Clinical Assessment and D-dimer Testing in Deep Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Clive Kearon
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Letters3 September 2002Clinical Assessment and d-dimer Testing in Deep Venous ThrombosisClive Kearon, MB, PhD and Jeffrey S. Ginsberg, MDClive Kearon, MB, PhDMcMaster University; Hamilton, Ontario L8V 1C3, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author and Jeffrey S. Ginsberg, MDMcMaster University; Hamilton, Ontario L8V 1C3, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-5_Part_1-200209030-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Wakai is concerned that other clinical centers, and particularly emergency departments, may have difficulty replicating the results of our study. We believe that the two limitations he discusses, which are common to most diagnostic tests, are interrelated and can be readily overcome. In contrast to other d-dimer assays, the assay we used in our study, SimpliRED (AGEN Biomedical, Ltd., Brisbane, Australia), can be performed at the bedside on a fingerstick sample and yields a result within minutes. At our institution, a nurse or a technician with previous training performs the test; we estimate that it takes about ...References1. Chunilal SD, Brill-Edwards PA, Stevens PB, Joval JP, McGinnis JA, Rupwate M, et al . The sensitivity and specificity of a red blood cell agglutination d-dimer assay for venous thromboembolism when performed on venous blood. Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:217-20. [PMID: 11802756] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Turkstra F, van Beek EJ, Büller HR. Observer and biological variation of a rapid whole blood d-dimer test. Thromb Haemost. 1998;79:91-3. [PMID: 9459330] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Farrell S, Hayes T, Shaw M. A negative SimpliREDd-dimer assay result does not exclude the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus in emergency department patients. Ann Emerg Med. 2000;35:121-5. [PMID: 10650228] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Perrier A, Desmarais S, Miron MJ, de Moerloose P, Lepage R, Slosman D, et al . Non-invasive diagnosis of venous thromboembolism in outpatients. Lancet. 1999;353:190-5. [PMID: 9923874] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Bates SM, Grand'Maison A, Johnston M, Naguit I, Kovacs MJ, Ginsberg JS. A latex d-dimer reliably excludes venous thromboembolism. Arch Intern Med. 2001;161:447-53. [PMID: 11176771] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: McMaster University; Hamilton, Ontario L8V 1C3, Canada PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoManagement of Suspected Deep Venous Thrombosis in Outpatients by Using Clinical Assessment and d-dimer Testing Clive Kearon , Jeffrey S. Ginsberg , James Douketis , Mark Crowther , Patrick Brill-Edwards , Jeffrey I. Weitz , and Jack Hirsh Clinical Assessment and d-Dimer Testing in Deep Venous Thrombosis Abel Wakai Clinical Assessment and d-Dimer Testing in Deep Venous Thrombosis Abel Wakai Metrics 3 September 2002Volume 137, Issue 5_Part_1Page: 371-372KeywordsBloodD-dimerDeep vein thrombosisEmergency departmentEnzyme linked immunosorbent assayNursesQuality improvementResearch laboratoriesTechniciansVenous thromboembolism ePublished: 3 September 2002 Issue Published: 3 September 2002 CopyrightCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...