Is venous thromboembolism a predictable marker in older patients with COVID-19 infection? A single-center observational study

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents an important clinical complication of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and high plasma D-dimer levels could suggest a higher risk of hypercoagulability. We aimed to analyse if laboratory exams, risk assessment scores, comorbidity scores were useful in predicting the VTE in SARS-CoV-2 patients admitted in internal medicine (IM). We evaluated 49 older adults with suspected VTE analysing history and blood chemistry, besides we calculated the Padua Prediction Score, the modified early warning scoring (MEWS) and the modified Elixhauser index (mEI). All patients underwent venous color-doppler ultrasounds of the lower limbs. Out of the 49 patients enrolled (mean age 79.3±14 years), 10 (20.4%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and they were more frequently female (80% vs 20%, p = 0.04). We could not find any association with the Padua Prediction Score, the MEWS, and the mEI. D-dimer plasma levels were also not associated with DVT. In elderly people hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized in IM, our data, although limited by the sample size, suggest that prediction and diagnosis of VTE is difficult, due to lack of precise biomarkers and scores.

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Risk of Venous Thromboembolism Recurrence: High Negative Predictive Value of D-dimer Performed after Oral Anticoagulation Is Stopped

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1612936 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 87 (01) ◽

pp. 7-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 185

Author(s):

Cristina Legnani ◽

Benilde Cosmi ◽

Giuliana Guazzaloca ◽

Claudia Pancani ◽

Sergio Coccheri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Negative Predictive Value ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Recurrent Events ◽

Oral Anticoagulant Therapy ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

First Episode ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

D Dimer

SummaryIn some patients with previous venous thromboembolism (VTE) D-dimer levels (D-Dimer) tend to increase after oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) is stopped. The aim of our study was to evaluate the predictive value of D-Dimer for the risk of VTE recurrence after OAT withdrawal. After a first episode of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs and/or pulmonary embolism (PE), 396 patients (median age 67 years, 198 males) were followed from the day of OAT discontinuation for 21 months. D-dimer was measured on the day of OAT withdrawal (T1), 3-4 weeks (T2) and 3 months (+/− 10 days, T3) thereafter. The main outcome events of the study were: objectively documented recurrent DVT and/or PE. D-dimer was found to be increased in 15.5%, 40.3% and 46.2% of the patients at T1, T2 and T3, respectively. In 199 (50.2%) patients, D-dimer levels were elevated in at least one measurement. During a follow-up of 628.4 years, 40 recurrences were recorded (10.1% of patients; 6.4% patient-years of follow-up). D-dimer was increased in at least one measurement in 28 of these cases, but remained normal in 11 subjects (three of whom had recurrent events triggered by circumstantial factors, three with malignancyassociated factors) (in one subject D-dimer was not measured). The negative predictive value (NPV) of D-dimer was 95.6% (95% CI 91.6-98.1) at T3 and was even higher (96.7%; 95% CI 92.9-98.8) after exclusion of the six recurrences due to circumstantial factors. Only five idiopathic recurrences occurred in the 186 patients with consistently normal D-dimer. In conclusion, D-dimer has a high NPV for VTE recurrence when performed after OAT discontinuation.

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d-Dimer as a Screening Marker for Venous Thromboembolism After Surgery Among Patients Younger Than 50 With Lower Limb Fractures

Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis ◽

10.1177/1076029615588784 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 78-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Yong Yang ◽

Pengfei Zan ◽

Jinpeng Gong ◽

Ming Cai

Keyword(s):

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

Cutoff Value ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Lower Limb Fractures ◽

Duration Of Surgery ◽

Limb Fractures ◽

D Dimer

Objective: For the present study, the authors hypothesized that the d-dimer levels would be systematically raised in a postoperative population of patients younger than 50 with lower limb fractures and to define a feasible cutoff value for identification of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods: Doppler ultrasonography of lower limbs was performed pre- and postoperatively to evaluate for deep vein thrombosis in 150 patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Plasma d-dimer levels were assessed 2 days before surgery and on the 3rd, 7th, and 10th days after surgery. Statistical analysis was carried out to define a feasible threshold for the d-dimer levels. Results: Plasma d-dimer levels were found to be systematically raised postoperatively, and they differed between patients with and without VTE significantly. On the third day after surgery, d-dimer levels of more than 3 mg/L indicated VTE with a sensitivity of 88.37% and a specificity of 96.96%, allowing for the definition of a feasible cutoff value. Duration of surgery, duration of tourniquet, ventilation time, and time of postoperative immobility of lower limbs were identified as highly significant risk factors for the development of VTE. Conclusion: Using a threshold of 3 mg/L, the d-dimer levels will screen out VTE with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity in younger patients who have undergone ORIF for lower limb fractures.

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D-Dimer Test and Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis: A Comparative Study of 7 Assays

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1650615 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 76 (04) ◽

pp. 518-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

A Elias ◽

I Aptel ◽

B Huc ◽

J J Chale ◽

F Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deep Vein Thrombosis ◽

Negative Predictive Value ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Latex Agglutination ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

First Episode ◽

Lower Sensitivity ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Deep Vein ◽

D Dimer

SummaryThe current D-Dimer ELISA methods provide high sensitivity and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis but these methods are not suitable for emergency or for individual determination. We have evaluated the performance of 3 newly available fast D-Dimer assays (Vidas D-Di, BioMerieux; Instant IA D-Di, Stago; Nycocard D-Dimer, Nycomed) in comparison with 3 classic ELISA methods (Stago, Organon, Behring) and a Latex agglutination technique (Stago). One-hundred-and-seventy-one patients suspected of presenting a first episode of deep vein thrombosis were investigated. A deep vein thrombosis was detected in 75 patients (43.8%) by ultrasonic duplex scanning of the lower limbs; in 11 of them the thrombi were distal and very limited in size (<2 cm). We compared the performance of the tests by calculating their sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for different cut-off levels and by calculating the area under ROC curves. The concordance of the different methods was evaluated by calculating the kappa coefficient. The performances of the 3 classic ELISA and of the Vidas D-Di were comparable and kappa coefficients indicated a good concordance between the results provided by these assays. Their sensitivity slightly declined for detection of the very small thrombi. Instant IA D-Di had a non-significantly lower sensitivity and negative predictive value than the 4 previous assays; however its performance was excellent for out-patients. As expected, the Latex assay had too low a sensitivity and negative predictive value to be recommended. In our hands, Nycocard D-Dimer also exhibited low sensitivity and negative predictive value, which were significantly improved when the plasma samples were tested by the manufacturer. Thus significant progress has been made, allowing clinical studies to be planned to compare the safety and cost-effectiveness of D-Dimer strategy to those of the conventional methods for the diagnosis of venous thrombosis.

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Study on the Risk Factors of Preoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in Patients With Lower Extremity Fracture

Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis ◽

10.1177/10760296211002900 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. 107602962110029

Author(s):

Wenjie Chang ◽

Bin Wang ◽

Qiwei Li ◽

Yongkui Zhang ◽

Wenpeng Xie

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Deep Vein Thrombosis ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Color Doppler ◽

Fracture Site ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Lower Extremity Fracture ◽

Extremity Fracture ◽

Deep Vein ◽

D Dimer

Objective: The objective of this work is to discuss and analyze the related factors of lower extremity fracture complicated by preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Methods: A total of 11,891 patients with closed fractures of lower extremities were selected. By analyzing each patient’s gender, age, presence or absence of diabetes and hypertension, preoperative plasma D-dimer level, and color Doppler ultrasound of the lower extremity vein, the pertinent factors of the patients with lower extremity fractures complicated by preoperative DVT were analyzed. Results: A total of 578 with preoperative DVT were detected, displaying a total incidence of 4.86%. All patients were categorized into either the DVT group or non-DVT group. The results demonstrate that there were statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in age, the presence of diabetes and hypertension, the fracture site, and the preoperative plasma D-dimer level ( P < 0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis revealed that age, the presence of diabetes, and the preoperative plasma D-dimer level of patients were independent risk factors for lower extremity fracture complicated by DVT. Conclusion: Age, the presence of diabetes, the fracture site, and increased D-dimer levels were found to be potential risk factors and indicators for preoperative DVT in patients with lower extremity fractures. In addition, the preoperative plasma D-dimer level has certain guiding significance for the prediction of venous thrombosis after lower extremity fracture, which is conducive to the early prediction and diagnosis of DVT, but it often must be followed with good clinic acumen and examinations.

