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Bon-Wook Koo

Seoul National University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Bon-Wook Koo's research lab specializes in clinical anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, with a strong focus on optimizing neuromuscular blockade and postoperative pain management in surgical patients. The lab investigates the effects of deep neuromuscular blockade on surgical conditions and recovery outcomes, particularly in laparoscopic and minimally invasive procedures. It also explores pharmacological strategies—such as nefopam and dexmedetomidine—for preventing acute and chronic postoperative pain. Additionally, the lab engages in environmental biotechnology, studying fungal biodegradation of phthalate pollutants, demonstrating a multidisciplinary approach combining clinical research and environmental science.

neuromuscular blockadepostoperative paindexamethasonefungal biodegradationanesthetic sedation

Research Overview

Papers
60
Total Citations
678
Papers (5y)
26
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
26total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
128total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|72 citations·2016
Randomized Clinical Trial of Moderate Versus Deep Neuromuscular Block for Low‐Pressure Pneumoperitoneum During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Bon‐Wook Koo, Ah‐Young Oh, Kwang‐Suk Seo, Jiwon Han, Ho‐Seong Han, Yoo‐Seok Yoon
SJR Q1World Journal of Surgery

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effects of deep blockade are not fully known. In this study, we evaluated the effect of deep neuromuscular blockade on surgical conditions during laparoscopic cholecystectomy under low-pressure pneumoperitoneum. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized to either the moderate group (train-of-four count of 1 or 2) or deep group (posttetanic count of 1 or 2). Neuromuscular blockade was induced and maintained with rocuronium; it wa

Pulmonary and Respiratory MedicineMedicine
2
Article|55 citations·2016
Preventive Analgesic Efficacy of Nefopam in Acute and Chronic Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery
Hyo-Seok Na, Ah‐Young Oh, Bon‐Wook Koo, Dae-Jin Lim, Jung‐Hee Ryu, Ji-Won Han
SJR Q3MedicineOA

Breast cancer surgery is known to cause severe acute postoperative pain, which can persist for a long time. We administered nefopam preventively to patients undergoing lumpectomy with axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy, and evaluated its efficacy on acute and chronic postoperative pain.Enrolled patients were assigned to the nefopam (n = 41) or the control (n = 42) group. Before initiating the operation, 20 mg of nefopam was given to the patients of the nefopam group, an

SurgeryMedicine
3
Article|48 citations·2019
Retrospective analysis of 30-day unplanned readmission after major abdominal surgery with reversal by sugammadex or neostigmine
Tak Kyu Oh, Ah‐Young Oh, Jung‐Hee Ryu, Bon‐Wook Koo, In‐Ae Song, Sun Woo Nam, Hee‐Jung Jee
SJR Q1British Journal of Anaesthesia
Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
4
Article|45 citations·2007
Dibutyl phthalate biodegradation by the white rot fungus, Polyporus brumalis
Soo‐Min Lee, Jae‐Won Lee, Bon‐Wook Koo, Myungkil Kim, Don‐Ha Choi, In‐Gyu Choi
SJR Q2Biotechnology and BioengineeringOA

In this study, white rot fungus, Polyporus brumalis, was applied to degrade dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a major environmental pollutant. The degradation potential and resulting products were evaluated with HPLC and GC/MS. As DBP concentration increased to 250, 750, and 1,250 microM, the mycelial growth of P. brumalis was inhibited. However, growth was still observed in the 1,250 microM concentration. DBP was nearly eliminated from culture medium of P. brumalis within 12 days, with 50% of DBP adsorb

Health, Toxicology and MutagenesisEnvironmental Science
5
Article|42 citations·2018
Effects of depth of neuromuscular block on surgical conditions during laparoscopic colorectal surgery: a randomised controlled trial
Bon‐Wook Koo, Ah‐Young Oh, H. S. Na, Hanju Lee, Sung‐Bum Kang, Dong Wook Kim, Kwang‐Suk Seo
SJR Q1AnaesthesiaOA

