Acutelines: Emergency care research

Participants must meet at least one of the following criteria: 

• Patients in the highest (red) and second-highest (orange) urgency triage categories of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI). 

• Patients in the third-highest (yellow) urgency triage category of the ESI when arriving by HEMS transport. 

• Patients with specific conditions, regardless of triage category: early sepsis, shock, syncope, anaphylaxis, acute renal failure, electrolyte disturbances, intoxications, COPD and asthma exacerbations, suspected deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, gastrointestinal bleeding, and bleeding while using vitamin K antagonists or DOACs. 

Acutelines collects a wide range of clinical data and biomaterials. Detailed information on available data and samples can be found in the UMCG Research Data Catalogue. Samples are collected as soon as possible after presentation and before treatment begins, using a deferred proxy consent procedure. 

Clinical data

• reason for admission, including signs and symptoms;
• physical examination and vital parameters (e.g. body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing frequency);
• general characteristics (e.g. judgment of treating physician);
• additional results (e.g. X-ray images, scans, ultrasound scans, laboratory test results);
• pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment.

Questionnaires

• demographic data (e.g. age, sex, marital status, education, living situation, ethnicity);
• family history;
• lifestyle (e.g. smoking, alcohol consumption, illicit drug use);
• global functioning and experienced health (e.g. EQ-5D-5L, Katz-15 scale, Piper Fatigue Scale-12, PHQ-15);
• mood (e.g. PHQ-2, PHQ-9, GDS-15);
• shared decision-making (e.g. PSQ-18, OPT);
• nutrition and activity (e.g. SNAQ, MUST, SQUASH);
• frailty, delirium and cognitive functioning (e.g. VMS frail older patients, 4-AT, 6-CIT).

Biomaterials

• serum;
• citrate plasma;
• EDTA plasma + buffy coat (DNA);
• heparin plasma;
• whole blood (PAXgene RNA extraction);
• urine;
• faeces;
• lock of hair.

Acutelines collaborates with multiple departments within the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) for emergency care research, including: 

• UMCG department Internal medicine; (Nephrology, Geriatric Medicine)
• UMCG department Medical Oncology
• UMCG department Hematology
• UMCG department Lung disease and tuberculosis (Pulmonology)
• UMCG department Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
• UMCG department Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• UMCG Emergency medicine (non-trauma).

For more details about participation, visit the Acutelines: data- en biobank voor ontstaan en behandeling van acute aandoeningen webpage (in Dutch).

UMCG employees can submit requests to obtain data and biomaterials via this link. External researchers can contact Acutelines via [email protected] for more information.