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Changing Pattern of Thoracic Diseases in Korea Over the Last 25 Years

South Korea

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Current medical practice is a reflection of disease patterns and of recent advances in medical knowledge and technology. Gradual or abrupt changes in disease patterns have influenced our practices in the cardiothoracic surgical fields. These changes can also redistribute human and material resources according to the requirements of the medical field. For example, the decrease in birth rate in Korea is no longer a new topic; the number of newborns in 2005 was approximately 430,000, which was about two-thirds of the 630,000 newborns in 2000. The nationwide decrease in the number of newborns has influenced the practices of many medical departments in addition to obstetrics and pediatrics. In cardiothoracic surgery, the decrease in the number of newborns has affected congenital cardiac surgery, so decreases in the surgical volume and number of new positions in congenital cardiac surgery were inevitable. Advances in medical knowledge and technology have also influenced medical practice. The drug-eluting stent was introduced several years ago in Korea. Now, . . . [Full Text of this Article]