Introduction An accurate understanding of the current status of dog-bite injuries in Korea is essential for establishing preventive strategies. There have been no national reports about dog-bite injuries in Korea. This study investigated dog-bite injuries in Korea that were registered in the nationwide injury surveillance database and analysed the risk factors for significant dog-bite injury. Methods A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted using the emergency department (ED)-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) registry in Korea between 2011 and 2016. We defined significant injury as death, admission, surgery, or fracture or amputation. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for the factors associated with significant dog-bite injuries. Results Among 1,537,617 injured patients, 9,966 (6.5 per 1,000 injured patients) presented to the ED for dog-bite injuries (5.6 in 2011 to 7.6 in 2016, P for trend < 0.001), and 489 (4.9%) were significant injuries. In the age-specific analysis, there were increasing trends only among teenagers (12−18 years) and adults (> 18 years). Being elderly (≥ 60 years) (aOR: 2.70, 95% CI: 2.15−3.39), having injuries to multiple anatomic sites (aOR: 4.37, 95% CI: 2.96−6.45), being bitten outdoors (aOR: 2.71, 95% CI: 2.20−3.34), and being bitten by a relative’s dog (aOR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.09−5.17) were strongly associated with significant dog-bite injury. Conclusion Dog-bite injuries are increasing in Korea, especially in teenagers and adults. A relative’s or neighbour’s dog may be more dangerous than a stranger’s dog. Preventive strategies are needed to prevent dog-bite injuries in adults and children.

Background: Successful intravenous catheter placement plays a vital role in the pediatric emergency department. We assessed pediatric emergency department–related factors associated with difficult intravenous catheter placement. Method: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of patients younger than 18 years who had an intravenous catheter placement attempt during their pediatric emergency department stay. Difficult intravenous access was defined as intravenous catheter placement requiring more than one attempt. The demographic-, clinical- and procedure-related factors were collected, and a logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the factors associated with difficult intravenous access. Result: In total, 925 patients were enrolled, and 77 (8.32%) cases had difficult intravenous access. The median age of the patients was 3.0 (interquartile range = 1–9) years, and 496 (53.6%) patients were male. After adjustment, we found that age (odds ratio = 0.91, 95% confidence interval = (0.85–0.98), p = 0.01); a history of prematurity (odds ratio = 2.31, 95% confidence interval (1.08–4.98), p = 0.03); the intravenous catheter insertion site (foot versus hand odds ratio = 5.65, 95% confidence interval = (2.97–10.75); p < 0.001); and the experience of the provider (<6 months versus ⩾12 months odds ratio = 4.59, 95% confidence interval = (1.92–11.01), p = 0.01) were associated with difficult intravenous access. However, the acuity of disease, crowdedness at the pediatric emergency department, sex, vein visibility, vein palpability, intravenous catheter size, patients’ experience with intravenous access, and time of day were not significantly correlated with difficult intravenous access. Conclusion: The success rate of intravenous catheter placement at the pediatric emergency department could be improved by experienced providers. The acuity of disease and crowdedness at the pediatric emergency department were not significantly associated factors.

Wearable and implantable bioelectronics have received a great deal of interest since the need for personalized healthcare systems has arisen. Bioelectronics are designed to detect biological signals and apply medical treatments, thereby enabling patients to monitor and manage their health conditions. However, current bioelectronics lack long-term stability, biocompatibility, and functionality after implantation into the human body. In particular, the intrinsically different natures of the devices and human tissue result in low device–tissue compatibility. The obstacles for this can be defined as (1) physical, (2) biological, and (3) interfacial. The mechanical mismatch between rigid device materials and soft tissue results in physical incompatibility, which causes user discomfort and scar tissue formation. In addition, devices can show poor biocompatibility since the device materials are recognized as foreign bodies by the immune system. Accordingly, the applied devices can be toxic and/or induce an undesirable immune response and inflammation. Last, tissue environments are moist, irregular, and dynamic, which causes poor interfacial compatibility between the device and the human body. Herein, we describe various recent strategies to overcome limitations in the physical, biological, and interfacial compatibility of bioelectronics for long-term functionality in vivo. Moreover, in the last part of the review, we mention current limitations and future perspectives of bioelectronics for commercialization.

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Intussusception is one of the most common causes of intestinal obstruction in young children. We report a retrospective, observational study of the epidemiology of intussusception in South Korea using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC). A cohort of newborns born between 2002 and 2008 was selected. The primary objective was to assess the incidence of intussusception in the pediatric population of Korea. The secondary objectives were to describe the basic epidemiological characteristics of intussusception and to identify risk factors. A total of 362 children were identified. The highest incidence of intussusception (2.6 per 1,000) was observed in children aged 1–2 years. A total of 58.8% of the children were male, and there was no significant difference in incidence according to the birth year (P = 0.804). Most of the children diagnosed with intussusception underwent air reduction, while only 0.6% had surgery. In all, 82.3% of the children were admitted to the hospital, 0.8% of them had to be admitted to the ICU, and the 6-month mortality was only 0.3%. In this retrospective, observational study, the incidence of intussusception was highest among children between 1 and 2 years of age. Most of the children underwent air reduction.