Recently, we described in this Journal a simplified, yet accurate clinical decision model (the RISE UP score) to predict 30-day mortality in older patients who visit an emergency department [1]. Although several studies have shown that certain biomarkers are good predictors of outcome as well, it remains enigmatic whether these have any additional value over and above clinical decision rules such as ours. This is particularly true for the elderly population. As part of the RISE UP study, we also collected blood for determination of several biomarkers from the patients who participated in this study.
