Effects of emergency doctor’s hospitalization authority from internal medicine and utilizing emergency ward on length of stay in emergency department

Objective@#The emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) is related to ED overcrowding and emergency practice. This study aimed to investigate the effects of enabling an ED doctor to have the authority to make hospitalization decisions and utilization of the emergency ward on ED LOS. @*Methods@#This retrospective observational study included patients who were admitted through a local emergency medical center. We compared the ED LOS between the periods' March to July 2018 and March to July 2019. In the latter period, ED doctors were authorized to take decisions on patient hospitalizations from the internal medicine department, and the emergency ward was operated under these new conditions. @*Results@#A total of 6,291 patients were included in the study, with 2,934 in 2018 and 3,357 in 2019. In the comparison of ED LOS for internal medicine inpatients by year, there was a significant reduction in the total ED LOS (1,129.0 [491.0-1,618.0] minutes vs. 539.0 [344.0-1,016.25] minutes, P<0.001), LOS before the admission decision (345.0 [198.0-634.0] minutes vs. 280.0 [176.0-442.3] minutes, P<0.001), and LOS after the admission decision (415.0 [147.0-1,089.0] minutes vs. 179.5 [80.0-422.0] minutes, P<0.001). In a subgroup analysis of internal medicine inpatients in 2019, the admission sheets of an ED doctor showed a significant decrease in LOS before the admission decision (268.0 [170.5-424.5] minutes vs. 404.0 [252.0-570.5] minutes, P<0.001). Also, the utilization of the emergency ward showed a significant decrease in LOS after the admission decision (147.0 [75.0-283.0] minutes vs. 187.0 [81.0-460.0] minutes, P<0.001). @*Conclusion@#The delegation of hospitalization decisions to the ED doctor and the subsequent utilization of the emergency ward shorten the ED LOS of internal medicine inpatients.

Analysis of risk factors between influenza and the occurrence of complicated influenza

Objective@#Influenza is an acute, respiratory viral disease, and may lead to complications such as pneumonia, which presents with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies did not have sufficient data regarding the risk factors and complications of the H1N1 flu caused by the influenza A virus subtype H1N1 during the 2009 pandemic in Korea. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the characteristics and risk factors of complicated influenza. @*Methods@#Data were collected from influenza patients who visited a local emergency center in Daegu from January 2017 to December 2019. The study population was divided into three groups: influenza, influenza pneumonia, and influenza with a bacterial infection. The patients’ sex, age, influenza type, comorbidities, vital signs, symptoms, laboratory findings, and clinical outcomes were investigated for the risk analysis of complicated influenza. @*Results@#The total number of patients was 574, of which 393 (68.5%) had influenza only, 135 (23.5%) had influenza pneumonia, and 46 (8%) had influenza with a bacterial infection. The odds ratio of complicated influenza was found using multivariate logistic regression analysis; for influenza pneumonia, it was 2.94 for patients aged over 65-years, 3.47 for those with an elevated procalcitonin level, 2.24 for cough, 6.41 for dyspnea, and 3.11 for renal disease. For influenza with bacterial infection, the odds ratio was 2.31 for males, 2.68 for over 80-year-olds, 3.75 for elevated procalcitonin levels, 7.61 for dyspnea, and 3.65 for nursing home residents. @*Conclusion@#The risk factors of complicated influenza were advanced age, elevated procalcitonin level, dyspnea, renal disease, and residing in a nursing home.

What is the appropriate time for emergent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with acute cholangitis?

Objective@#Acute cholangitis is a clinical condition caused by infection of an obstructed biliary system, which is normally managed with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and biliary drainage. Although endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the preferred method of biliary drainage, guidelines for biliary drainage time remain unclear. @*Methods@#The current research is a retrospective study of patients with acute cholangitis who had undergone ERCP between January 2016 and December 2019. We investigated the effect of the time taken from visit to the emergency department and commencement of the ERCP, on hospital length of stay. @*Results@#A total of 441 patients were included in this study. No association was observed between the severity of acute cholangitis and ERCP time. However, the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter for patients who underwent ERCP less than 12 hours after arrival at the emergency department. @*Conclusion@#Conducting ERCP within 12 hours of arrival is associated with reduced hospital stays, regardless of the severity of acute cholangitis.

