Factors influencing diagnostic accuracy among intensive care unit clinicians - an observational study.

Objectives: Diagnostic errors are a source of morbidity and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. However, contextual factors influencing clinicians' diagnostic performance have not been studied in authentic ICU settings. We sought to determine the accuracy of ICU clinicians' diagnostic impressions and to characterize how various contextual factors, including self-reported stress levels and perceptions about the patient's prognosis and complexity, impact diagnostic accuracy.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Individuals With Pre-existing Kidney Disease and COVID-19 Admitted to Intensive Care Units in the United States.

Rationale & Objective: Underlying kidney disease is an emerging risk factor for more severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness. We examined the clinical courses of critically ill COVID-19 patients with and without pre-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and investigated the association between the degree of underlying kidney disease and in-hospital outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Anticoagulation in Cardiobacterium hominis Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis in a Patient with Hypercoagulability: A Clinical Dilemma.

Cardiobacterium hominis is an uncommon cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and often presents insidiously. In comparison, prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a rare, but life-threatening condition that commonly occurs due to inadequate anticoagulation. Anticoagulation is relatively contraindicated in patients with endocarditis as it may prove to be lethal due to increased risk of cerebral hemorrhage.

Venous and arterial air embolism: a rare phenomenon with fatal consequences.

Air embolism is often an iatrogenic complication which may occur in venous or arterial circulation depending on the port of entry. We present two cases in which air embolism occurred in venous and arterial circulation after contrast medium injection (CMI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, respectively. In one case, accumulation of air bubbles was observed in the pulmonary artery after CMI.