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D‐Dimers in the Emergency Department Evaluation of Aortic Dissection
Author(s) -
Perez Alberto,
Abbet Philippe,
Drescher Michael J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1197/j.aem.2003.10.030
Subject(s) - medicine , emergency department , aortic dissection , medical emergency , emergency medicine , aorta , psychiatry
Aortic dissection (AD) is the most common acute aortic condition requiring urgent surgery. AD, if not diagnosed in the emergency department (ED), is frequently fatal. AD is a difficult antemortem diagnosis. Objectives: To determine if acute AD is associated with an elevation of fibrin degradation products, D‐dimers. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed as having AD in the ED in whom a D‐dimer determination was obtained in the ED, prior to any therapeutic intervention. The study was conducted in an urban Level I trauma center between October 1996 and September 2000. Exclusion criteria were referred patients with known diagnosis of AD. The D‐dimer assay used was the semiquantitative latex agglutination assay, with a normal range up to 0.5 μ g/mL. Results: One hundred fifty‐six patients were diagnosed as having AD in the ED. Seven patients had a D‐dimer assay during their workup. All seven had a positive test. Conclusions: All seven patients with an AD who had D‐dimer assays performed in the ED had positive results by latex agglutination.