The effect of regional transmural agreements on the information transfer of frail older patients.

INTRODUCTION: Frail older patients are at risk for many complications when admitted to the hospital. Multidisciplinary regional transmural agreements (RTA) in which guidelines were set concerning the information transfer of frail older patients might improve outcomes. We aim to investigate the effect of implementation of the RTA on the completeness of the information transfer of frail older patients when admitted to and discharged from the hospital. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study in which we collected data from 400 randomly selected hospitalized frail older patients (70+) before the implementation of the RTA, January through March 2021, and after, October through December 2021. The cohort was split up into four groups, which determined what correspondence would be checked (referral letter by General Practitioner (GP) and three groups of 'hospital letters': ED letter upon admittance, clinical discharge letter to the elderly care physician and clinical discharge letter to the GP. We assessed for mention of frailty, a medication list and mention of resuscitation orders. RESULTS: In the period before implementation the mean age of patients was 82.6 years (SD 7.4) and 101 were female (50.5%), after implementation mean age was 82.3 (SD 6.9) and 112 were female (56.0%). Frailty was mentioned in hospital letters in 12.7% before and 15.3% after implementation (p = 0.09). More GP referral letters were present after implementation (32.0% vs. 54.0%, p = 0.03), however frailty was mentioned only in 12.5% before and 7.4% after (p = 0.58). There was a good handover of medication lists from the hospital (89.3% before, 94% after, p = 0.20) and even better from the GP (93.8% before, 100% after, p = 0.19). Resuscitation orders were mentioned in 59.3% of letters from the hospital before implementation and 57.3% after (p = 0.77), which is higher than in the referral letters (18.8% before and 22.2% after (p = 0.91). DISCUSSION: The implementation of RTA improved the number of GP referral letters present; however, it did not lead to other significant improvements in communication between the hospital and the GP's. Frailty and resuscitation orders are still frequently not mentioned in the reports. After a successful reimplementation, the improvements of outcomes could be investigated.

Patient experience from a doctor's perspective: A case report concerning treatment, fracture healing and rehabilitation of multiple complex injuries due to a high energy motor vehicle collision.

A 35-year old healthy male trauma surgery chief resident, suffered a high-speed motor vehicle collision. The patient sustained the following injuries: a Gustilo-Anderson grade 2 open comminuted intra-articular fracture of the left distal femur (AO 33C3.3), a Hawkins 1A neck fracture of the right talus (AO 81.2A), an undisplaced Lisfranc injury of the right foot comprising avulsion fractures at the base of the 1st, 2nd and 5th metatarsal as well as the cuboid bone suggesting ligament injury and 2nd to 5th carpometacarpal dislocations of the right (non-dominant) hand with comminuted fractures of the capitate, hamate, trapezoid and the base of the fifth metacarpal bone. A staged-treatment approach ensued. An external fixator (ex-fix) was placed over the left knee, followed by definitive fixation of the distal femoral fracture using a Qwix screw, Non-Contact Bridging (NCB) plate and Locking Compression Plate (LCP). An ex-fix was placed over the right wrist, followed by open reduction and k-wire fixation. The talar fracture of the right foot was treated with a single lag screw and the Lisfranc injury was treated non-operatively with four weeks of non-weight bearing cast immobilization. An intensive clinical rehabilitation program was started, including early use of Continuous Passive Motion (CPM), daily non-weightbearing swimming pool exercises, hand, physical and recreational therapy. One year after the injury the patient was rehabilitated and resumed his surgical residency. Two years after the injury, limited flexion and pain in the left leg remains, possibly related to partial union of the femoral fracture. Range of motion (ROM) of the right ankle and wrist remains limited, not causing significant functional impairment. Lessons learned from a patient experience combined with detailed descriptions of injuries, rehabilitation and long term outcomes can be used as a reference for treating patients with comparable injuries.

Providing care for older adults in the Emergency Department: expert clinical recommendations from the European Task Force on Geriatric Emergency Medicine.

