Pulmonary embolism in patients with COVID-19 and D-dimer diagnostic value: A retrospective study.

Background: D-dimer levels are significantly higher in COVID-19 patients with Pulmonary Thromboembolism (PTE) as compared to those without PTE, but its clinical utility is still uncertain.

Purpose: To determine the D-dimer performance for ruling out PTE in patients with COVID-19. We also assessed clinical and laboratory factors associated with the presence of PTE on CT Pulmonary Angiogram (CTPA).

Developing the Pneumonia-Optimized Ratio for Community-acquired pneumonia: An easy, inexpensive and accurate prognostic biomarker.

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is still a major public health problem. Prognostic scores at admission in tertiary services may improve early identification of severity and better allocation of resources, ultimately improving survival. Herein, we aimed at evaluating prognostic biomarkers of CAP and a Pneumonia-Optimized Ratio was created to improve prognostic performance.