Background: The clinical spectrum of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is broad; it can range from asymptomatic cases to mild upper respiratory tract illness, respiratory failure, and severe multiorgan failure resulting in death. Therefore, it is important to identify the clinical course of the disease and the factors associated with mortality. Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the risk factors associated with the severity of the disease, intensive care unit admission, and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A total of 1075 patients with clinical and radiological findings compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia and positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR were selected and retrospectively screened. All included patients were classified according to the 7th edition of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease Guidelines published by the National Health Commission of China. Results: It was observed that elevated white blood count (WBC) increased the severity of COVID-19 by 3.26 times and the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission by 3.47 times. Patients with high D-dimer levels had a 91% increased risk, and those with high fibrinogen levels had a 2.08 times higher risk of severe disease. High C-reactive protein (CRP) values were found to increase disease severity by 6.89 times, mortality by 12.84 times, and ICU admission by 3.37 times. Conclusions: Identifying the factors associated with disease severity, ICU admission, and mortality in COVID-19 patients could help reduce disability and mortality rates in pandemics.

Background/Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the pulmonary arterial computed tomography obstruction index ratio (CTOI) and the simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI), one of the clinical probability scoring modalities, in determining the severity of PE and to determine whether CTOI is a mortality marker. Methods: The study included 117 patients diagnosed with PE via computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). The CTOI was determined according to the localization of the embolus and the obstruction caused by the embolus in the vessel. Patients were divided into two groups, namely low-risk and high-risk groups, according to their sPESI values. Patient deaths up to six months after PE diagnosis were recorded. Results: According to the sPESI classification, although the CTOI was higher in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group, no significant difference was found between the groups. The mortality rate was significantly higher in the high-risk group. After six months of follow-up, there was no difference in the CTOI rate between the patients who died and those who survived. Conclusions: Although CTPA is the gold standard for diagnosing PE, it would be more appropriate to use it together with clinical findings to determine the severity of the disease. Further evaluation is needed to investigate the usefulness of the obstruction index and CT findings of right ventricular dysfunction for classifying patient risk and determining therapeutic options.

Background/Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pulmonary arterial computed tomography obstruction index ratio (CTOI) and simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI), one of the clinical probability scoring modalities, in determining the severity of PE and to determine whether CTOI is a mortality marker. Methods: The study included 117 patients diagnosed with PE by Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA). CTOI was determined according to the localization of the embolus and the obstruction caused by the embolus in the vessel. Patients were divided into groups according to sPESI. Patient deaths up to six months after PE diagnosis were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of mortality. Results: According to sPESI classification, there was no difference in CTOI between high-risk and low-risk groups. After six months of follow-up, there was no difference in CTOI rate between the patients who died and those who survived. Conclusion Although CTPA is the gold standard for diagnosing PE, it would be more appropriate to use it together with clinical findings to determine the severity of the disease. Further evaluation is needed to investigate the usefulness of the obstruction index and CT findings of right ventricular dysfunction for classifying patient risk and determining therapeutic options.