A Prediction Model for Prolonged Hospital Length of Stay (ProLOS) in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). With the normalization of COVID-19 globally, it is crucial to construct a prediction model that enables clinicians to identify patients at risk for ProLOS based on demographics and serum inflammatory biomarkers. METHODS: The study included hospitalized patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. These patients were randomly grouped into a training (80%) and a test (20%) cohort. The LASSO regression and ten-fold cross-validation method were applied to filter variables. The training cohort utilized multifactorial logistic regression analyses to identify the independent factors of ProLOS in COVID-19 patients. A 4-variable nomogram was created for clinical use. ROC curves were plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the model's discrimination; calibration analysis was planned to assess the validity of the nomogram, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the model. RESULTS: The results showed that among 310 patients with COVID-19, 80 had extended hospitalization (80/310). Four independent risk factors for COVID-19 patients were identified: age, coexisting chronic respiratory diseases, white blood cell count (WBC), and serum albumin (ALB). A nomogram based on these variables was created. The AUC in the training cohort was 0.808 (95% CI: 0.75 - 0.8671), and the AUC in the test cohort was 0.815 (95% CI: 0.7031 - 0.9282). The model demonstrates good calibration and can be used with threshold probabilities ranging from 0% to 100% to obtain clinical net benefits. CONCLUSIONS: A predictive model has been created to accurately predict whether the hospitalization duration of COVID-19 patients will be prolonged. This model incorporates serum WBC, ALB levels, age, and the presence of chronic respiratory system diseases.

A Case of Organizing Pneumonia Resembling Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Organizing pneumonia (OP) is a pathologic diagnosis with clinical and imaging manifestations that often resemble other diseases, such as infections and cancers, which can lead to delays in diagnosis and inappropriate management of the underlying disease. In this article, we present a case of organized pneumonia that resembles lung cancer. METHODS: We report a case of initial suspicion of pulmonary malignancy, treated with anti-inflammatory medication and then reviewed with CT suggesting no improvement, and finally confirmed to be OP by pathological biopsy taken via transbronchoscopy. A joint literature analysis was performed to raise clinicians' awareness of the diagnosis and treatment of OP. RESULTS: Initially, because of the atypical auxiliary findings, we thought that the disease turned out to be a lung tumor, which was eventually confirmed as OP by pathological diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis and treatment of OP requires a combination of clinical information and radiological expertise, as well as biopsy to obtain histopathological evidence. That is, clinical-imaging-pathological tripartite cooperation and comprehensive analysis.

A Case of Tuberculosis Misdiagnosed as Sarcoidosis and then Confirmed by NGS Testing.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is an important infectious disease that threatens the health and life of human beings. In the diagnosis of PTB, imaging plays a dominant role, but due to the increasing drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, atypical clinical manifestations, "different images with the same disease" or "different diseases with the same image" in chest imaging, and the low positivity rate of routine sputum bacteriology, which leads to a high rate of misdiagnosis of PTB. We report a case of pulmonary tuberculosis that was misdiagnosed on imaging. We report a case of pulmonary tuberculosis that resembled sarcoidosis on imaging and was negative for antacid staining on sputum smear and alveolar lavage fluid, and was later diagnosed by microbial next-generation sequencing (NGS). The case was initially misdiagnosed as sarcoidosis. METHODS: Alveolar lavage fluid NGS, chest CT, bronchoscopy. RESULTS: Chest CT showed multiple inflammatory lesions in both lungs, multiple nodular foci in both lungs, and multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the mediastinum and hilar region on both sides. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was performed in the basal segment of the left lower lobe of the lungs to carry out bronchoalveolar lavage, and the lavage fluid was sent to the NGS test and returned the following results: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex group detected in the number of sequences of 293. Based on the results of the NGS test, the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis could be confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis cannot be easily excluded in patients with "different images with the same disease" or "different diseases with the same image" on chest imaging without the support of sputum positivity. The goal was to improve the alertness of medical personnel to the misdiagnosis of tuberculosis and the application of NGS technology.

CEA Negative Initial Diagnosis of HP Infection Finally Confirmed by Bronchoscopic Biopsy as Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a polysaccharide complex that is found in the human respiratory system. It is of significant use in disease surveillance of lung cancer; however, serum CEA can occasionally only offer little assistance. We present a case of recurring infection initially diagnosed as carcinoembryonic antigen-negative in a patient with a history of hypersensitivity pneumonitis infection, which finally led to the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma following percutaneous lung puncture. METHODS: Appropriate laboratory tests, chest CT, bronchoscopy, percutaneous lung puncture, and pathologic examination were performed to explore the cause of the disease. RESULTS: Because CEA was negative and a chest CT showed interstitial changes in both lungs with numerous hyperdense shadows, coupled with the patient's history of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, we initially believed that the infection was relapsing. However, a percutaneous lung puncture eventually revealed that the patient had lung adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Vigilance needs to be increased in clinical work for patients with interstitial lung disease, low tumor markers such as CEA, and imaging suggestive of inflammatory progression, which in fact turns into lung cancer. When the treatment is ineffective after standardized application of hormone and anti-infection, lung tissue should be obtained for pathological examination in time to obtain pathological evidence.

Accidental Detection of Tuberculous Empyema at Health Check-Up.

BACKGROUND: Patients with tuberculous empyema (TE) can have a serious impact on lung function as their disease progresses, and, if left untreated, can cause damage to other parts of the body such as the thorax and spine, causing pain and inconvenience to the patient. Early diagnosis and the search for appropriate treatment are key to improving the survival rate of the disease. METHODS: We report a case of a young patient with an unexpected finding of right pleural effusion on physical examination, who was eventually diagnosed with TE using next-generation sequencing of pleural tissue. We analyzed the literature to improve clinicians' understanding of TE and how to properly diagnose and treat the disease. RESULTS: Laboratory results of the pleural effusion suggested a possible Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, but pathogen-related tests were negative, and the diagnosis was eventually successfully confirmed by thoracoscopic pleural biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of TE should be considered in young patients with pleural thickening of the empyema. Adenosine deaminase may provide diagnostic direction in patients with unexplained thorax abscess. Pleural biopsy, although an invasive procedure, is an essential diagnostic tool in some cases.

Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Masquerading as a Lung Abscess.

BACKGROUND: Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia (AEP) is a rare form of non-infectious pneumonia that is easily missed and misdiagnosed because of its atypical clinical symptoms and misleading laboratory and imaging studies. METHODS: By reporting a case of an initial diagnosis of lung abscess, which was treated with antibiotics and then CT suggesting that the lesion continued to worsen, it was eventually confirmed to be AEP by lung biopsy, A joint literature analysis was conducted to improve clinicians' understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of AEP. RESULTS: Initially, because of the atypical ancillary findings, we thought the disease was a lung abscess, which was eventually confirmed by pathology as AEP. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of AEP needs to be considered when various laboratory findings point to infectious dis-ease, but anti-infection is not effective. Diagnosis can be confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissue biopsy. Prompt treatment can provide rapid relief and reduce the risk of patient death.