Characteristics of alcohol-related non-traffic accident trauma patients

Objective@#The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of alcohol-related non-traffic accident trauma patients. @*Methods@#A total of 2,582 non-traffic accident patients, above 16 years old, who visited the emergency department (ED) from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were categorized as alcohol group (A group) and no alcohol group (NA group) after checking their electronic medical records. Their general characteristics, the severity of their injury, and their ED length of stay were compared. @*Results@#The A group included younger patients, a higher percentage of males, and a higher frequency of visits to the ED via the 119 ambulance route than the NA group. The A group had a higher proportion of patients being struck by a person or object in terms of the mechanism of injury, intentional violence, and head injuries, especially in the face as compared to the NA group. In terms of the severity of the injury, the Injury Severity Score was lower in the A group than in the NA group, and the ratio of bone fracture and/or cerebral hemorrhage was also lower. As per the survey, the A group tended to stay in the ED longer than the NA group. @*Conclusion@#The characteristics of alcohol-related non-traffic accident trauma patients show that they have a relatively long stay in the ED, a high ratio of facial injury with low trauma severity, and need professional treatment facilities with specialized personnel and equipment.

Prevalence and Incidence of Dementia in South Korea:A Nationwide Analysis of the National Health Insurance Service Senior Cohort

Background@#and Purpose Dementia is rapidly becoming more common in the elderly population of South Korea, and there are regional difference in its demographics. This study investigated the trajectories in the prevalence and incidence of dementia based on the Seoul metropolitan area and other areas in South Korea using big data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). @*Methods@#We examined a population-based elderly cohort obtained from the NHIS Senior Cohort (NHIS-SC) data set that comprises approximately half a million recipients of medical insurance in South Korea during 2003–2015. The age-standardized prevalence and incidence of dementia as well as their trajectories from 2003 were estimated. Regional differences in these rates between Seoul metropolitan area and other areas were also analyzed. @*Results@#The standardized prevalence of dementia per 100,000 increased significantly from 178.11 in 2003 to 5,319.01 in 2015 (p<0.001). The standardized prevalence of dementia was higher in other areas than in Seoul metropolitan area. The standardized incidence of dementia per 100,000 person-years also increased significantly, from 126.41 in 2003 to 2,218.25 in 2015 (p<0.001). The standardized incidence of dementia was similarly higher in other areas than in Seoul metropolitan area (p<0.001). @*Conclusions@#This study has shown that the standardized prevalence and incidence of dementia increased steadily from 2003 to 2015 in South Korea based on the NHIS-SC data set, and differed between Seoul metropolitan area and other areas.

Prevalence and Incidence of Dementia in South Korea:A Nationwide Analysis of the National Health Insurance Service Senior Cohort

Background@#and Purpose Dementia is rapidly becoming more common in the elderly population of South Korea, and there are regional difference in its demographics. This study investigated the trajectories in the prevalence and incidence of dementia based on the Seoul metropolitan area and other areas in South Korea using big data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). @*Methods@#We examined a population-based elderly cohort obtained from the NHIS Senior Cohort (NHIS-SC) data set that comprises approximately half a million recipients of medical insurance in South Korea during 2003–2015. The age-standardized prevalence and incidence of dementia as well as their trajectories from 2003 were estimated. Regional differences in these rates between Seoul metropolitan area and other areas were also analyzed. @*Results@#The standardized prevalence of dementia per 100,000 increased significantly from 178.11 in 2003 to 5,319.01 in 2015 (p<0.001). The standardized prevalence of dementia was higher in other areas than in Seoul metropolitan area. The standardized incidence of dementia per 100,000 person-years also increased significantly, from 126.41 in 2003 to 2,218.25 in 2015 (p<0.001). The standardized incidence of dementia was similarly higher in other areas than in Seoul metropolitan area (p<0.001). @*Conclusions@#This study has shown that the standardized prevalence and incidence of dementia increased steadily from 2003 to 2015 in South Korea based on the NHIS-SC data set, and differed between Seoul metropolitan area and other areas.

Characteristics of alcohol-related non-traffic accident trauma patients

Objective@#The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of alcohol-related non-traffic accident trauma patients. @*Methods@#A total of 2,582 non-traffic accident patients, above 16 years old, who visited the emergency department (ED) from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were categorized as alcohol group (A group) and no alcohol group (NA group) after checking their electronic medical records. Their general characteristics, the severity of their injury, and their ED length of stay were compared. @*Results@#The A group included younger patients, a higher percentage of males, and a higher frequency of visits to the ED via the 119 ambulance route than the NA group. The A group had a higher proportion of patients being struck by a person or object in terms of the mechanism of injury, intentional violence, and head injuries, especially in the face as compared to the NA group. In terms of the severity of the injury, the Injury Severity Score was lower in the A group than in the NA group, and the ratio of bone fracture and/or cerebral hemorrhage was also lower. As per the survey, the A group tended to stay in the ED longer than the NA group. @*Conclusion@#The characteristics of alcohol-related non-traffic accident trauma patients show that they have a relatively long stay in the ED, a high ratio of facial injury with low trauma severity, and need professional treatment facilities with specialized personnel and equipment.

Revised Triage and Surveillance Protocols for Temporary Emergency Department Closures in Tertiary Hospitals as a Response to COVID-19 Crisis in Daegu Metropolitan City

Background@#When an emergency-care patient is diagnosed with an emerging infectious disease, hospitals in Korea may temporarily close their emergency departments (EDs) to prevent nosocomial transmission. Since February 2020, multiple, consecutive ED closures have occurred due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis in Daegu. However, sudden ED closures are in contravention of laws for the provision of emergency medical care that enable the public to avail prompt, appropriate, and 24-hour emergency medical care. Therefore, this study ascertained the vulnerability of the ED at tertiary hospitals in Daegu with regard to the current standards. A revised triage and surveillance protocol has been proposed to tackle the current crisis. @*Methods@#This study was retrospectively conducted at 6 level 1 or 2 EDs in a metropolitan city where ED closure due to COVID-19 occurred from February 18 to March 26, 2020. The present status of ED closure and patient characteristics and findings from chest radiography and laboratory investigations were assessed. Based on the experience from repeated ED closures and the modified systems that are currently used in EDs, revised triage and surveillance protocols have been developed and proposed. @*Results@#During the study period, 6 level 1 or 2 emergency rooms included in the study were shut down 27 times for 769 hours. Thirty-one confirmed COVID-19 cases, of whom 7 died, were associated with the incidence of ED closure. Typical patient presentation with respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 was seen in less than 50% of patients, whereas abnormal findings on chest imaging investigations were detected in 93.5% of the study population. The chest radiography facility, resuscitation rooms, and triage area were moved to locations outside the ED, and a new surveillance protocol was applied to determine the factors warranting quarantine, including symptoms, chest radiographic findings, and exposure to a source of infection. The incidence of ED closures decreased after the implementation of the revised triage and surveillance protocols. @*Conclusion@#Triage screening by emergency physicians and surveillance protocols with an externally located chest imaging facility were effective in the early isolation of COVID-19 patients. In future outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, efforts should be focused toward the provision of continued ED treatment with the implementation of revised triage and surveillance protocols.

A single emergency center study for obstructive urinary tract infection with sepsis

Objective@#Unlike common acute urinary tract infections, obstructive urinary tract infections caused by urinary calculus can be fatal because they can progress to sepsis and cause shock or disseminated intravascular coagulation. The evidence of patients with obstructive urinary tract infections caused by urinary tract stones visiting the emergency center is still lacking. @*Methods@#Seventy-seven patients who visited the emergency room with obstructive urinary tract infections caused by urinary calculus from January 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups: sepsis group and non-sepsis group. @*Results@#The lymphocyte count, platelet count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, serum creatinine, and C-reactive protein were significantly different in the sepsis-positive and negative groups. Percutaneous nephrostomy was also significantly higher in the sepsis-positive group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated to evaluate the ability of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio to predict a septic urinary tract infection. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio were 0.659 and 0.550, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diabetic patients, percutaneous nephrostomy, and serum creatinine were associated with septic obstructive urinary tract infection. @*Conclusion@#In patients with an obstructive urinary tract infection who were referred to the emergency center, diabetic patients and those with high blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels are at high risk of sepsis. In such cases, rapid diagnosis and treatment, such as percutaneous nephrostomy, are necessary.

