Prognostic performance of the Age, PaO/FiO Ratio, and Plateau Pressure Score (APPS) for mortality in patients with COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome admitted to an intensive care unit.

Background: A predictive scoring system used in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) known as Age, PaO/FiO, Plateau Pressure Score (APPS) has been externally validated to predict mortality in Asian and Caucasian populations. Its performance in Latin American and COVID-19 patients still needs to be done.

Objective: To assess the association between APPS and mortality, as well as APPS performance in predicting mortality within 28 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients with ARDS due to COVID-19.

[Infected necrotizing pancreatitis. Video-assisted retroperitoneal debridement].

The step-up approach for infected necrotizing pancreatitis, consisting of broad-spectrum antibiotics, drainage followed, if necessary, by minimally invasive necrosectomy, has replaced open surgery as the standard of management. Video-assisted retroperitoneal debridement (VARD) is a surgical minimally invasive necrosectomy. This is a 5 cases series (2 female and 3 males) with severe acute pancreatitis and infected pancreatic necrosis who underwent step up approach and VARD.