Optimizing Triage in Chemical Disasters: Validation of Modified IGSA Criteria for Hydrofluoric Acid Exposure.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate the modified irritant gas syndrome agent (IGSA) criteria, utilizing readily available triage information and epidemiologic data to efficiently segregate patients based on the severity of hydrofluoric acid (HFA) exposure.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 160 patients exposed to HFA was performed to develop the criteria and assess the criteria's efficacy, focusing on age, respiratory rate, and compliance with IGSA standards. The criteria's validity was assessed by comparing clinical outcomes between patients meeting the modified IGSA (mIGSA) criteria and those who did not as external and internal.

Improvement in Biocompatibility and Biointegration of Human Acellular Dermal Matrix through Vacuum Plasma Surface Treatment.

Efforts are ongoing to enhance the functionality of human acellular dermal matrices (hADMs), which are extensively utilized in reconstructive surgeries. Among these efforts, plasma treatments, particularly vacuum plasma treatments, have recently emerged in the medical field. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of a vacuum plasma treatment in enhancing the biocompatibility and biointegration of hADMs.

Accuracy and availability of automated urine output monitoring in the operating room using a smart scale.

Purpose: Urine output (UO) is an important intraoperative parameter that is not yet electronically monitored. We compared an automatic urinometer (AU) based on a smart scale with a manual urinometer (MU).

Patients And Methods: This prospective study investigated the hourly UO of 35 preoperative patients with an indwelling urinary catheter using AU, MU, and cylinder measurements.

Tailored versus conventional surgical debridement in complex facial lacerations in emergency department: A retrospective study.

Surgical debridement is an essential step in treating complex facial lacerations (CFL). As the CFL severity increases, conventional surgical debridement (CSD) of wound edges becomes difficult and may be insufficient. Because the severity and shape of each CFL vary, it is necessary to tailor the customized pre-excisional design, that is, tailored surgical debridement (TSD), for each case before performing surgical debridement.

Accuracy of ultrasound for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the emergency department: A systematic review.

Background: Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a quick, useful, noninvasive, and inexpensive diagnostic tool used for the diagnosis of trauma, abdominal pain, dyspnea, and chest pain in the emergency department (ED). However, the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in the ED may be different from those reported in previous studies owing to the setting and time constraints in ED.

Methods: We conducted our study in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.

Development of a strategy for assessing blood-brain barrier disruption using serum S100 calcium-binding protein B and neuron-specific enolase in early stage of neuroemergencies: A preliminary study.

Background: Rapid disease progression in neuroemergencies is associated with blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. We investigated a less invasive strategy for assessing BBB status by evaluating S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) at early stages of the hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) cascade.

Methods: This retrospective study used prospectively collected data from patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (August 2019-July 2021).

Lactate dehydrogenase to albumin ratio as a prognostic factor in lower respiratory tract infection patients.

Purpose: To verify the role of lactate dehydrogenase to albumin (LDH/ALB) ratio as an independent prognostic factor for mortality due to the lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records of patients who were admitted to the ED for the management of LRTI between January 2018 and December 2020. Initial vital signs, laboratory data, and patient severity scores in the ED were collected.

Lactate dehydrogenase to albumin ratio as a prognostic factor for patients with severe infection requiring intensive care.

This study was performed to verify whether lactate dehydrogenase to albumin (LDH/ALB) ratio could be used as an independent prognostic factor in patients with severe infection requiring intensive care.We reviewed electronic medical records of patients hospitalized to the intensive care unit via the emergency department with a diagnosis of infection between January 2014 and December 2019. From the collected data, ALB-based ratios (LDH/ALB, blood urea nitrogen to albumin, C-reactive protein to albumin, and lactate to albumin ratios) and some severity scores (modified early warning score, mortality in emergency department sepsis score [MEDS], and Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II [APACHE II] score) were calculated.

Comparative Analysis of Hydrogen Fluoride-Exposed Patients Based on Major Burn Criteria After the 2012 Gumi City Chemical Leak Disaster.

This study conducted to analyze and compare the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hydrogen fluoride-exposed patients based on major burn criteria for the appropriate emergency department (ED) response to a mass casualty chemical spill. This retrospective cross-sectional study included the records of patients (n = 199) who visited the ED of Gumi City University Hospital from September 27, 2012, to October 20, 2012. Subjects were included in the major burn group (MBG) if they presented with wounds that required referral to a burn center according to the American Burn Association guidelines or in the nonmajor burn group (NMBG) if not.

Secondary hypoxic ischemia alters neurobehavioral outcomes, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress in mice exposed to controlled cortical impact.

Objective: Hypoxic ischemia (HI) is a secondary insult that can cause fatal neurologic outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI), ranging from mild cognitive deficits to persistent vegetative states. We here aimed to unravel the underlying pathological mechanisms of HI injury in a TBI mouse model.

Methods: Neurobehavior, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress were assessed in a mouse model of controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury followed by HI.

Relationships between serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase and neurological outcomes of patients who underwent targeted temperature management after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

This study aimed to evaluate times for measuring serum lactate dehydrogenase levels (SLLs) to predict neurological prognosis among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors.This retrospective study examined patients who experienced OHCA treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). The SLLs were evaluated at the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and at 24, 48, and 72 hours later.

Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging for acute appendicitis during pregnancy: A systematic review.

Background: The purpose of this study was to present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pregnant women.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using the databases of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria were the use of MRI, as a diagnostic protocol for acute appendicitis in pregnant women, and the availability of diagnostic parameters, such as sensitivity and specificity.

Lessons learned from reviewing a hospital's disaster response to the hydrofluoric acid leak in Gumi city in 2012.

Background: This study analyzed the characteristics of hydrogen fluoride-exposed patients (HFEPs) treated in the emergency department (ED) of a local university hospital, and reviewed the hospital's disaster response according to space, staff, supplies, and systems (4Ss).

Methods: This retrospective observational chart review and descriptive study included 199 HFEPs among 2588 total ED patients who visited a local university emergency medical center for treatment between September 27, 2012 and October 20, 2012, following a hydrofluoric acid leak at the Hube Globe factory in Gumi City, Republic of Korea. Descriptive results concerning the 4Ss were obtained by interviewing ED specialist staff physicians on duty during the study period.

Negative pressure wound therapy for skin necrosis prevention after snakebite in the emergency department: A retrospective cohort study.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the effectiveness of conventional treatment and ultra-early application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in patients with snakebites.Patients who visited the emergency department within 24 hours after a snakebite were assigned to the non- NPWT or NPWT group. Swelling resolution time and rates of necrosis, infection, and operations were compared between the 2 groups.

A novel predictive tool for prognosis in elderly patients with urinary tract infection: Modified PRACTICE.

Purpose: We evaluated whether combining the serum albumin level and the Prediction Rule for Admission policy in Complicated urinary Tract InfeCtion LEiden (PRACTICE) class could be a prognostic predictor in elderly patients with urinary tract infection (UTI).

Methods: We retrospectively included adult patients (age ≥ 65 years) with UTI who were hospitalized in the emergency department (ED) between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2018. We graded the serum albumin level and classified the PRACTICE score; the modified PRACTICE was defined as the sum of the albumin level grade and the PRACTICE class.

Interleukin-6 as a Potential Predictor of Neurologic Outcomes in Cardiac Arrest Survivors Who Underwent Target Temperature Management.

Background: Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine released in response to an inflammatory stimulus or tissue injury. IL-6 levels are known to increase in patients with brain injury.

Objective: We investigated the neurologic outcomes associated with serum IL-6 levels in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who underwent target temperature management (TTM).