Study on the association of air pollution and acute myocardial infarction

Objective@#Air pollutants have attracted increasing interest worldwide, including Korea. Acute and chronic exposure to air pollutants has adverse effects on health. Therefore, this study examined the association of air pollutants with myocardial infarction. @*Methods@#This study included 542 patients who underwent coronary angiography and were diagnosed with acute coronary artery occlusion after visiting a local emergency medical center from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. The days (1,096) were divided into two groups: myocardial infarction days group (the days when symptoms of myocardial infarction developed) and non-myocardial infarction days group (the days when symptoms of myocardial infarction did not develop). This study compared the air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, O3, SO2, CO, and NO2) and prognosis (survivor, death) from two days ago to the days between the myocardial infarction days and non-myocardial infarction days. @*Results@#The PM10 and PM2.5 of the myocardial infarction days group were 44.332±18.892 and 25.193±12.009 μm/m3, respectively, and those of the non-myocardial infarction days group were 41.906±19.263 and 23.693±12.053 μm/m3, respectively. On day one before symptom development, the PM2.5 of the myocardial infarction days group was 25.316± 11.977 μm/m3, which was higher than that of the non-myocardial infarction days groups (23.642±12.053 μm/m3), and there were no significant differences between the gaseous air pollution and the number of occlusions, except on a 0 day of ozone. The PM2.5 (proximal, middle, and distal according to the vessel size) at day 0 was 25.747±12.361, 22.941± 11.477, and 21.486±10.924 μm/m3, respectively; the proximal group had the highest value. During the study days, the PM10 of the death and survival groups was 51.440 (±20.140)-56.924 (±25.225) μm/m3 and 41.155 (±18.544)-43.002 (±18.858) μm/m3, respectively. PM2.5 of the death and survival groups was 26.968 (±14.140)-30.145 (±12.829) and 23.770 (±11.685)-24.170 (±12.696) μm/m3, respectively. @*Conclusion@#Myocardial infarction was found to develop more on the day with the highest PM2.5 and PM10 on day 0 and -1. A high PM2.5 is related to an occlusion of the proximal coronary artery. Therefore, PM2.5 has a stronger association with myocardial infarction than PM10. Furthermore, increased particulate air pollution for three consecutive days is associated with a poor prognosis.

Appropriateness of triage by emergency medical technician using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale

Objective@#Appropriate triage in emergency rooms is fundamental. This study assessed the appropriateness of the triage results using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) by emergency medical technicians (EMT) by comparing an emergency physician and a KTAS instructor. @*Methods@#The medical records of patients who presented to a local emergency room for a month were analyzed retrospectively. This study compared the triage results using KTAS among EMTs, an emergency physician, and a KTAS instructor. @*Results@#Among 2,248 patients, consistent KTAS codes of 1,453 patients (64.6%) were obtained between the EMTs and emergency physicians. In addition, a KTAS instructor had agreed with the results of EMT for 1,686 patients (75%). The Kappa value to evaluate the agreement between an emergency physician and a KTAS instructor was 0.72 (95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.89). @*Conclusion@#The results of triage using KTAS by EMT was appropriate because substantial agreement existed between an emergency physician and KTAS instructor. On the other hand, there were some inappropriate results of triage, and it is proposed that the results would be reflected in KTAS provider education programs aimed at EMTs. It is expected that qualified KTAS providers will be produced, and the quality of triage can be controlled and improved.

A Retrospective Cohort Study of Risk of Gallbladder Disease in Acute Cerebral Infarction Patients

