D-Dimer Assay to Exclude Pulmonary Embolism in High-Risk Oncologic Population: Correlation with CT Pulmonary Angiography in an Urgent Care Setting

Radiology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 247 (3) ◽  
pp. 854-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valencia King ◽  
Anjali A. Vaze ◽  
Chaya S. Moskowitz ◽  
Larry J. Smith ◽  
Michelle S. Ginsberg
Author(s):  
Aya Yassin ◽  
Maryam Ali Abdelkader ◽  
Rehab M. Mohammed ◽  
Ahmed M. Osman

Abstract Background Pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the known sequels of COVID-19 infection. We aimed to assess the incidence of PE in patients with COVID-19 infection and to evaluate the relationship between the CT severity of the disease and the laboratory indicators. This was a retrospective study conducted on 96 patients with COVID-19 infection proved by positive PCR who underwent CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) with a calculation of the CT severity of COVID-19 infection. Available patients’ complaint and laboratory data at the time of CTPA were correlated with PE presence and disease severity. Results Forty patients (41.7%) showed positive PE with the median time for the incidence of PE which was 12 days after onset of the disease. No significant correlation was found between the incidence of PE and the patients’ age, sex, laboratory results, and the CT severity of COVID-19. A statistically significant relation was found between the incidence of PE and the patients’ desaturation, hemoptysis, and chest pain. A highly significant correlation was found between the incidence of PE and the rising in the D-dimer level as well as the progressive CT findings when compared to the previous one. Conclusion CT progression and the rising in D-dimer level are considered the most important parameters suggesting underlying PE in patients with positive COVID-19 infection which is commonly seen during the second week of infection and alert the use of CT pulmonary angiography to exclude or confirm PE. This is may help in improving the management of COVID-19 infection.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Kennedy ◽  
Sisira Jayathissa ◽  
Paul Healy

Aims. To study the use of CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) at Hutt Hospital and investigate the use of pretest probability scoring in the assessment of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE).Methods. We studied patients with suspected PE that underwent CTPA between January and May 2012 and collected data on demographics, use of pretest probability scoring, and use of D Dimer and compared our practice with the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guideline.Results. 105 patients underwent CTPA and 15% of patients had PE. 13% of patients had a Wells score prior to their scan. Wells score calculated by researchers revealed 54%, 36%, and 8% patients had low, medium, and high risk pretest probabilities and 8%, 20%, and 50% of these patients had positive scans. D Dimer was performed in 58% of patients and no patients with a negative D Dimer had a PE.Conclusion. The CTPA positive rate was similar to other contemporary studies but lower than previous New Zealand studies and some international guidelines. Risk stratification of suspected PE using Wells score and D Dimer was underutilised. A number of scans could have been safely avoided by using accepted guidelines reducing resources use and improving patient safety.


CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S78-S78
Author(s):  
L. Salehi ◽  
P. Phalpher ◽  
H. Yu ◽  
M. Ossip ◽  
R. Valani ◽  
...  

Introduction: As the availability of Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) to rule out pulmonary embolism (PE) increases, so too does its utilization, and consequent overutilization. A variety of evidence-based algorithms and decision rules using clinical criteria and D-Dimer testing have been proposed as instruments to allow physicians to safely rule out a PE in low-risk patients. However, studies have shown mixed results with respect to both physician uptake of these decision rules and their impact on improving ordering practices among physicians. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of D-Dimer utilization among ED physicians and its impact on positive yield rates of CTPAs in a community setting. Methods: Data was collected on all CTPA studies ordered by ED physicians at two very high-volume community hospitals and an affiliated urgent care centre during the 2-year period between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. For each CTPA, we determined if 1) a D-Dimer had been ordered prior to CTPA, if 2) the D-Dimer was positive, and if 3) the CTPA was positive for a PE. Using a chi-square test, we compared the diagnostic yield for those patients who had a D-Dimer prior to their CTPA and those who did not. Results: A total of 2,811 CTPAs were included in the analysis. Of these, 964 CTPAs (34.3%) were ordered without a D-Dimer. Of those 1,847 patients who underwent D-Dimer testing prior to the CTPA, 343 (18.7%) underwent a CTPA despite a negative D-Dimer. When compared as a group, those CTPAs preceded by a D-Dimer showed no significant difference in positive yields when compared to those CTPAs ordered without a prior D-Dimer (9.9% versus 11.3%, p = 0.26). Conclusion: The findings of this study present a complicated picture of the impact of D-Dimer utilization on CTPA ordering patterns. There is evidence of suboptimal uptake of routine D-Dimer ordering, and adherence to guidelines in terms of forgoing CTPAs in low-risk patients with negative D-Dimers. While this study design leaves unanswered the question of how many CTPAs were avoided as a result of a negative D-Dimer, the finding of a similar positive yield among those patients who had a D-Dimer ordered versus those who did not is interesting, and illustrative of the issues arising from the high false-positive rates associated with D-Dimer screening.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Stein ◽  
Fadi Matta ◽  
Kate E. Hughes ◽  
Mary J. Hughes