There have been few objective evaluations of the effects of deep neuromuscular blockade on intra-operative conditions. In this prospective randomised controlled study, we evaluated the effects of deep neuromuscular block on surgical conditions during laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Patients were randomly allocated using a computer-generated randomisation code to either moderate (train-of-four count 1-2 maintained and antagonised with neostigmine) or deep (post-tetanic count 1-2 maintained and r

Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
6
Article|31 citations·2017
Comparison of reversal with neostigmine of low‐dose rocuronium vs. reversal with sugammadex of high‐dose rocuronium for a short procedure
E. S. Choi, Ah‐Young Oh, Bon‐Wook Koo, Jung‐Won Hwang, Ji Won Han, Kwang‐Suk Seo, Soon‐Hyun Ahn, Woo‐Jin Jeong
SJR Q1AnaesthesiaOA

Summary Some short procedures require deep neuromuscular blockade, which needs to be reversed at the end of the procedure. Forty‐four patients undergoing elective laryngeal micro‐surgery were randomly allocated into two groups: rocuronium 0.45 mg.kg −1 with neostigmine (50 μg.kg −1 with glycopyrrolate 10 μg.kg −1 ) reversal (moderate block group) vs. rocuronium 0.90 mg.kg −1 with sugammadex (4 mg.kg −1 ) reversal (deep block group). The primary outcome was the intubating conditions during laryng

Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
7
Article|29 citations·2017
Intraoperative dexmedetomidine sedation reduces the postoperative agitated behavior in elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery compared to the propofol sedation
Hyun‐Jung Shin, Bon‐Wook Koo, Seunguk Bang, Jin‐Hee Kim, Jung‐Won Hwang, Sang-Hwan Do, Hyo‐Seok Na
SJR Q2Minerva Anestesiologica

This study suggests that intraoperative dexmedetomidine sedation, as compared with propofol sedation, may have a greater beneficial effect in reducing agitated behavior in elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery with regional anesthesia.

Critical Care and Intensive Care MedicineMedicine
8
Article|26 citations·2016
Surgical site infection after colorectal surgery according to the main anesthetic agent: a retrospective comparison between volatile anesthetics and propofol
Bon‐Wook Koo, Jun-Bo Sim, Hyun-Jung Shin, Duck-Woo Kim, Sung‐Bum Kang, Sang-Hwan Do, Hyo‐Seok Na
SJR Q1Korean journal of anesthesiologyOA

BACKGROUND: Anesthetic agents used for general anesthesia are emerging possible influential factors for surgical site infection (SSI). In this retrospective study, we evaluated the incidence of SSI after colorectal surgery according to the main anesthetic agents: volatile anesthetics vs. propofol. METHODS: A total 1,934 adult patients, who underwent elective colorectal surgery under general anesthesia between January 2011 and December 2013, were surveyed to evaluate the incidence of SSI: 1,519 u

SurgeryMedicine
9
Review|25 citations·2021
The effects of intraoperative magnesium sulfate administration on emergence agitation and delirium in pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Chang‐Hoon Koo, Bon‐Wook Koo, Jiwon Han, Hun‐Taek Lee, Dongsik Lim, Hyun‐Jung Shin
SJR Q2Pediatric Anesthesia

BACKGROUND: The role of intraoperative magnesium for the prevention of emergence agitation or delirium is unclear as there have been conflicting results reported by several randomized controlled trials. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of magnesium sulfate on emergence agitation or emergence delirium in pediatric patients. METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched to identify studies which evaluate

Critical Care and Intensive Care MedicineMedicine
10
Article|24 citations·2016
Optimum dose of neostigmine to reverse shallow neuromuscular blockade with rocuronium and cisatracurium
E. S. Choi, Ah‐Young Oh, Kwang‐Suk Seo, Jung‐Won Hwang, Jung‐Hee Ryu, Bon‐Wook Koo, B. G. Kim
SJR Q1AnaesthesiaOA

We examined the use of neostigmine for reversing shallow (defined as train-of-four ratio of 0.5), cisatracurium- and rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block in 112 patients, by use of 0 μg.kg(-1) , 10 μg.kg(-1) , 20 μg.kg(-1) or 40 μg.kg(-1) dose of neostigmine for reversal. The times from neostigmine administration to train-of-four ratios of 0.7, 0.9 and 1.0 were evaluated. Analysis of variance showed that the duration of action was significantly longer after cisatracurium compared with rocuroni

Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
11
Article|22 citations·2021
Quality of Recovery after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Following Neuromuscular Blockade Reversal with Neostigmine or Sugammadex: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial
Jiwon Han, Ah‐Young Oh, Yong-Tae Jeon, Bon‐Wook Koo, Bo Young Kim, Donghyun Kim, Insung Hwang
SJR Q1Journal of Clinical MedicineOA

The risk of neuromuscular blockade is certainly minimized by sugammadex in combination with monitoring. However, the effect of sugammadex-aided recovery on patients’ satisfaction is unclear. This study compared the Quality of Recovery (QoR)-15 score, which is a patient-reported outcome, in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Eighty patients were randomly assigned to the neostigmine or sugammadex groups. At the end of surgery, neostigmine or sugammadex was administered, and tracheal

Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
12
Article|19 citations·2019
Effects of deep neuromuscular blockade on the stress response during laparoscopic gastrectomy Randomized controlled trials
Bon‐Wook Koo, Ah‐Young Oh, Jung‐Hee Ryu, Yea-Ji Lee, Ji-Won Han, Sun Woo Nam, Do-Jung Park, Kwang‐Suk Seo
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Maintaining deep neuromuscular block during surgery improves surgical space conditions. However, its effects on patient outcomes have not been well documented. We examined whether maintaining deep neuromuscular blockade during surgery could decrease the stress response compared to moderate neuromuscular blockade. Patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy were randomly allocated to either the moderate (train-of-four counts of 1-2) or deep (post-tetanic counts of 1-2) neuromuscular blockade gro

Cardiology and Cardiovascular MedicineMedicine
13
Article|11 citations·2024
Machine learning model of facial expression outperforms models using analgesia nociception index and vital signs to predict postoperative pain intensity: a pilot study
Insun Park, Jae Hyon Park, Jongjin Yoon, Hyo‐Seok Na, Ah‐Young Oh, Jung‐Hee Ryu, Bon‐Wook Koo
SJR Q1Korean journal of anesthesiologyOA

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the use of automated artificial intelligence (AI)-based pain recognition in postoperative settings or the correlation with pain intensity. In this study, various machine learning (ML)-based models using facial expressions, the analgesia nociception index (ANI), and vital signs were developed to predict postoperative pain intensity, and their performances for predicting severe postoperative pain were compared. METHODS: In total, 155 facial expressions from p

Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
14
Review|5 citations·2025
Comparison of the Safety and Efficacy of Remimazolam and Propofol for Sedation in Adults Undergoing Colonoscopy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Bon‐Wook Koo, Hyo‐Seok Na, Sang-Hi Park, Seunguk Bang, Hyun‐Jung Shin
SJR Q2MedicinaOA

Background and Objectives: This meta-analysis evaluates the safety and efficacy of remimazolam versus propofol for sedation during colonoscopy, focusing on hemodynamic and respiratory outcomes. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of CENTRAL, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to January 2025 identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Outcomes included hypotension (primary outcome), bradycardia, respiratory depression, injection pain, sedation onset time, emergence time,

Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine
15
Article|3 citations·2024
Goal-directed fluid therapy on the postoperative complications of laparoscopic hepatobiliary or pancreatic surgery: An interventional comparative study
Bon‐Wook Koo, Ah‐Young Oh, Hyo‐Seok Na, Jiwon Han, Hyun Jung Kim
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative fluid balance significantly affects patients' outcomes. Goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) has reduced the incidence of major postoperative complications by 20% for 30 days after open abdominal surgery. Little is known about GDFT during laparoscopic surgery. AIM: We investigated whether GDFT affects the postoperative outcomes in laparoscopic hepatobiliary or pancreatic surgery compared with conventional fluid management. METHODS: This interventional comparative study w

SurgeryMedicine

Research Areas

SurgeryAnesthesiology and Pain MedicineMaterials ChemistryPulmonary and Respiratory MedicineCritical Care and Intensive Care MedicineCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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