PURPOSE: Despite the rapidly expanding knowledge in the field of Geriatric Emergency Medicine in Europe, widespread implementation of change is still lacking. Many opportunities in everyday clinical care are missed to improve care for this susceptible and growing patient group. The aim was to develop expert clinical recommendations on Geriatric Emergency Medicine to be disseminated across Europe. METHODS: A group of multi-disciplinary experts in the field of Geriatric Emergency Medicine in Europe was assembled. Using a modified Delphi procedure, a prioritized list of topics related to Geriatric Emergency Medicine was created. Next, a multi-disciplinary group of nurses, geriatricians and emergency physicians performed a review of recent guidelines and literature to create recommendations. These recommendations were voted upon by a group of experts and placed on visually attractive posters. The expert group identified the following eight subject areas to develop expert recommendations on: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in the Emergency Department (ED), age/frailty adjusted risk stratification, delirium and cognitive impairment, medication reviews in the ED for older adults, family involvement, ED environment, silver trauma, end of life care in the acute setting. RESULTS: Eight posters with expert clinical recommendations on the most important topics in Geriatric Emergency Medicine are now available through https://posters.geriemeurope.eu/ . CONCLUSION: Expert clinical recommendations for Geriatric Emergency Medicine may help to improve care for older patients in the Emergency Department and are ready for dissemination across Europe.

Mortality risk for different presenting complaints amongst older patients assessed with the Manchester triage system.

PURPOSE: Older people often present to the Emergency Department with nonspecific complaints. We aimed (1) to examine characteristics of older patients presenting to the ED triaged with the presentational flowchart 'unwell adult' of the Manchester triage system (MTS) and (2) to assess the different mortality and admission rates among triage categories. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study including all consecutive patients aged 70 years and older who visited the ED of a tertiary care hospital in the Netherlands during a 1-year period. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were 7-day mortality, hospital admission and ED length of stay. RESULTS: 4255 patients were included in this study. Mean age was 78 years (IQR 73.9-83.4) and 2098 were male (49.3%). The MTS presentational flowchart 'unwell adult' was the most commonly used flowchart (n = 815, 19.3%). After the infrequent flowchart 'major trauma' (n = 9, 13.8%), 'unwell adult' had the highest 30-day mortality (n = 88, 10.8%). When compared to all other flowcharts, patients assigned as 'unwell adult' have significantly higher 30-day mortality rates (OR 1.89 (95%CI 1.46-2.46), p = < 0.001), also when adjusted for age, gender and triage priority (OR 1.75 (95%CI 1.32-2.31), p = < 0.001). Patients from the 'unwell adult' flowchart had the highest hospital admission rate (n = 540, 66.3%), and had among the longest ED length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: Older ED patients are most commonly assigned the presentational flowchart 'unwell adult' when using the MTS. Patients in this category have the highest non-trauma mortality and highest hospital admission rates when compared to other presenting complaints.

Prediction admission in the older population in the Emergency Department: the CLEARED tool.

BACKGROUND: Length of stay (LOS) in the Emergency Department (ED) is correlated with an extended in-hospital LOS and may even increase 30-day mortality. Older patients represent a growing population in the ED and they are especially at risk of adverse outcomes. Screening tools that adequately predict admission could help reduce waiting times in the ED and reduce time to treatment. We aimed to develop and validate a clinical prediction tool for admission, applicable to the aged patient population in the ED. METHODS: Data from 7,606 ED visits of patients aged 70 years and older between 2012 and 2014 were used to develop the CLEARED tool. Model performance was assessed with discrimination using logistic regression and calibration. The model was internally validated by bootstrap resampling in Erasmus Medical Center and externally validated at two other hospitals, Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST) and Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). RESULTS: CLEARED contains 10 predictors: body temperature, heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, referral status, the Manchester Triage System category, and the need for laboratory or radiology testing. The internally validated area under the curve (AUC) was 0.766 (95% CI [0.759;0.781]). External validation in MST showed an AUC of 0.797 and in LUMC, an AUC of 0.725. CONCLUSIONS: The developed CLEARED tool reliably predicts admission in elderly patients visiting the ED. It is a promising prompt, although further research is needed to implement the tool and to investigate the benefits in terms of reduction of crowding and LOS in the ED.

The APOP screener and clinical outcomes in older hospitalised internal medicine patients.