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Evaluation of Deep Vein Thrombosis Risk Factors After Arthroscopic Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Retrospective Observational Study

Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis ◽

10.1177/10760296211030556 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. 107602962110305

Author(s):

Pu Ying ◽

Wenge Ding ◽

Xiaowei Jiang ◽

Yue Xu ◽

Yi Xue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Posterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Color Doppler ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Color Doppler Ultrasound ◽

Pcl Reconstruction ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Post Surgery ◽

Pcl Injury ◽

D Dimer

We evaluated the risk factors of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after knee arthroscopic posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction in patients with only PCL injury. From August 2014 to December 2020, a total of 172 patients who had accepted knee arthroscopic PCL reconstruction underwent the color Doppler ultrasound of bilateral lower-extremities deep veins on 3 days postoperatively. Based on the inspection results, patients were divided into DVT group (18 males and 8 females, mean age 43.62 years) and non-DVT group (108 males and 38 females, mean age 33.96 years). The potential associations of DVT risk and age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension, smoking and other factors were analyzed. An old age (OR = 1.090; 95% CI = 1.025-1.158; P = 0.006), a high BMI (OR = 1.509; 95% CI = 1.181-1.929; P = 0.001) and an increased post-surgery D-dimer (OR = 5.034; 95% CI = 2.091-12,117; P ≤ 0.001) value were significantly associated with an elevated DVT risk after knee arthroscopic PCL reconstruction. Increased age, BMI, and postoperative D-dimer were risk factors of DVT following knee arthroscopic PCL reconstruction in patients with only PCL injury.

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Prevalence and characteristics of venous thromboembolism in severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a tertiary care hospital in India

Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease ◽

10.4081/monaldi.2021.1742 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Soibam Pahel Meitei ◽

Sudheer Tale ◽

Arjun Kumar Negi ◽

Ruchi Dua ◽

Rohit Walia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Tertiary Care Hospital ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Test Probability ◽

D Dimer

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) carries a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Pulmonary embolism (PE) and AECOPD increase the mortality and morbidity risk associated with each other. Racial and ethnic differences in VTE risk have been documented in multiple studies. However, there is a dearth of reliable Indian data on the same. This study was planned to find the prevalence of VTE in the setting of severe AECOPD in a tertiary care hospital in India and to identify the clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics of VTE in severe AECOPD. A total of 156 consecutive patients admitted with severe AECOPD and meeting the specified inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited. Thorough workup of all patients was done including ABG, serum D dimer, ECG, compression ultrasound of lower limbs and 2-D echocardiography. Patients with high pre-test probability score, or intermediate pre-test probability score at presentation with serum D dimer above the age adjusted cut-off underwent computerised tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). Results were analysed using SPSS version 23. Sixteen (10.3%) patients had VTE, 15 (93.75%) of them being cases of isolated PE. Female gender, higher cumulative past exposure to corticosteroid, higher alveolar-arterial gradient, right ventricular dysfunction, and higher mean pulmonary artery pressure were associated with increased risk for VTE. The prevalence of VTE in AECOPD in this study among an Indian population is higher than among other Asians, but lower than among the Blacks, the Caucasians and the Middle-East ethnicities. Since a vast majority of VTE presents as PE without DVT in the setting of AECOPD, the absence of deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs does not rule PE in the setting.

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Epidemiology and Pattern of Thromboembolism in Aseer Central Hospital, a Multispecialty Hospital in Aseer Region, Abha in Southern Saudi Arabia

10.37191/mapsci-jccr-1(2)-017 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Aziz S

Keyword(s):

Deep Vein Thrombosis ◽

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Venous Blood ◽

Pulmonary Veins ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

Central Hospital ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Hospitalization Period ◽

Deep Vein

Background: Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is a clinical disorder characterized by the pathological occurrence of single or many thrombi developing mainly in the deep veins of the lower limbs and pulmonary veins but also other parts of the venous circulation, albeit less. A frequently occurring venous thrombosis is a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is the presence of thrombus in deep veins of the lower extremity. Once this clot fragment is swept off (embolism), it moves along with the venous blood and flows to the pulmonary vessels, where it may result in a clinically significant disorder called pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Thrombosis occurring in the superficial veins would only cause discomfort but generally with insignificant consequences. Aim: This study aimed to assess patterns and risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among patients in the Aseer region. Methodology: A record-based descriptive analysis (retrospective) was used in this study. The clinical study targeted the patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE including PE & DVT) either admitted with the diagnosis or complicated during the hospitalization period in Aseer Central Hospital during the period from January 2010 to June 2019. Data extracted using pre-structured data collection sheet. The extracted data were patients' bio-demographic data, VTE related data, treatment received and relevant complications of treatment, and patient’s follow-up history. Results: The study included total of 207 patients with thromboembolism. The age of patients was between 15 - 100 years old with the average age being 57.3+12.9 years. Approximately 58% of the patients were female. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was recorded in 60.4% of the cases and 27.5% of them were diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (PE) while 12.1% had both PE and DVT. Exact of 59.6% of cases with PE had immobilization history for 24 to 72 hours as compared to 31.2% of DVT and 44% of patients with mixed thromboembolism. DM was recorded among 14% of PE cases and 21.6% of DVT. Warfarin with Enoxaparin was the most frequently given treatment in total (23.2%). Heparin followed by Warfarin was the second most common treatment. Conclusions and recommendation: The study revealed that VTE was commonly reported especially DVT and PE among the recorded cases and it was bilateral in a considerable number of cases. Immobilization with chronic disease and morbid obesity was noted as the most significant predictor for VTE.