The purpose was to determine whether young women in the emergency department who received computed tomographic (CT) pulmonary angiograms were evaluated to receive lower dose imaging or no imaging, recognizing that the risks of radiation are particularly high in young women. This was a retrospective cohort investigation of women aged 18 to 29 years seen for suspected acute pulmonary embolism in emergency departments of 5 regional hospitals from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016. Computed tomographic (CT) pulmonary angiograms were obtained in 379 young women. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed by CT angiography in 2.1%. A Wells probability score could be calculated in 11.9%. D-dimer was obtained in 46.2% and a chest radiograph was obtained in 41.7%. Among patients with a normal chest radiograph, 3.9% had a lung scan. Venous ultrasound of the lower extremities was obtained in 1.8%. Each had an elevated D-dimer. Among the young women who received CT angiograms, 53 were pregnant. In 17.0% of pregnant women, a Wells clinical probability score could be calculated from the medical record. D-dimer in pregnant women was obtained in 30.2%, chest radiograph in 22.6%, lung scan in 11.3%, and venous ultrasound of the lower extremities in none. In conclusion, young women and pregnant women often received CT pulmonary angiograms for suspected acute pulmonary embolism without an objective clinical assessment, measurement of D-dimer, lung scintiscan, or venous ultrasound, which may have eliminated the need for CT pulmonary angiography in many instances.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 429
Author(s):  
Dhananjaya M. ◽  
Kirankumar Meti ◽  
Rajendrakumar Parakh

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE), is one of the major cardiovascular causes of death. Pulmonary embolus (PE) can be fatal but is often treatable if recognized early. Unfortunately, the clinical presentation of PE is often variable and misleading mimicking other illnesses and hence known as "the Great Masquerader," making diagnosis difficult. The D-dimer assay has recently come into favour as a method to exclude PE; however, this test has an acceptable safety margin only in low-risk populations.Methods: Present study included 35 patients with clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism admitted at the tertiary care hospital of North Karnataka during the period from October 2016 to September 2017. Patients were classified according to final diagnosis by CT Pulmonary Angiography into 28 cases positive for PE (80%) and 7 cases negative for PE (20%).Results: Present study included 35 cases suspected to have PE (26 males and 9 females). Their age ranged from 33 to 72 years, with a mean age 48.9 ±14.2 years. 28 cases positive for PE (80%) and 7 cases negative for PE (20%). The mean age of positive and negative PE cases was 48.1±11.2 and 46.4±8.8 respectively. Results of D-dimer test were positive in 10 cases (35.7%) and were negative in 18 cases (61.3 %) of PE.Conclusions: This report highlights the risk of misdiagnosing PE if relying solely on ELISA D-dimer for exclusion. This report documents the presentation of PE despite having unremarkable ELISA D-dimer measurements and highlights the importance of clinical suspicion.


Author(s):  
Tayfun Çalışkan ◽  
Özlem Türkoğlu ◽  
Kadir Canoğlu ◽  
Ömer Ayten ◽  
Bengü Saylan ◽  
...  

Objective: This study aimed to compare the pulmonary embolism (PE) location and clot burden on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), the degree of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD), D-dimer, and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels, and the presence of a lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with and without cancer diagnosed with a non high risk pulmonary embolism (PE). Method: We calculated Miller score for each patient for clot burden. The location of PE was also evaluated at CTPA. D-dimer and cardiac cTnI levels were measured. Patients had echocardiography for RVD and lower extremity color flow Doppler ultrasonography for DVT. Results: The study included 71 patients with PE. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of cancer. There was no statistically significant difference for D-dimer levels (P=0.15), PE location (p=0.67), clot burden (P=0.34), RVD (P=0.28) and DVT (P=0.33) between groups (P=0.15). Cancer patients diagnosed as PE had statistically significantly higher levels of cTnI than those who were diagnosed as PE without cancer (P=0.03). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between patients diagnosed as PE with and without cancer in terms of D-dimer levels, clot burden and emboli location, RVD and DVT. cTnI levels were higher in non-high risk PE patients with cancer than these patients without cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghufran Aref Saeed ◽  
Waqar Haider Gaba ◽  
Abd Al Kareem Mohd Adi ◽  
Reima Obaid Al Marshoodi ◽  
Safaa Saeed Al Mazrouei ◽  
...  

Purpose. Our aim is to identify the prevalence and distribution of pulmonary thromboembolism in COVID-19 infected patients in our hospital. Materials and Methods. Data of all patients with COVID-19 infection either on RT-PCR testing or non-contrast high resolution CT(HRCT) who had CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) from April to June 2020 were included. 133 patients were initially included in the study, 7 were excluded according to exclusion criteria, leaving a total number of 126 patients. Results. Twenty (15.8%) patients had evidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) on CTPA with mean age of 50 years (range 31-85) of which 95% were males. The mean D-dimer was 5.61mcg/mL among the PE-negative and 14.49 mcg/mL in the PE-positive groups respectively. Among the patients with evidence of pulmonary embolism on CTP, almost half required admission to intensive care unit in comparison to only one-fifth with negative CTPA. One-fourth died among the PE positive group with only 5% died among the PE negative group. There was a 33% reduction in the development of PE in the COVID-19 patients who had received low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) prior to their CTPA study versus those who had not. Conclusion. D-dimer correlates well with the incidence of pulmonary embolism among COVID-19 patients. Our data suggest that majority of our patients, developed pulmonary embolisms within 5 days into their hospital stay, accounting to almost two thirds of all positive cases diagnosed by CTPA. Those with PE among COVID-19 patients have high chances of ICU admission and mortality. Use of thromboprophylaxis early on might reduce the incidence of PE.


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