BACKGROUND: Acutely hospitalised older patients with indications related to internal medicine have high risks of adverse outcomes. We investigated whether risk stratification using the Acutely Presenting Older Patient (APOP) screening tool associates with clinical outcomes in this patient group. METHODS: Patients aged ≥ 70 years who visited the Emergency Department (ED) and were acutely hospitalised for internal medicine were followed prospectively. The APOP screener assesses demographics, physical and cognitive function at ED presentation, and predicts 3-month mortality and functional decline in the older ED population. Patients with a predicted risk ≥ 45% were considered 'high risk'. Clinical outcome was hospital length of stay (LOS), and adverse outcomes were mortality and functional decline, 3 and 12 months after hospitalisation. RESULTS: We included 319 patients, with a median age of 80 (IQR 74-85) years, of whom 94 (29.5%) were categorised as 'high risk' by the APOP screener. These patients had a longer hospital LOS compared to 'low risk' patients 5 (IQR 3-10) vs. 3 (IQR 1-7) days, respectively; p = 0.006). At 3 months, adverse outcomes were more frequent in 'high risk' patients compared to 'low risk' patients (59.6% vs. 34.7%, respectively; p < 0.001). At 12 months, adverse outcomes (67.0% vs. 46.2%, respectively; p = 0.001) and mortality (48.9% vs. 28.0%, respectively; p < 0.001) were greater in 'high risk' compared to 'low risk' patients. CONCLUSION: The APOP screener identifies acutely hospitalised internal medicine patients at high risk for poor short and long-term outcomes. Early risk stratification at admission could aid in individualised treatment decisions to optimise outcomes for older patients.

Optimization of the APOP screener to predict functional decline or mortality in older emergency department patients: Cross-validation in four prospective cohorts.

INTRODUCTION: Many screening instruments to predict adverse health outcomes in older patients visiting the emergency department (ED) have been developed, but successful implementation has been hampered because they are insufficiently validated or not tailored for the intended use of everyday clinical practice. The present study aims to refine and validate an existing screening instrument (the APOP screener) to predict 90-day functional decline or mortality in older ED patients. METHODS: Consecutive older patients (≥70 years) visiting the EDs of four hospitals were included and prospectively followed. First, an expert panel used predefined criteria to decide which independent predictors (including demographics, illness severity and geriatric parameters) were suitable for refinement of the model predicting functional decline or mortality after 90 days. Second, the model was cross-validated in all four hospitals and predictive performance was assessed. Additionally, a pilot study among triage nurses experiences and clinical usability of the APOP screener was conducted. RESULTS: In total 2629 older patients were included, with a median age of 79 years (IQR 74-84). After 90 days 805 patients (30.6%) experienced functional decline or mortality. The refined prediction model included age, gender, way of arrival, need of regular help, need help in bathing/showering, hospitalization the prior six months and impaired cognition. Calibration was good and cross-validation was successful with a pooled area under the curve of 0.71 (0.69-0.73). In the top 20% patients predicted to be at highest risk in total 58% (95%CI 54%-62%) experienced functional decline or mortality. Triage nurses found the screener well suited for clinical use, with room for improvement. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, optimization of the APOP screener resulted in a short and more simplified screener, which adequately identifies older ED patients at highest risk for functional decline or mortality. The findings of the pilot study were promising for clinical use.

Impaired cognition is associated with adverse outcome in older patients in the Emergency Department; the Acutely Presenting Older Patients (APOP) study.

Objective: to investigate whether cognitive impairment, measured early after Emergency Department (ED) arrival and irrespective of its cause, is independently associated with functional decline or mortality after 3 and 12 months in older ED patients. Design and setting: a prospective multi-centre cohort study in all Acutely Presenting Older Patients visiting the Emergency Department (APOP study) of three hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants: 2,130 patients, ≥70 years. Measurements: data on demographics, disease severity and geriatric characteristics were collected during the first hour of the ED visit. Cognition was measured using the 6-Item-Cognitive-Impairment-Test ('6CIT'). Cognitive impairment was defined as 6CIT ≥11, self-reported dementia or the inability to perform the cognition test. The composite adverse outcome after 3 and 12 months was defined as a 1-point decrease in Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL), new institutionalisation or mortality. Multivariable regression analysis was used to assess whether cognitive impairment independently associates with adverse outcome. Results: of 2,130 included patients, 588 (27.6%) had cognitive impairment at baseline and 654 patients (30.7%) suffered from adverse outcome after 3 months. Cognitive impairment associated with increased risk for adverse outcome (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.72, 95%CI 1.37-2.17). After 12 months, 787 patients (36.9%) suffered from adverse outcome. Again, cognitive impairment independently associated with increased risk for adverse outcome (adjusted OR 1.89, 95%CI 1.46-2.46). ORs were similar for patients who were discharged home versus hospitalised patients. Conclusion: cognitive impairment measured during the early stages of ED visit, irrespective of the cause, is independently associated with adverse outcome after 3 and 12 months in older patients.

