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Guidelines for the diagnostic workup of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) recommend assessing the clinical pretest probability before proceeding to D-dimer testing and/or compression ultrasonography (CUS) if the patient has high pretest probability or positive D-dimer. Referring only patients with positive D-dimer for whole-leg CUS irrespective of pretest probability may simplify the workup of DVT. In this prospective management outcome study, we assessed the safety of such a strategy. We included consecutive outpatients referred to the Emergency Department at Østfold Hospital, Norway, with suspected DVT between February 2015 and November 2018. STA-Liatest D-Di Plus D-dimer was analyzed for all patients, and only patients with levels ≥0.5 µg/mL were referred for CUS. All patients with negative D-dimer or negative CUS were followed for 3 months to assess the venous thromboembolic rate. One thousand three hundred ninety-seven patients were included. Median age was 64 years (interquartile range, 52-73 years), and 770 patients (55%) were female. D-dimer was negative in 415 patients (29.7%) and positive in 982 patients (70.3%). DVT was diagnosed in 277 patients (19.8%). Six patients in whom DVT was ruled out at baseline were diagnosed with DVT within 3 months of follow-up for a thromboembolic rate of 0.5% (95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.2). A simple diagnostic approach with initial stand-alone D-dimer followed by a single whole-leg CUS in patients with positive D-dimer safely ruled out DVT. We consider this strategy to be a valuable alternative to the conventional workup of DVT in outpatients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02486445., (© 2020 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Guidelines suggest using empiric low-molecular-weight heparin if the diagnostic workup of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is expected to be delayed. The role of direct oral anticoagulants for deferred compression ultrasound imaging (CUS) in patients with suspected DVT remains unexplored. The main objective of the study was to assess the safety of deferring CUS with therapeutic doses of rivaroxaban. We prospectively included consecutive outpatients referred to the Emergency Department at Østfold Hospital, Norway, with suspected first or recurrent lower-extremity DVT between February 2015 and November 2018. Patients were discharged with rivaroxaban 15 mg twice daily while awaiting CUS within 24 hours if D-dimer level was ≥0.5 mg/L fibrinogen-equivalent units. The primary outcome was the rate of major bleeding incidents from study inclusion until DVT was confirmed and anticoagulation therapy continued, or otherwise up to 48 hours following administration of the last tablet of rivaroxaban. The secondary outcome was the rate of progressive DVT symptoms or symptoms or signs of pulmonary embolism between hospital discharge until venous thromboembolism was diagnosed. Six hundred twenty-four of 1653 patients referred with suspected DVT were included (37.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 35.4-40.1). DVT was diagnosed in 119 patients (19.1%; 95% CI, 16.1-22.3). There were no major bleeding incidents, yielding an observed major bleeding rate of 0% (1-sided 95% CI <0.4). No patients experienced major complications in the interval that CUS was deferred (0%; 95% CI, 0.0-0.6). Deferring CUS for up to 24 hours in patients with suspected DVT with therapeutic doses of rivaroxaban is a safe strategy. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02486445., (© 2020 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Essentials The aim of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnostic work-up is to maximize both safety and efficiency. We explored whether D-dimer is safe and efficient as a stand-alone test to exclude DVT. Our findings suggest it is a safe, efficient and simplified diagnostic strategy. The safety of age-adjusted D-dimer as a stand-alone test requires further investigation. SUMMARY: Background Several strategies for safely excluding deep vein thrombosis (DVT) while limiting the number of imaging tests have been explored. Objectives To determine whether D-dimer testing could safely and efficiently exclude DVT as a stand-alone test, and evaluate its performance as compared with strategies that incorporate the Wells score and age-adjusted D-dimer. Patients/Methods We included consecutive outpatients referred with suspected DVT to the Emergency Department at Østfold Hospital, Norway. STA-Liatest D-Di PLUS D-dimer was analyzed for all patients. Patients with a D-dimer level of ≥ 0.5 μg mL -1 were referred for compression ultrasonography (CUS). In patients with a D-dimer level of < 0.5 μg mL -1 , no further testing was performed and anticoagulation was withheld. Patients were followed for 3 months for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Results Of the 913 included patients, 298 (33%) had a negative D-dimer result. One hundred and seventy-three patients (18.9%) were diagnosed with DVT at baseline. One of 298 patients had DVT despite having a negative D-dimer result, resulting in a failure rate of 0.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1-1.9%). Adding the modified Wells score would have yielded a failure rate of 0.0% (95% CI 0.0-1.8%) while necessitating 87 more CUS examinations. Age-adjusted D-dimer as a stand-alone test would have necessitated 80 fewer CUS examinations than fixed D-dimer as a stand-alone test, at the cost of a failure rate of 1.6% (95% CI 0.7-3.4%). Conclusions This outcome study shows that a negative high-sensitivity D-dimer result safely excludes DVT in an outpatient population, and necessitates fewer CUS than if used in combination with Wells score. The safety of stand-alone age-adjusted D-dimer needs further assessment in prospective outcome studies., (© 2018 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.)