Background@#Gallbladder diseases after acute cerebral infarction are relatively rare, but could have a serious impact on mortality and morbidity of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of gallbladder disease in patients with acute cerebral infarction. @*Methods@#This study analyzed a population-based matched cohort constructed using National Health Insurance Service-Senior cohort dataset in South Korea. Subjects after acute cerebral infarction during 2002-2015 were identified as the exposed group, and up to four individual matched for age, sex, and index years were as the controls. The difference of the risk of gallbladder disease between the exposed and control group was evaluated using Cox regression adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, liver diseases, and the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI). The risk of gallbladder disease of the exposed group was evaluated using Cox regression analyses to identify the risk factors. @*Results@#The occurrence of the gallbladder disease was significantly associated with the acute cerebral infarction (p<0.0001). The presence of acute cerebral infarction was associated with a higher risk of gallbladder disease (adjusted hazard ratio=1.44, 95% confidence interval=1.26-1.66). The subjects with higher CCI showed higher risk of gallbladder disease. Among acute cerebral infarction patients, the oldest group, subjects having liver diseases, or subjects with the mCCI higher than two were found significant on the risk of gallbladder disease. @*Conclusions@#Our study showed that the acute cerebral infarction has a significant association with gallbladder disease. These results suggested that the possibility of developing of gallbladder disease in patients with acute cerebral infarction should be considered.

Confirmation of COVID-19 in Outof-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients and Postmortem Management in the Emergency Department during the COVID-19 Outbreak / 감염과화학요법

Background@#There is currently a lack of evidence-based postresuscitation or postmortem guidelines for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the setting of an emerging infectious disease. This study aimed to develop and validate a multimodal screening tool that aids in predicting the disease confirmation in emergency situations and patients with OHCA during a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. @*Materials and Methods@#We conducted a retrospective, multicenter observational study of adult patients with OHCA in Daegu, Korea. To identify the potential predictors that could be used in screening tools in the emergency department, we applied logistic regression to data collected from March 1 to March 14. The prediction performance of the screening variables was then assessed and validated on the data of patients with OHCA who were treated between February 19 and March 31, 2020. General patient characteristics and hematological findings of the COVID-19-negative and COVID-19-positive groups were compared. We also evaluated confirmation test criteria as predictors for COVID-19 positivity in patients with OHCA. @*Results@#Advanced age, body temperature, and abnormal chest X-ray (CXR) revealed significant predictive ability in the derivation cohort. Of the 184 adult patients with OHCA identified in the validation cohort, 80 patients were included in the analysis. Notably, 9 patients were positive and 71 were negative on the COVID-19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. Five patients (55.6%) in the COVID-19-positive group had a fever before OHCA, and 12 (16.9%) of the COVID-19-negative group had a fever before OHCA (P = 0.018).Eight patients (88.9%) in the COVID-19-positive group had a CXR indicating pneumonic infiltration. Of the criteria for predicting COVID-19, fever or an abnormal CXR had a sensitivity of 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 65.4 – 100) and a specificity of 22.5% (95% CI: 13.5 – 34.0). @*Conclusion@#The screening tools that combined fever or abnormal CXR had a good discriminatory ability for COVID-19 infection in adult patients with OHCA. Therefore, during the COVID-19 outbreak period, it is recommended to suspect COVID-19 infection and perform COVID-19 test if patients present with a history of fever or show abnormal findings in postmortem CXR

Confirmation of COVID-19 in Outof-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients and Postmortem Management in the Emergency Department during the COVID-19 Outbreak / 감염과화학요법

Background@#There is currently a lack of evidence-based postresuscitation or postmortem guidelines for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the setting of an emerging infectious disease. This study aimed to develop and validate a multimodal screening tool that aids in predicting the disease confirmation in emergency situations and patients with OHCA during a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. @*Materials and Methods@#We conducted a retrospective, multicenter observational study of adult patients with OHCA in Daegu, Korea. To identify the potential predictors that could be used in screening tools in the emergency department, we applied logistic regression to data collected from March 1 to March 14. The prediction performance of the screening variables was then assessed and validated on the data of patients with OHCA who were treated between February 19 and March 31, 2020. General patient characteristics and hematological findings of the COVID-19-negative and COVID-19-positive groups were compared. We also evaluated confirmation test criteria as predictors for COVID-19 positivity in patients with OHCA. @*Results@#Advanced age, body temperature, and abnormal chest X-ray (CXR) revealed significant predictive ability in the derivation cohort. Of the 184 adult patients with OHCA identified in the validation cohort, 80 patients were included in the analysis. Notably, 9 patients were positive and 71 were negative on the COVID-19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. Five patients (55.6%) in the COVID-19-positive group had a fever before OHCA, and 12 (16.9%) of the COVID-19-negative group had a fever before OHCA (P = 0.018).Eight patients (88.9%) in the COVID-19-positive group had a CXR indicating pneumonic infiltration. Of the criteria for predicting COVID-19, fever or an abnormal CXR had a sensitivity of 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 65.4 – 100) and a specificity of 22.5% (95% CI: 13.5 – 34.0). @*Conclusion@#The screening tools that combined fever or abnormal CXR had a good discriminatory ability for COVID-19 infection in adult patients with OHCA. Therefore, during the COVID-19 outbreak period, it is recommended to suspect COVID-19 infection and perform COVID-19 test if patients present with a history of fever or show abnormal findings in postmortem CXR

