A patient arrives at the emergency department complaining of pain in the calf of his left leg and shortness of breath.A "stat" D dimer is ordered.Why is this useful information for this patient's care?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An elevated D dimer supports the possibility of a deep vein thrombosis,but it is not diagnostic.Many other clinical situations can lead to elevation of this test.A normal D dimer has negative predictive value (i.e.,a normal D-dimer result is useful for ruling out deep vein thrombosis).With the patient's presenting symptoms,pulmonary embolism may also be present,which can be a consequence of deep vein thrombosis.Thus this was an appropriate requisition for this patient.

A Patient Arrives at the Emergency Department Complaining of Pain