바닷가에 인접한 응급센터에 내원한 익수환자의 예후인자

Background: Drowning is the fourth most common cause of accidental deaths in Korea. The number of drownings in Korea has decreased, but the number of victims visiting our hospital has increased. If a prognosis is to be given and a poor outcome prevented, it is necessary to know the prognostic factors related to the submerged patients. Methods: The medical records of 126 submerged patients who visited our emergency department between January 1997 and December 2002 were reviewed retrospectively. These patients` final outcomes were categorized into two groups: good (no neurological impairment) and poor (vegetative or dead). Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment variables were compared between the two groups. The patients were classified in six subgroups using the following clinical parameters in the emergency department: presence of breathing, arterial pulse, pulmonary auscultation, and arterial blood pressure. Results: Among the 126 patients, 101 cases had a good outcome and 25 cases had poor outcome. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in respiratory rate, pH, PaCO2, bicarbonate, oxygenation index, serum glucose, and sodium (p