A single emergency center study on the Canadian Syncope Risk Score applied to a patients visited with syncope in Korea

OBJECTIVE: Syncope is mostly benign, but it can also be caused by a life-threatening situation. In Korea, no studies have investigated application of the Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS) to patients with syncope; therefore, this study was started to evaluate the usefulness of CSRS. METHODS: A total of 222 patients who visited the emergency room with syncope for one year from January 2016 to December 2016 were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups, a serious adverse events (SAE) group and a non-serious adverse events group. The scores of the nine CSRS variables were added and the CSRS was then calculated after the addition. RESULTS: The CSRS score for patients with SAE ranged from 0 to 8. The CSRS score was 18.6%, 31.7%, 55.6%, and 58.8% for 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In the case of CSRS 0 and 1, 17 patients (81.0%) and 11 patients (84.6%) were non-cardiac. In the case of CSRS 2, 7 were non-cardiac (70.0%). In the case of CSRS 3, 6 cases (60.0%) were cardiogenic and 4 cases (40.0%) were non-cardiogenic. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of CSRS to predict SAE was 0.71. Setting the CSRS cutoff value to 0, we found that sensitivity and specificity of predicting SAE was 67.19% and 67.09%, respectively. CONCLUSION: CSRS may be difficult to predict for acute intracranial disease or acute hemorrhagic disease requiring transfusion; therefore, it is necessary to supplement it further.

Relevance of emergency level assessment by the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale for adult patients in a local emergency medical center

OBJECTIVE: The Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS), which was implemented in 2016, needs to be assessed for its validity and reliability. Here we evaluate the relevance of emergency level assessment by analyzing the validity of KTAS as a Korean standardized triage system. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of adults who presented to a local emergency room (ER) during an 18-month period. We compared medical resources used, life-saving interventions performed, length of stay (LOS) in ER, admission rate, and mortality at each KTAS level. RESULTS: Among a total of 40,339 patients, most patients were at KTAS 4 (n=19,532, 48.4%) and the longest median LOS in ER was 450 minutes at KTAS 2. As the KTAS level increased, the percentage of medical resources used and life-saving interventions performed increased significantly. The odds of total admission and intensive care unit admission were significantly higher at KTAS 1 through 4 compared to those at KTAS 5. The odds related to admission and mortality were also significantly higher at KTAS 3 than at KTAS 4. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the KTAS, as a Korean standardized triage system of emergency level assessment, is relevant. Further, KTAS 1-3 and KTAS 4-5 are appropriate criteria to distinguish emergency and non-emergency patients.

Utility of reverse shock index as a trauma triage tool among adult patients: concurrent use of Korean Triage and Acuity Scale

OBJECTIVE: The shock index (SI), as a trauma triage tool, is a capable clinical indicator of hemodynamic instability and hypovolemic shock, but the conception of SI is contradictory to shock. The reverse shock index (RSI) was introduced recently, but its utility has not been sufficiently proven. METHODS: This study examined the RSI utility by evaluating the procedures performed at an emergency department (ED) and the associated outcomes when the RSI is used alone or in combination with the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS). This was a retrospective study conducted by including data of 4,789 adult trauma patients for a year. The clinical variables, procedures performed on patients, and outcomes were investigated. The median RSI was 0.9 in the RSI < 1 group. RESULTS: Patients in the RSI < 1 group had a higher odds of requiring procedures at the ED and for experiencing worse outcomes: intubation (odds ratio [OR], 5.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3–13.1; P < 0.001), chest tube insertion (OR, 6.5; 95% CI, 0.4–111.84; P < 0.001), use of emergency drugs (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.5–8.5; P < 0.001), circulatory support (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 2.3–12.9; P < 0.001), intensive care unit admission (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.8–6.8; P < 0.001), and mortality during the ED stay (OR, 20.4; 95% CI, 5.5–75.7; P < 0.001). In the group with KTAS 1–3, trends similar to those in the RSI < 1 group were observed. Patients with RSI < 1 had more severe injuries and poorer outcomes than those with RSI≥1, regardless of whether the RSI was used alone or in combination with KTAS. CONCLUSION: RSI can provide an appropriate triage with concurrent KTAS use.

