A study led by Hamilton researchers has found a new way to interpret blood test results in patients who are investigated for blood clots in their lungs, a condition known as pulmonary embolism.
A study led by Hamilton researchers has found a new way to interpret blood test results in patients who are investigated for blood clots in their lungs, a condition known as pulmonary embolism.
This new approach applies to D-dimer blood tests, which are used by physicians to rule out the presence of a blood clot. Researchers found that a higher than usual D-dimer level can be considered a negative result if the physician has assessed the patient as having a low probability of having a pulmonary embolism.
The study team notes the findings are important as they mean a lot fewer patients need a computerized tomography (CT) scan, which results in patients avoiding radiation exposure and spending less time in the emergency department. The health system also benefits, they say, as it frees up CT scans for other patients and it improves ability to move patients more quickly through the emergency department.
The study results were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Read more at McMaster University
Image: Clive Kearon, professor of medicine at McMaster University and a thrombosis specialist with Hamilton Health Sciences. (Credit: McMaster University)
