Overall complication rate of PVI with various techniques is 10.5%. Permanent deficit occurred only after PVAC and CPVI in 0.7% of patients. Female sex and a higher CHA2DS2-VASc score increase, while PVAC and CB-PVI decrease, overall risk. Differences in overall safety and individual complication profile make selection of the ablation technique in relation to clinical risk profile possible.

A 21-year-old female patient presented with pneumonia and on chest roentgenogram a solitary pulmonary nodule was incidentally found. After an observation period she underwent left upper lobectomy because of documented tumor growth. Pathology showed an intrapulmonary glomus tumor of the proper type, which is a very rare occurrence. Literature review revealed only 11 published cases of this subtype. Radiological investigation is helpful for localization and characterization of the tumor. However, pathological examination is required for definitive diagnosis. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Although uncommon, glomus and carcinoid tumors should be considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules in young patients.

Twelve independent preoperative risk factors for a prolonged ICU stay following cardiac surgery were identified and constructed into a proportional hazards model. Using this risk model, one can predict whether a patient will have a prolonged ICU stay or not.

In our patient database, prolonged length of stay in the ICU correlated positively with EuroSCORE. The logistic model was more discriminatory than the additive in tracing extended ICU stay. The overall predictive performance of EuroSCORE is acceptable and most likely based on the presence of variables that are risk factors for both mortality and extended ICU stay. Hence, EuroSCORE is a useful predicting tool and provides both surgeons and intensivists with a good estimate of patient risk in terms of ICU stay.

SYNOPSIS A group of pathologists, all working in the same laboratory and all applying the same diagnostic criteria to the diagnosis of epithelial abnormalities in the uterine cervix, have studied the consistency with which they have applied these criteria. Epithelial abnormalities were ranked, and a series of sections were diagnosed separately by each pathologist at various times over a number of years. Both consistency and trend were studied by a graphed statistical method and it was shown that not only were there serious inconsistencies in diagnosis between the various pathologists but also between the diagnoses made by individual pathologists studying the same section at various times.It is suggested that this inconsistency in the application of agreed diagnostic criteria is of importance when considering discrepancies between reported series of cervical epithelial abnormalities and that the type of study described is of value in assessing both variations in diagnostic criteria between different laboratories and the consistency of pathologists in training. Any slight change in the application of diagnostic criteria for any individual pathologist with the passage of time may also be detected by this technique.