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Venous Thromboembolism

10.2310/fm.1102 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Samuel Z. Goldhaber

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Pulmonary Embolism ◽

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Venous Thrombosis ◽

Antithrombotic Agents ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Recurrent Venous Thrombosis ◽

Deep Vein ◽

D Dimer ◽

In Pregnancy

Venous thromboembolism, which involves venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and is being seen with increasing frequency in outpatients. This chapter discusses the risk factors, etiology, classification, pathophysiology, natural history, prognosis, diagnosis (including venous thrombosis, recurrent venous thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism), prophylaxis, and treatment of venous thromboembolism (including the pharmacology of antithrombotic agents), as well as venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and miscellaneous thromboembolic disorders (including thrombosis of unusual sites). This review contains 8 figures, 16 tables, and 79 references. Keywords: Venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, embolectomy, thrombolysis, hypercoagulability, duplex ultrasonography, D-dimer, anticoagulation

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Advances in the Diagnosis of Venous Thromboembolism: A Literature Review

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics10060365 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 365 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Harish Patel ◽

Haozhe Sun ◽

Ali N. Hussain ◽

Trupti Vakde

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Embolism ◽

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Valsalva Maneuver ◽

Imaging Modality ◽

Diagnostic Algorithm ◽

Pulmonary Angiography ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Compression Ultrasound ◽

Test Probability ◽

D Dimer

The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) is increasing. The increase in suspicion for VTE has lowered the threshold for performing imaging studies to confirm diagnosis of VTE. However, only 20% of suspected cases have a confirmed diagnosis of VTE. Development of pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria (PERC) and update in pre-test probability have changed the paradigm of ruling-out patient with low index of suspicion. The D-dimer test in conjunction to the pre-test probability has been utilized in VTE diagnosis. The age appropriate D-dimer cutoff and inclusion of YEARS algorithm (signs of the DVT, hemoptysis and whether PE is the likely diagnosis) for the D-dimer cutoff have been recent updates in the evaluation of suspected PE. Multi-detector computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and compression ultrasound (CUS) are the preferred imaging modality to diagnose PE and DVT respectively. The VTE diagnostic algorithm do differ in pregnant individuals. The prerequisite of avoiding excessive radiation has recruited planar ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan as preferred in pregnant patients to evaluate for PE. The modification of CUS protocol with addition of the Valsalva maneuver should be performed while evaluating DVT in pregnant individual.

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Highly Elevated Quantitative D-Dimer Assay Values Increase the Likelihood of Venous Thromboembolism

TH Open ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1677029 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 03 (01) ◽

pp. e2-e9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samuel Francis ◽

Alexander Limkakeng ◽

Hui Zheng ◽

Judd Hollander ◽

Gregory Fermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Prospective Observational Study ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Pulmonary Angiography ◽

Ct Pulmonary Angiography ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Ultrasound Computed Tomography ◽

Deep Vein ◽

Work Up ◽

D Dimer

Objectives In patients with suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE), the D-dimer assay is commonly utilized as part of the workup. The assay is primarily used to determine whether to proceed with radiographic imaging. We compared D-dimer levels in patients suspected of having VTE. We hypothesized that higher D-dimer values predict a higher likelihood of subsequent VTE diagnosis. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of a multinational, prospective observational study of low- to intermediate-risk adult patients presenting to the emergency department with suspicion of VTE. Demographic and clinical data were collected in a structured manner. Advanced imaging including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography, and ventilation/perfusion scanning was obtained at the discretion of the treating physicians. Imaging was evaluated by board-certified radiologists in real time. D-dimer values' bins were evaluated using a logistic regression model. Results We evaluated 1,752 patients for suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), with 191 (10.4%) DVT positive. We evaluated 1,834 patients for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE), with 108 (5.9%) PE positive. Higher D-dimer values in both groups were associated with higher likelihood of subsequent VTE diagnosis, with D-dimer values > 3,999 ng/mL in both groups having the highest incidence of VTE. More than 50% of those patients were VTE positive. Conclusions Increasing D-dimer values predict increased likelihood of being found VTE positive in this patient population. Among those in the highest D-dimer category, > 3,999 ng/mL, over half of patients were VTE positive. Further research could determine additional nuance in D-dimer as a tool to work up suspected VTE.

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