Jong-Seo Yoon

Park YM, et al. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2026 Mar;18(2):254-270. https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2026.18.2.254

Background: With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic lasting for more than a year, it is imperative to identify the associated changes in the use of emergency medical care for efficient operation of the pediatric emergency department (PED). This study was conducted to determine the long‐term impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on patterns of PED visits. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of visits to the PED of six hospitals, between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020. We compared changes in the characteristics of patients before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results: A total of 245 022 visits were included in this analysis. After the first case of COVID‐19 was reported in Korea, we observed a significant decrease (54.2%) in PED visits compared with the annual average number of visits in the previous 3 years. Since then, the weekly number of PED visits decreased by 11.9 person/week (95% CI: −15.3–−8.4, P < 0.001), which included an increase of 0.21% (95% CI: 0.15%–0.26%, P < 0.001) per week in high acuity patients. From 2017 to 2020, the proportion of infectious respiratory diseases by year was 25.9%, 27.0%, 28.6%, and 16.3%, respectively, demonstrating a significant decrease in 2020 ( P < 0.001). Conclusions: During the COVID‐19 pandemic, the number of patient visits to PEDs continues to decline, especially among those with infectious diseases. However, the disease severity of patients has gradually increased. There has been a change in the characteristics of visits to PEDs after COVID‐19 which will require an appropriate response from a long‐term perspective.

This study aimed to evaluate the pretransplant diffusing capacity as a predictor of outcomes in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Retrospective cohort study of 176 children followed outcomes for 5 years after allo-HSCT. We conducted an analysis of PFTs include spirometry, body plethysmography, and diffusing capacity prior to allo-HSCT. We analyzed the probabilities of overall survival (OS), disease-related mortality (DRM), and non-relapse mortality (NRM). Of all carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) parameters obtained using the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI)-2017, univariate analysis showed that the grade 3, 4 of DLCOadj and Category III, IV of LFS significantly increase NRM (p = 0.003 and p = 0.008). Multivariate analysis indicated that a significant increase in the risk of NRM is associated with grades 3, 4 DLCOadj (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.90, p = 0.020). Kaplan–Meier analyses showed that a significant stepwise increase in NRM was observed with both worse pretransplant DLCOadj grades and LFS categories (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003). A compromised pretransplant diffusing capacity and a high LFS significantly increase the risk of NRM. Especially, DLCOadj before transplantation can be used as an important predictor of NRM after allo-HSCT in children with malignancy.

Background: We hypothesized that children treated in adult intensive care units (ICUs) might be at increased risk of hospital‐acquired infection. We therefore compared the incidence of Acinetobacter baumannii infection in children treated in pediatric ICUs (PICUs) and in those treated in adult ICUs.Methods: Patients aged A. baumannii isolates and calculated the A. baumannii incidence during ICU admission. Cox regression was used to identify possible risk factors for A. baumannii infection.Results: Eight hundred and thirty ICU cases were included; 508 were treated in PICUs (“PICU group”) and 322 in adult ICUs (“adult‐ICU group”). Acinetobacter baumannii was isolated 19 (3.7%) and 23 (7.1%) times in the PICU and adult‐ICU groups, respectively. Incidence densities for A. baumannii acquisition in PICU and adult‐ICU groups were 1.63 and 5.62 per 1,000 ICU days, respectively. In the Cox regression model, the hazard ratio for A. baumannii acquisition associated with treatment in PICUs was 0.33 (95% confidence interval: 0.17–0.61; P = 0.001). In multivariate analysis after adjusting for age and sex, treatment in PICU remained significantly associated with a reduced risk of A. baumannii infection (hazard ratio: 0.40; 95%; confidence interval: 0.20–0.76).Conclusions: Pediatric patients treated in a PICU had a lower rate and incidence density of A. baumannii nosocomial infection than those treated in adult ICUs, suggesting that PICUs provide better infection control for children than adult ICUs.

Objective: This study aimed to determine prognostic factors associated with mortality in pediatric oncology patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with pulmonary complications. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients 21 years of age with underlying oncologic diseases admitted to the ICU of a Korean Tertiary Referral Hospital with pulmonary complications from April 2009 to March 2017. Patients admitted for perioperative management or nonpulmonary complications were excluded. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical parameters (eg, Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS], pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [pSOFA], and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction [PELOD] scores) were reviewed. Results: Overall, 110 patients (62 male, 56.3%) with a median age of 13 years (interquartile range: 8 to 16 y) were studied. The median ICU stay was 8 days (interquartile range: 4.25 to 16 d). Forty-five (40.9%) patients required mechanical ventilation. The overall mortality rate was 59.1% (65/110 patients). A multivariate logistic regression identified a low GCS score, peripheral oxygen saturation/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio, and hematocrit and increased total bilirubin as significantly associated with increased mortality. The pSOFA and PELOD scores on days 1 and 3 postadmission predicted in-ICU mortality, with corresponding areas under the curve of 0.80/0.76 and 0.87/0.83, respectively. Conclusion: Several clinical scores and factors may predict mortality in pediatric oncology patients with pulmonary complications.

Yoon JS, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2018 Dec;33(49):e308. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e308

Lee HJ, et al. Allergy Asthma Respir Dis. 2018 Sep;6(5):248-254. https://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2018.6.5.248

Yang EA, et al. Allergy Asthma Respir Dis. 2018 May;6(3):161-167. https://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2018.6.3.161

OBJECTIVES: Aspiration of foreign bodies into the tracheobronchial tree is a common accident in children. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and outcome of foreign body removal by flexible bronchoscopy using a retrieval basket in children. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of children treated for foreign bodies in the airway via flexible bronchoscopy using a retrieval basket at a tertiary hospital in Korea between February 2014 and October 2017. The medical records of the patients were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 20 children underwent foreign body removal from the airway via flexible bronchoscopy using a retrieval basket. The median age of the patients was 16 (range, 10–21.5) months, and 12 (60%) were male. Foreign bodies removed included 16 (80%) organic items including peanuts, almond, and beans, and 4 (20%) inorganic items including a plastic bag, metal screw, spring, and Lego brick. The locations of the foreign bodies included the central airway (n = 5; trachea, n = 4; subglottic area, n = 1), right bronchial tree (n = 9), and left bronchial tree (n = 6). Successful removal was observed in 18 (90%) cases. The only complication that occurred was mild laryngeal edema (n = 2) after the procedure; both improved with corticosteroid administration. CONCLUSION: Flexible bronchoscopic extraction of a foreign body in the airway using a retrieval basket in children can be performed successfully with minimal complications.