A 63-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with sudden-onset abdominal pain and vomiting. She had a medical history of estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor positive-, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast intraductal carcinoma status after partial mastectomy with adjuvant radiation on hormone-based chemotherapy. Presenting vital signs included a heart rate of 80 beats/min, BP of 149/84 mm Hg, and 94% oxygen saturation on room air.

A 62-year-old man with a history of primary central nervous system lymphoma first presented with diplopia, diagnosed 2 years ago. A brain MRI showed multiple solid enhancing mass lesions located at the midline bilateral dorsal medulla to both cervicomedullary junction and right flocculus with edema of the ventrolateral medulla. The brain biopsy confirmed relapsed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Remission was achieved after a course of high-dose methotrexate, rituximab, and whole-brain radiotherapy. He was referred to the sleep clinic because of snoring, witnessed apnea, and severe daytime sleepiness. He had no dyspnea, cough, or history of aspiration pneumonia. Medications included levetiracetam and midodrine.

A 36-year-old man with medical history of inferior vena cava thrombus and recurrent pulmonary embolism (PE) presents to the emergency room with fever, malaise, and night sweats for 3 days and hemoptysis (approximately half a tablespoon) in the last 24 hours. He reports the first diagnosis of inferior vena cava thrombus in December 2022, when he presented with similar symptoms and was started on apixaban. Since then, he had 3 additional episodes in the following 6 months in which he was found to have recurrent PEs despite compliance with anticoagulation and changes in regimen (warfarin then enoxaparin). However, this is the first episode of hemoptysis. Patient has never smoked and denies personal and family history of coagulopathies or cancer.

A 64-year-old man, originally from Puerto Rico, was referred for suspected interstitial lung disease based on incidental chest imaging findings. He had no respiratory concerns such as cough or dyspnea. He had preserved exercise tolerance and walked multiple city blocks without stopping.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Traditional assessments such as the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) may not adequately capture daily physical activity or patient experience in real-world settings.

There is no consensus for identifying ideal candidates for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life-sustaining technology that can supply oxygenated blood to a patient whose heart and/or lungs are not properly functioning. Without clear and standardized guidelines, the decision about who to cannulate often falls upon one or several clinicians who weigh the procedure's risks and benefits. Limited data, and therefore substantial clinical judgment, guides ECMO candidacy determination, rendering the process particularly susceptible to heuristic-based decision-making and cognitive biases resulting from mental shortcuts. This can lead to candidates being inappropriately accepted or declined for ECMO and suboptimal allocation of a limited resource. This article presents a hypothetical case based on real clinical scenarios highlighting the impact that cognitive biases may play in ECMO candidacy and discussing their potential harms. We argue that ECMO candidacy determination is especially vulnerable to cognitive biases and offer several ways to mitigate their influence on candidacy selection. Our aim was to stimulate the recognition and mitigation of cognitive bias in ECMO deliberations as one step toward the standardization of ECMO candidacy determinations, with the goal of achieving more equitable and effective care for patients who would most benefit from this technology.

Multiple clinical and inflammatory risk factors for asthma attacks have been identified, including attack history, comorbidities, blood eosinophil count (BEC), and exhaled nitric oxide (Feno). However, the impact of sex on their prognostic value is unclear.

Rhabdomyolysis is the clinical syndrome resulting from the release of skeletal muscle cellular contents into the bloodstream, typically manifesting as limb weakness, myalgias, swelling, myoglobinuria, electrolyte abnormalities, and, critically, acute kidney injury (AKI). Recognition of this complex of clinical and biochemical features is necessary for accurate diagnosis and subsequent management.