Optimising the ISAR-HP to screen efficiently for functional decline in older patients.

INTRODUCTION: The Identification of Seniors At Risk-Hospitalised Patients (ISAR-HP) has recently been included in guidelines as a frailty indicator to identify patients for comprehensive geriatric assessment. Previous studies showed that the conventional cut-off score incorrectly classifies a high percentage of patients as high risk. We aimed to optimise the predictive value of ISAR-HP by using different cut-offs in older acutely hospitalised patients. METHODS: A prospective follow-up study was performed in two Dutch hospitals. Acutely hospitalised patients aged ≥ 70 years were included. Demographics, illness severity parameters, geriatric measurements and the ISAR-HP scores were obtained at baseline. The primary outcome was a combined end point of functional decline or mortality during 90-day follow-up. RESULTS: In total 765 acutely hospitalised older patients were included, with a median age of 79 years, of whom 276 (36.1%) experienced functional decline or mortality. The conventional ISAR-HP cut-off of ≥ 2 assigned 432/765 patients (56.5%) as high risk, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.49 (95%CI 0.45-0.54) and a negative predictive value of 0.81 (95%CI 0.76-0.85). Thus, 51% of those whom the ISAR-HP denoted as high risk did not experience the outcome of interest. Raising the cut-off to ≥ 4 assigned 205/765 patients (26.8%) as high risk, with a marginally increased PPV to 0.55 (95%CI 0.48-0.62). CONCLUSION: The ISAR-HP with the conventional cut-off of ≥ 2 incorrectly identifies a large group of patients at high risk for functional decline or mortality and raising the cut-off to 4 only marginally improved performance. Caution is warranted to ensure efficient screening and follow-up interventions.

Predicting adverse health outcomes in older emergency department patients: the APOP study.

BACKGROUND: Older patients experience high rates of adverse outcomes after an emergency department (ED) visit. Early identification of those at high risk could guide preventive interventions and tailored treatment decisions, but available models perform poorly in discriminating those at highest risk. The present study aims to develop and validate a prediction model for functional decline and mortality in older patients presenting to the ED. METHODS: A prospective follow-up study in patients aged ≥ 70, attending the EDs of the LUMC, the Netherlands (derivation) and Alrijne Hospital, the Netherlands (validation) was conducted. A baseline assessment was performed and the main outcome, a composite of functional decline and mortality, was obtained after 90 days of follow-up. RESULTS: In total 751 patients were enrolled in the Leiden University Medical Center of whom 230 patients (30.6%) experienced the composite outcome and 71 patients (9.5%) died. The final model for the composite outcome resulted in an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.73 (95% CI 0.67-0.77) and was experienced in 69% of the patients at highest risk. For mortality the AUC was 0.79 (95% CI 0.73-0.85) and 36% of the patients at highest risk died. External validation in 881 patients of Alrijne Hospital showed an AUC of 0.71 (95% CI 0.67-0.75) for the composite outcome and 0.67 (95% CI 0.60-0.73) for mortality. CONCLUSION: We successfully developed and validated prediction models for 90-day composite outcome and 90-day mortality in older emergency patients. The benefits for patient management by implementing these models with preventive interventions have to be investigated.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Prevent Allostimulation In Vivo and Control Checkpoints of Th1 Priming: Migration of Human DC to Lymph Nodes and NK Cell Activation.

Although the immunomodulatory potency of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) is well established, the mechanisms behind are still not clear. The crosstalk between myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) and natural killer (NK) cells and especially NK cell-derived interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) play a pivotal role in the development of type 1 helper (Th1) cell immune responses. While many studies explored the isolated impact of MSC on either in vitro generated DC, NK, or T cells, there are only few data available on the complex interplay between these cells. Here, we investigated the impact of MSC on the functionality of human mDC and the consequences for NK cell and Th1 priming in vitro and in vivo. In critical limb ischemia patients, who have been treated with allogeneic placenta-derived mesenchymal-like stromal cells (PLX-PAD), no in vivo priming of Th1 responses toward the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mismatches could be detected. Further in vitro studies revealed that mDC reprogramming could play a central role for these effects. Following crosstalk with MSC, activated mDC acquired a tolerogenic phenotype characterized by reduced migration toward CCR7 ligand and impaired ability to stimulate NK cell-derived IFN-γ production. These effects, which were strongly related to an altered interleukin (IL)-12/IL-10 production by mDC, were accompanied by an effective prevention of Th1 priming in vivo. Our findings provide novel evidence for the regulation of Th1 priming by MSC via modulation of mDC and NK cell crosstalk and show that off-the-shelf produced MHC-mismatched PLX-PAD can be used in patients without any sign of immunogenicity.

