Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Prevalence of Frailty in European Emergency Departments (FEED): an international flash mob study

Introduction Current emergency care systems are not optimized to respond to multiple and complex problems associated with frailty. Services may require reconfiguration to effectively deliver comprehensive frailty care, yet its prevalence and variation are poorly understood. This study primarily determined the prevalence of frailty among older people attending emergency care. Methods This cross-sectional study used a flash mob approach to collect observational European emergency care data over a 24-h period (04 July 2023). Sites were identified through the European Task Force for Geriatric Emergency Medicine collaboration and social media. Data were collected for all individuals aged 65 + who attended emergency care, and for all adults aged 18 + at a subset of sites. Variables included demographics, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), vital signs, and disposition. European and national frailty prevalence was determined with proportions with each CFS level and with dichotomized CFS 5 + (mild or more severe frailty). Results Sixty-two sites in fourteen European countries recruited five thousand seven hundred eighty-five individuals. 40% of 3479 older people had at least mild frailty, with countries ranging from 26 to 51%. They had median age 77 (IQR, 13) years and 53% were female. Across 22 sites observing all adult attenders, older people living with frailty comprised 14%. Conclusion 40% of older people using European emergency care had CFS 5 + . Frailty prevalence varied widely among European care systems. These differences likely reflected entrance selection and provide windows of opportunity for system configuration and workforce planning

Modulation of the release of Ang-2 in experimental endotoxic shock by a species-specific circulating factor

Objectives To study the modulation of the release of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) in experimental endotoxic shock. Methods Twelve pigs were studied; eight became septic after the intravenous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli O55:B5. The concentrations of LPS, angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured soon after the LPS infusion in the serum samples from the pulmonary and systemic circulation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from two healthy swine, from two healthy human donors and from four patients with septic shock. The PBMCs were cultured with the serum of the septic animals in the presence or absence of polymyxin B. Concentrations of Ang-2 and TNFα were measured in supernatants. Results Serum Ang-2 was higher in the systemic circulation than in the pulmonary circulation. Increased Ang-2 release was noted in swine PBMCs in the presence of polymyxin B. A reciprocal decrease in TNFα release was observed, typically after incubation with serum sampled from the pulmonary circulation. Conclusion There is evidence for a circulating factor that primes Ang-2 release from blood monocytes in the event of septic shock. The finding indicates a possible site of interference within the septic shock cascade. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd