Effects of Indirect Experience of Client Violence on Social Workers’ Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Objective@#This study aims to empirically determine if indirect exposure to client violence has significant negative effects on social workers’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) the same way direct victimization does. @*Methods@#Using a sample of 1,359 social workers drawn from the data collected by the Seoul Association of Social Workers, this study employs descriptive statistics to examine the prevalence of indirect experiences with client violence, and utilizes a series of hierarchical regression analyses to demonstrate the potential impact of indirect exposure to client violence on PTSD. To assess the severity of PTSD symptoms in participants, the Korean version of the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R-K) was employed. @*Results@#A descriptive analysis shows that 12.4% of the sample indirectly experienced client violence by witnessing it or hearing about a violent incident, whereas 6.0% were directly victimized. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that direct experience (B=4.548, p<0.05) and indirect experience (B=7.297, p<0.001) of client violence have a significant association with the scores on IES-R-K. An investigation of the interaction terms between experiences of client violence and violence-prevention training illustrates that such training significantly moderates the influence on the scores on IES-R-K from indirect exposure to client violence (B=-8.639, p<0.01). @*Conclusion@#Social workers who are indirectly exposed to client violence experience PTSD symptoms comparable to their colleagues who were directly victimized. Further, violence-prevention training has greater ameliorative effects with regard to indirect experience of client violence than for direct victimization.

Ventriculitis Associated with Liver Abscess Caused by Klebsiella Pneumoniae

Klebsiella pneumoniae has been recognized to cause an invasive syndrome characterized by liver abscess and its metastatic infection. The characteristics of metastatic infection involving the central nervous system in this invasive syndrome are poorly understood. The authors report an 84-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus who developed liver abscess caused by K. pneumoniae, complicated with ventriculitis. The patient died despite the antibiotic treatment. Ventriculitis is a rare CNS complication of K. pneumoniae invasive syndrome and requires prompt diagnosis for the appropriate treatment.

Comparison of Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy with Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy and Total Abdominal Hysterectomy / 대한산부인과학회지

The objective of this study is to evaluate short-term results of total laparoscopic hysterectomy with those of total abdominal hysterectomy and laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy in a retrospective study. We compared patient's age, mean uterine weight, total operating time, length of hospital stay and perioperative hemoglobin concentration change between total laparoscopic hysterectomy (300 patients) and total abdominal hysterectomy (100 patients) and laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (52 patients). There were no differences in terms of patient's age, parity between the three groups. There were 7 minor complications in the laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy group compared with 9 minor complications in the abdominal hysterectomy group and 14 minor complications in the total laparoscopic hysterectomy group (P not significant). The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter for total laparoscopic hysterectomy than laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy and total abdominal hysterectomy (p<.001). This study demonstrates that laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy and total laparoscopic hysterectomy appears to be as safe as laparotomy and may replace abdominal hysterectomy in most patients and generally has the advantage of shorter hospital stay and earlier return to normal activities.

The clinical studies on 600 cases of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of total laparoscopic hysterectomy. METHODS: Clinical data about 600 cases who received TLH were collected and the hospital stay, operation time and complication were evaluated. RESULTS: The most common indications for TLH were uterine myomas, adenomyosis, severe endometriosis and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Mean operating time was 90 minutes (range 35-200 min) and hospital stay was 3 days (range 2 days-10 days). The most important factors for the surgery time were uterine size, assistant's skill and presence of adhesions (obliteration of the cul-de-sac due to severe pelvic endometriosis). Several techniques were used, including bipolar coagulation of the ovarian and uterine vessels, and suture of the stump. A special uterine manipulator (RUMITM uterine manipulator with colpotomizer and pneumooccluder balloon) used in all procedures aided in anatomic definition and performing the circumferential colpotomy. We had two cases of ureteral obliteration by using bipolar coagulator, and 3 cases of bladder injuries during operation which was diagnosed and immediately repaired laparoscopically. We had two cases of ureterovaginal fistula, two cases of postoperative ileus and one case of bowel perforation. But there were no cases of death, thrombophlebitis or other pulmonary complications. CONCLUSIONS: Total laparoscopic hysterectomy can be performed safely and effectively when the surgical team is sufficiently trained. And we believe that total laparoscopic hysterectomy offers benefits to the patients in the form of less post-operative pain, shorter time in hospital.