Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH
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J. Thromb. Haemost. · Mar 2016
Multicenter StudyRapid quantitative D-dimer to exclude pulmonary embolism: a prospective cohort management study.
ESSENTIALS: It is not known if D-dimer testing alone can safely exclude pulmonary embolism (PE). We studied the safety of using a quantitative latex agglutination D-dimer to exclude PE in 808 patients. 52% of patients with suspected PE had a negative D-dimer test and were followed for 3 months. The negative predictive value of D-dimer testing alone was 99.8%, suggesting it may safely exclude PE. ⋯ A negative latex agglutination D-dimer assay is seen in about one-half of patients with suspected PE and reliably excludes PE as a stand-alone test.