Clinical characteristics and mortality-predictive factors analyses of glyphosate intoxication

OBJECTIVE: Glyphosate intoxicated patients are increasing as glyphosate use increases. This study was conducted to analyze clinical characteristics of glyphosate intoxication patients to provide early treatment to high risk patients. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data pertaining to glyphosate intoxicated patients who visited emergency department from January 2012 to December 2016 based on medical records. The patients were divided into survivors and deaths, after which their clinical characteristics and laboratory results were compared. RESULTS: Among 84 glyphosate intoxicated patients, 12 died (14.3%). The mortality group showed advanced age (P=0.006), low blood pressure (P=0.001), worse mental status (P=0.000), low arterial blood pH (P=0.000), high serum creatinine (P=0.030), high glucose (P=0.000), high serum lactate (P=0.011), and low serum albumin (P=0.034). Logistic multivariate regression analysis revealed that the mortality group had advanced age (odds ratio [OR], 1.193), high serum glucose (OR, 1.018), and low systolic blood pressure (OR, 0.961) compared to the survivor group. CONCLUSION: On the scene and emergency department, glyphosate intoxicated patients with advanced age, high serum glucose level, and low systolic blood pressure should be provided early supportive treatments and transported to a toxicology facility.

Willingness Variability of Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Special Situations

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate how variability of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) willingness may change depending on special situations and to find out factors that enhance CPR willingness in each situation and ways to increase the ratio of bystander CPR. METHODS: A population-based, nationwide study using a structured questionnaire via telephone survey regarding CPR was done in 2015 (n=1,000). A stratified cluster sampling was conducted to assess the impact of age and gender on CPR willingness. The contents of the questionnaire consisted of basic characteristics, CPR training experience, and status. Additionally, respondents were presented with five hypothetical scenarios of cardiopulmonary arrest; family member, stranger, elderly person, preschool child, and pregnant woman. RESULTS: Willingness to perform CPR was low for pregnant women (52.1%) or elders (59.3%), moderate for strangers (73.3%) or children (71.3%), but high for a family members (90.4%). Age, awareness of CPR, training experience of CPR, CPR training by manikin practice, recent CPR training (≤2 years), experience of bystander CPR, family history of severe illness, and awareness of Good Samaritan law all influenced the willingness to perform CPR on bystander in each scenario. CONCLUSION: The willingness of bystander CPR decreased in special situations, especially for elderly and pregnant woman. However, recent CPR training group were more willing in the elderly, and CPR experienced group also showed increased tendency in pregnant woman. It is expected that the rate of bystander CPR can be increased by emphasizing that performing bystander CPR for children, pregnant women, and elders is not different from the general population.

A Successful Management after Cement Ingestion: A Case Report

Cases of the cement ingestion are rare. This paper reports the successful management of cement ingestion with gastric lavage and endoscopic washing. A 69-year-old man who had a stuporous mentality and seizures visited the local emergency room. He was found in his room with cement powder and several liquor bottles. He underwent a gastric lavage in the prior emergency room, which showed evidence of cement ingestion. He was transferred to the emergency center after primary care. Cement mixed with water is a strong alkali and acts as a caustic agent in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, it can become hard in a few hours and sometimes produce gastric bezoars. Generally, gastric lavage is not recommended for caustic agents. On the other hand, gastric lavage and endoscopic washing was performed repeatedly for successful removal despite the physical and chemical characteristics of cement. Therefore, the active removal of ingested cement by both gastric lavage and endoscopic washing is recommended.