D-dimer (DD) testing is still underutilized for the assessment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), according to a study published in the July issue of the Annals of Vascular Surgery. Further, DD testing in conjunction with a clinical assessment to attest the likelihood of disease can significantly reduce the number of unnecessary, immediate venous duplex ultrasounds (VDUs) performed to rule out DVT. DD is part of a degraded protein produced during the clotting process. While not specific for location, etiology, or pathology, DD can serve as a clinically sensitive marker of acute thrombotic events, including DVT, with results available in under 30 minutes. Yet, many clinicians still proceed directly to VDU, regardless of the pretest likelihood of disease or DD results to inform decision making. The researchers retrospectively analyzed data from 1,670 patients who presented to a high-volume tertiary care center with lower limb swelling with or without associated pain during June and July of four consecutive years (2012 to 2015). Electronic health records were analyzed to collect the necessary data elements (e.g., calf or leg swelling, paralysis or bedridden, localized tenderness, previous DVT) in order to calculate the Wells criteria probability (WCP) score, assessing the pretest likelihood of DVT. Based […]