[Autologous bone-marrow stem-cell transplantation for induction of arteriogenesis for limb salvage in critical limb ischaemia]. / Extremitätenerhalt durch autologe Knochenmarksstammzelltransplantation zur Induktion der Arteriogenese bei kritischer, nicht-revaskularisierbarer Extremitätenischämie.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow cell transplantation has been shown to induce angiogenesis and thus improve ischaemic artery disease. This study evaluates the effects of intramuscular bone marrow cell transplantation in patients with limb-threatening critical limb ischaemia with a very high risk for major amputation. METHODS AND RESULTS: After failed or impossible operative and / or interventional revascularisation and after unsuccessful maximum conservative therapy, 51 patients with impending major amputation due to severe critical limb ischaemia had autologous bone marrow cells (BMC) transplant-ed into the ischaemic leg. Patients 1-12 received Ficoll-isolated bone marrow mononuclear cells (total cell number 1.1 +/- 1.1 x 10(9)), patients 13-51 received point of care isolated bone marrow total nucleated cells (3.0 +/- 1.7 x 10(9)). Limb salvage was 59 % at 6 months and 53 % at last follow-up (mean: 411 +/- 261 days, range: 175-1186 days). Perfusion measured with the ankle-brachial-index (ABI) and transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcpO2) at baseline and after 6 months increased in -patients with consecutive limb salvage (ABI 0.33 +/- 0.18 to 0.46 +/- 0.15, tcpO2 12 +/- 12 to 25 +/- 15 mmHg) and did not change in patients eventually undergoing major amputation. No differences in clinical outcome between the isolation methods were seen. Clinically most important, patients with limb salvage improved from a mean Rutherford category of 4.9 at baseline to 3.3 at 6 months (p = 0.0001). Analgesics consumption was reduced by 62 %. -Total walking distance improved in non-amputees from zero to 40 metres. Three severe peri-procedural adverse events resolved without sequelae, and no unexpected long-term adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: In no-option patients with end-stage critical limb ischaemia due to peripheral -artery disease, bone marrow cell transplantation is a safe procedure which can improve leg perfusion sufficiently to reduce major amputations and permit durable limb salvage.

Two cases of buttock claudication caused by isolated internal iliac artery stenosis.

We present two cases of buttock claudication caused by severe stenosis of the internal iliac artery which disappeared totally after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Isolated stenoses of internal iliac arteries are rare. It is often difficult to distinguish between vascular buttock claudication and neurological or orthopaedic symptoms. Conventional or MR-angiography is necessary to secure the diagnosis. PTA of internal iliac artery stenosis is the adequate treatment.

Local vascular complications after use of the hemostatic puncture closure device Angio-Seal.

BACKGROUND: As an alternative to manual pressure techniques new systems for achieving arterial hemostasis after cardiac catheterization were developed. Here we report about the diagnosis and therapy of femoral artery complications after use of the closure device Angio-Seal, consisting of an intraarterial anchor and extravascular collagen plug. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Angio-Seal was deployed in 350 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Vascular investigations after device application consisted of ankle/brachial-pressure-index measurement, duplex sonography, and angiography. RESULTS: Vascular complications occurred in 10 of 350 patients. In two patients complete occlusions of the superficial femoral artery required immediate vascular surgery. Stenoses of the superficial (five patients) and the common (three patients) femoral arteries were diagnosed in 8 cases. Of these 10 patients eight were obese, in 2 cases there was a further catheterization with Angio-Seal device application via the same femoral approach. Until now six patients underwent successful surgery: in 4 cases the whole Angio-Seal device was located intraarterially, there was 1 case of intima-dissection, and 1 case remained unclear due to a diagnostic delay of 7 months. In three patients with stenoses of the common femoral arteries without hemodynamic relevance no therapy was required. CONCLUSIONS: Occlusions or stenoses of femoral arteries after use of Angio-Seal can be diagnosed easily by duplex sonography. All hemodynamic relevant complications (n = 7 of 350 [2%]) concerned a puncture of superficial femoral arteries. In these patients vascular surgery seems to be an adequate therapy.

