The challenge of prognostic markers in acute pancreatitis: internist's point of view.

Acute pancreatitis, the most frequent hospitalization reason in internal medicine ward among gastrointestinal diseases, is burdened by high mortality rate. The disease manifests mainly in a mild form, but about 20-30% patients have a severe progress that requires intensive care. Patients presenting with acute pancreatitis should be clinically evaluated for organ failure signs and symptoms.

Performance of the CHADS-VASc score in predicting new onset atrial fibrillation during hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Cardiovascular events are common during hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), with new onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) being the second most relevant complication. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of CHADS-VASc score in predicting NOAF during hospitalization for CAP.

Methods: Patients admitted for CAP were prospectively assessed using CHADS-VASc.

Usefulness of procalcitonin in differentiating Candida and bacterial blood stream infections in critically ill septic patients outside the intensive care unit.

We aimed to explore the role of procalcitonin (PCT) for the diagnosis of Candida spp. bloodstream infections in a population of critically ill septic patients admitted to internal medicine units. This is a retrospective case-control study considering all cases of candidemia identified in three internal medicine units, from January 1st 2012 to May 31st 2016.

Procalcitonin Kinetics in the First 72 Hours Predicts 30-Day Mortality in Severely Ill Septic Patients Admitted to an Intermediate Care Unit.

Background: Severe sepsis and septic shock are leading causes of morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients, thus the identification of prognostic factors is crucial to determine their outcome. In this study, we explored the value of procalcitonin (PCT) variation in predicting 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis admitted to an intermediate care unit.

Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled 789 consecutive patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to a medical intermediate care unit between November 2012 and February 2014.