• About
  • Masthead
  • License Content
  • Advertise
  • Submit Press Release
  • RSS/Email List
  • 2MM Podcast
  • Write for us
  • Contact Us
2 Minute Medicine
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

SUBSCRIBE
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan+
  • Classics™+
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
2 Minute Medicine
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan+
  • Classics™+
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
SUBSCRIBE
2 Minute Medicine
Subscribe
Home All Specialties Cardiology

Age-adjusted D-dimer levels may rule out pulmonary embolism [ADJUST-PE trial]

byRavi Shah
March 18, 2014
in Cardiology, Emergency, Pulmonology
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Image: PD 

1. Baseline D-dimer levels increase with age, increasing the test false positive rate without age adjustment. 

2. Age-adjusted cutoffs increase the rule-out efficacy of the D-dimer screen. 

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Study Rundown: D-dimer levels are often used to rule out pulmonary embolism (PE). Negative D-dimer levels, less that 500µg/L, have up to a 99% sensitivity for pulmonary embolic events. Retrospective studies have shown that an age-adjusted D-dimer cutoff of 10 times the patient’s age in patients older than 50 years maintains the same level of sensitivity of detecting PE while decreasing the false positive rate. This study, the ADJUST-PE trial, further validated these findings in a prospective trial. It was found that using an age-adjusted D-dimer cutoff in conjunction with probability criteria decreased the rate of false positive screenings in elderly patients.

Due to the nature of the study and multiple centers participating, a standard D-dimer assay was not implemented. However, all of the assays used had similar reliability. Additionally, there was no control group which with to compare the experimental results. Despite these limitations, the ADJUST-PE trial indicates the potential of implementing age-adjusted cutoffs and thus has implications for improved quality of care.

RELATED REPORTS

#VisualAbstract: Reduced-Dose Apixaban was Noninferior to Full-Dose for Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism

Discharge rates in American emergency departments unchanged for pulmonary embolism

Testosterone-replacement therapy noninferior to placebo for preventing cardiovascular events

Click to read the study, published today in JAMA

Relevant Reading: Diagnostic accuracy of conventional or age adjusted D-dimer cut-off values in older patients with suspected venous thromboembolism

In-Depth [prospective cohort]: This study evaluated the efficacy of using an adjusted D-dimer cutoff as a rule-out test for PE. Patients were chosen from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Switzerland. A total of 3324 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients with high suspicion of PE or elevated risk based on diagnostic criteria, Wells or Geneva score, were sent directly for CTPA, the gold standard for diagnosis. Patients with low probability of PE were worked-up with only D-dimer levels. Patients with D-dimer levels below 10 times their age were not treated further. All patients were followed-up at 3 months and surveyed for any subsequent thromboembolic events. Of the 817 patients with D-dimer levels less than 500 µg/L, 0.1% (CI95%, 0.0-0.7%) had an undetected thromboembolism. In the 337 patients with D-dimer levels between 500 µg/L and 10 times their age, there was a failure rate of 0.3% (CI95%, 0.1%-0.7%).  Finally, of the 200 participants older than 75 years with a low clinical suspicion and negative age-adjusted D-dimer tests, no patients had confirmed venous thromboembolism at follow-up.

More from this author: Warfarin beneficial in chronic kidney patients with atrial fibrillation, Radiofrequency catheter ablation effective as first-line therapy for atrial fibrillation [RAAFT-2 trial], Vitamin E associated with slower functional decline in Alzheimer disease [TEAM-AD Trial], PET scans accurately identify amyloid deposition following traumatic brain injury, Bystander CPR positively associated with cardiac arrest survival

 ©2012-2014 2minutemedicine.com. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2minutemedicine.com. Disclaimer: We present factual information directly from peer reviewed medical journals. No post should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors, editors, staff or by 2minutemedicine.com. PLEASE SEE A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IN YOUR AREA IF YOU SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE OF ANY SORT.  

Tags: d-dimerpulmonary embolism
Previous Post

Omega Fatty Acids and Lutein + Zeaxanthin did not improve cardiovascular outcomes

Next Post

Simvastatin may slow brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis [MS-STAT study]

RelatedReports

#VisualAbstract: Dapagliflozin Reduced Death and Worsening Heart Failure in Transcatheter Aor-tic-Valve Implantation
StudyGraphics

#VisualAbstract: Reduced-Dose Apixaban was Noninferior to Full-Dose for Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism

April 22, 2025
Quick Take: Hospital volume and outcomes for acute pulmonary embolism
Emergency

Discharge rates in American emergency departments unchanged for pulmonary embolism

February 14, 2024
Cardiology

Testosterone-replacement therapy noninferior to placebo for preventing cardiovascular events

July 21, 2023
Nonleg venous thromboses associated with PE, longer ICU stay
Emergency

Indefinite anticoagulation for unprovoked venous thromboembolism is not cost-effective

July 18, 2023
Next Post
Low circulating cholesterol in neonates linked with pyloric stenosis

Simvastatin may slow brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis [MS-STAT study]

Nonleg venous thromboses associated with PE, longer ICU stay

Nonleg venous thromboses associated with PE, longer ICU stay

Hypercortisolemia in ICU patients is due to reduced cortisol metabolism, not increased production

Increased psychiatric illness noted in intensive care unit patients

2 Minute Medicine® is an award winning, physician-run, expert medical media company. Our content is curated, written and edited by practicing health professionals who have clinical and scientific expertise in their field of reporting. Our editorial management team is comprised of highly-trained MD physicians. Join numerous brands, companies, and hospitals who trust our licensed content.

Recent Reports

  • Use of psychiatric medications may be associated with a higher risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Nivolumab plus ipilimumab improves survival over lenvatinib or sorafenib in liver cancer
  • Dapagliflozin may improve outcomes in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis
License Content
Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Cookie Policy
Privacy Statement (EU)
Disclaimer

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
No Result
View All Result

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.