Low molecular weight heparin for prevention of thromboembolic complications in cardioversion--rationale and design of the ACE study (Anticoagulation in Cardioversion using Enoxaparin).

The modality and duration of anticoagulation before, during, and after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation--either with or without guidance by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)--is still an unresolved issue. Intravenous infusion of unfractionated heparin until effective anticoagulation with phenprocoumon or warfarin is used as the standard therapy. However, this approach may be associated with several days of hospitalization because of the necessity for intravenous heparin administration. Moreover, there may be an increased risk of bleeding complications or, conversely, episodes of undercoagulation. Low-molecular weight heparin is an attractive alternative as it not only provide a safe and predictable level of anticoagulation with fewer side effects but can also be administered safely on an outpatient basis. In addition, no anticoagulation monitoring is needed. The ACE study (Anticoagulation in Cardioversion using Enoxaparin) is a randomized, prospective, open-label multicenter trial comparing the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous enoxaparin with intravenous heparin/oral phenprocoumon before and after cardioversion (stratified to TEE guidance or no TEE guidance). This article presents the rationale, design and status of the ACE study.

Recombinant human GM-CSF in the treatment of poorly healing wounds.

Although most wounds heal rapidly, impaired or delayed tissue repair represents a major clinical challenge. Current therapy is directed at providing a wound with the most favorable environment in which to heal, rather than aiming to increase the rate of healing pharmacologically. Recent studies have suggested that a number of drugs may act specifically to increase healing rates. In vivo studies have demonstrated that recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor facilitates wound contraction, causes local recruitment of inflammatory cells, and induces keratinocyte proliferation. It also activates mononuclear phagocytes, promotes migration of epithelial cells, and further regulates cytokine production. In 2 recent placebo-controlled studies involving venous leg ulceration, subcutaneous perilesional injections of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were found to be significantly better than placebo in the time to complete wound healing. In other studies, recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor was administered topically to wounds. Several case reports have also demonstrated the use of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for postsurgical wounds, chronic leg ulcers of sickle cell anemia patients, and refractory pyoderma gangrenosum. Despite proper attention to wound care, some wounds fail to heal in an appropriate fashion and may become chronic. Studies of wound physiology as well as experimental and clinical evidence suggest that recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor may promote healing of these lesions.

Incidence of cutaneous vasoactivity in patients with anemia and pulmonary hypoxia.

BACKGROUND: In cutaneous laser Doppler flow (LDF)-recordings, various forms of flowmotion or vasoactivity can be observed. It is still a matter of dispute, whether flowmotion is a phenomenon of physiological or pathophysiological conditions. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis of increased vasoactivity being typical for patients with various degrees of acute and chronic anemia as well as with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined 12 healthy controls, 14 patients with COPD with a PO2 below 60 mmHg, 16 patients with chronic and 7 patients with acute anemia with an Hb below 12 g/dl. We used a simple LDF-technique on the dorsum of the forefoot. The regularity of blood flow frequencies was determined by calculation of the coefficient of variation. RESULTS: Periods without vasoactivity (i.e. constant flow pattern) were 21% in normal controls, 7% in patients with COPD and 2% in patients with acute or chronic anemia. Mean frequencies in the four groups varied between 3.8 and 4.8 cpm, with significant changes only in the group with acute blood loss. However, vasoactivity was significantly more regular in the COPD- and anemia-groups as compared to normal controls, with coefficients of variation of 47.4% for controls, 31.8% for COPD- and 29.3% for chronic and 35.1% for acute anemia-patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present paper shows that cutaneous vasoactivity is more regular in the three examined clinical entities of systemic tissue hypo-oxygenation, i.e. chronic and acute anemia and severe COPD as compared to healthy control subjects. Therefore, we hypothesize that increased vasoactivity constitutes a regulatory defense mechanism in cases of reduced oxygenation, by improving microcirculatory blood flow distribution.