Why the study?
Does D-dimer assay measurement predict recurrence risk and help decide the duration of anticoagulation in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism?
Does D-dimer assay measurement predict recurrence risk and help decide the duration of anticoagulation in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism?
D-dimer testing provides predictive value for VTE recurrence risk and can guide the difficult clinical decision of whether to discontinue or indefinitely extend anticoagulation after an unprovoked event.
May support individualized anticoagulation decisions after unprovoked VTE; leaves open need for prospective randomized validation.
Venous thromboembolism has a relatively strong tendency to recur, especially when the event is unprovoked. In this case, the duration of anticoagulation should not be shorter than 3 months, but it is also suggested to be indefinite. The decision to discontinue or extend indefinitely anticoagulation is not easy. D-dimer assay has a predictive value for individual risk of recurrence and can therefore be used in the decision-making process regarding duration of anticoagulation. This article reviews studies on D-dimer measurement as a predictor of the recurrence risk and analyzes the results of a very recent clinical study (the DULCIS study) that investigated how D-dimer assay can effectively and safely be used to decide the duration of anticoagulation in individual patients after an unprovoked event.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Gualtiero Palareti (2014) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: