomplete endoscopic resection (OR, 4.59; 95% CI, 1.21–17.39) and submucosal invasion (OR, 5.14; 95% CI, 1.18–22.34).CONCLUSIONS: Subsequent surgery was associated with submucosa invasion, lymphatic invasion, and cancer-positive margins. Presumed completeness of the resection may be helpful for guiding the subsequent management of patients who undergo endoscopic resection of ECC.

Safety and Efficacy of Biodegradable Polymer-biolimus-eluting Stents (BP-BES) Compared with Durable Polymer-everolimus-eluting Stents (DP-EES) in Patients Undergoing Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are no data comparing clinical outcomes of complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between biodegradable polymer-biolimus-eluting stents (BP-BES) and durable polymer-everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES). We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BP-BES compared with DP-EES in patients undergoing complex PCI. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the SMART-DESK registry were stratified into 2 categories based on the complexity of PCI. Complex PCI was defined as having at least one of the following features: unprotected left main lesion, ≥2 lesions treated, total stent length >40 mm, minimal stent diameter ≤2.5 mm, or bifurcation as target lesion. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (TV-MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Of 1,999 patients, 1,145 (57.3%) underwent complex PCI: 521 patients were treated with BP-BES and 624 with DP-EES. In propensity-score matching analysis (481 pairs), the risks of TLF (3.8% vs. 5.2%, adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.578; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.246–1.359; p=0.209), cardiac death (2.5% vs. 2.5%, adjusted HR, 0.787; 95% CI, 0.244–2.539; p=0.689), TV-MI (0.5% vs. 0.4%, adjusted HR, 1.128; 95% CI, 0.157–8.093; p=0.905), and TLR (1.1% vs. 2.9%, adjusted HR, 0.390; 95% CI, 0.139–1.095; p=0.074) did not differ between 2 stent groups after complex PCI. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical outcomes of BP-BES were comparable to those of DP-EES at 2 years after complex PCI. Our data suggest that use of BP-BES is acceptable, even for complex PCI.

Clinical outcomes of patients with a single hepatocellular carcinoma less than 5 cm treated with transarterial chemoembolization

BACKGROUND/AIMS@#Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is performed for single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that are not eligible for surgery or ablation therapy. We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients with a single HCC ≤ 5 cm treated with TACE.@*METHODS@#This study analyzed 175 consecutive patients who underwent TACE as an initial treatment for single HCC ≤ 5 cm. Predictive factors for complete response (CR), recurrence after CR, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#Total 119 patients (68%) achieved CR after TACE. Tumor size 65 years and absence of liver cirrhosis were predictive factors for non-recurrence after CR (p < 0.05). The OS for all patients was 80.7 ± 5.6 months, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 88.1%, 64.8%, and 49.9%, respectively. In multivariate analysis for OS, CR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.467; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.292 to 0.747) and Child class A (HR, 0.390; 95% CI, 0.243 to 0.626) were significant factors. The OS for the CR and Child class A group were 92 and 93.6 months, respectively, and that of the non-CR and Child B, C group were 53.3 and 50.7 months, respectively (p < 0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#TACE can be a valid treatment in patients with a single HCC ≤ 5 cm not suitable for curative treatment, especially in patients with Child class A and CR after TACE.

Influence of Career Plateau on the Job Satisfaction and Nursing Competency of General Hospital Nurses / 한국직업건강간호학회지

PURPOSE@#This study was conducted to examine the degree of career plateau in general hospital nurses, to examine the affects of career plateau on nurses' job satisfaction and nursing competency.@*METHODS@#The sample consisted of 234 general hospital nurses. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation and Hierarchical Multiple Regression.@*RESULTS@#Nurses' career plateau was associated with their job satisfaction, nursing competency. A statistically significant difference in job satisfaction was career plateau, charge nurse or higher in position and resilience predicted 41% of variance in job satisfaction of general hospital nurses. A statistically significant difference in nursing competency was total clinical experience, career plateau, preceptorship experience, charge nurse or higher in position and resilience predicted 43% of variance in nursing competency of general hospital nurses.@*CONCLUSION@#These results of this study as presented above show that general hospital nurses' career plateau is associated with their job satisfaction and nursing competency. Career plateau is the most important variable in nursing competency. Based on the findings, general hospital nurses' career plateau management is empirically verified as a useful and effective method to increase their job satisfaction and nursing competency.

The Proximal Optimization Technique Improves Clinical Outcomes When Treated without Kissing Ballooning in Patients with a Bifurcation Lesion

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#There are limited data regarding the clinical efficacy of the proximal optimization technique (POT) in the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions. We investigated the influence of POT on the clinical outcomes of patients with coronary bifurcation lesions.@*METHODS@#We enrolled a total of 1,191 patients with a bifurcation lesion with a side branch (SB) diameter ≥2.5 mm treated with a drug-eluting stent from 18 centers between January 2003 and December 2009. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs: cardiac death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization [TLR]). We performed one-to-many (1:N) propensity score matching with non-fixed matching ratio.@*RESULTS@#POT was performed in 252 patients. During follow-up (median 37 months), the incidence of MACE was lower in the POT group than it was in the non-POT group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24–0.79; p=0.006). After propensity score matching, these were 0.34; 95% CI, 0.17–0.69; p=0.003 for MACE and 0.37; 95% CI, 0.17–0.78; p=0.01 for TLR. The use of POT was associated with significantly lower TLR in patients treated without kissing ballooning, but was not in those who underwent kissing ballooning (p for interaction=0.03).@*CONCLUSIONS@#In coronary bifurcation lesions with a large SB, POT may be beneficial to improve long-term clinical outcome, particularly in patients treated without kissing ballooning during the procedure.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01642992

Safety and Efficacy of Biodegradable Polymer-biolimus-eluting Stents (BP-BES) Compared with Durable Polymer-everolimus-eluting Stents (DP-EES) in Patients Undergoing Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#There are no data comparing clinical outcomes of complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between biodegradable polymer-biolimus-eluting stents (BP-BES) and durable polymer-everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES). We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BP-BES compared with DP-EES in patients undergoing complex PCI.@*METHODS@#Patients enrolled in the SMART-DESK registry were stratified into 2 categories based on the complexity of PCI. Complex PCI was defined as having at least one of the following features: unprotected left main lesion, ≥2 lesions treated, total stent length >40 mm, minimal stent diameter ≤2.5 mm, or bifurcation as target lesion. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (TV-MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 2 years of follow-up.@*RESULTS@#Of 1,999 patients, 1,145 (57.3%) underwent complex PCI: 521 patients were treated with BP-BES and 624 with DP-EES. In propensity-score matching analysis (481 pairs), the risks of TLF (3.8% vs. 5.2%, adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.578; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.246–1.359; p=0.209), cardiac death (2.5% vs. 2.5%, adjusted HR, 0.787; 95% CI, 0.244–2.539; p=0.689), TV-MI (0.5% vs. 0.4%, adjusted HR, 1.128; 95% CI, 0.157–8.093; p=0.905), and TLR (1.1% vs. 2.9%, adjusted HR, 0.390; 95% CI, 0.139–1.095; p=0.074) did not differ between 2 stent groups after complex PCI.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Clinical outcomes of BP-BES were comparable to those of DP-EES at 2 years after complex PCI. Our data suggest that use of BP-BES is acceptable, even for complex PCI.