Finding May Allow Some Women to Stop Blood Thinners Aug 26, 2008
They singled out four of those factors: discoloration, redness or swelling of a leg; high levels of a blood clotting marker, D-dimer; obesity, marked by a body mass index of 30 or higher; and being 65 or older. Women who had one or none of those factors had a 1. (MEDLINEplus)
Inverness Medical Innovations Extends Cardiology Products Distribution Agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific Jul 25, 2008
The co-exclusive agreement continues to cover all of the cardiology and drugs of abuse rapid test products manufactured by the Biosite subsidiary of Inverness and sold under the Triage brand including tests for BNP, troponin, CK-MB, Myoglobin, d-dimer and a broad range of meter and visually read drugs of abuse tests. However, products sold for use on third party instruments such as the BNP test sold by Inverness for use on Beckman immunoassay systems are not included. (PR Newswire)
Men At Increased Risk Of Death From Pneumonia Compared To Women May 20, 2008
Reade, Yende and their colleagues next examined a series of molecules important to the body's immune response to infection, finding significant differences between men and women in levels of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, antithrombin III, Factor IX, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and D-dimer. By comparison between the genders, some concentrations were lower, while others were higher. (Science Daily)
Imaging Procedures For Diagnosing Blood Clots In The Lung Examined Dec 23, 2007
"First, clinicians should consider the likelihood of pulmonary embolism in a structured manner based on patients' presenting histories and physical examinations much the way Anderson and colleagues did, and based on those assessments, proceed, as necessary, to D-dimer testing [a blood test to diagnose thrombosis]. These 2 steps may substantially reduce the probability that pulmonary embolism, at least large clots, are present and obviate the need for additional study. Where significant concern... (Science Daily)
Blood Markers Might Predict Clotting Risk With HRT Dec 9, 2007
Postmenopausal women with high levels of D-dimer face greatest chance of trouble ... Elevated levels of D-dimer predicted a 2 ... The most important factor turned out to be elevated D-dimer, which is present in 25 percent of women and which increased the risk of thrombosis in women receiving HRT sixfold. (Health-Finder)
Ruling out pulmonary embolism with a simple bedside protocol May 16, 2007
The blood test, called D-Dimer, has a very low specificity for PE, leading to many false positives. The CT scan costs $2500, has the potential for kidney damage in 1 in 12 patients, and has a heavy radiation dose that increases lifetime risk of cancer. (EurekAlert!)
Experts Issue Blood Clot Treatment Guidelines Feb 3, 2007
Key points of the new diagnosis guideline include: the use of clinical prediction rules to establish pretest probability of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism in a patient before further tests are conducted; and the usefulness of different kinds of diagnostic tools such as D-dimer and ultrasonography. The new management guideline supports the use of low-molecular weight heparin, a blood thinner, for patients with deep vein thrombosis in an outpatient setting when appropriate support... (MEDLINEplus)
D-Dimer and Duration of Anticoagulation Jan 25, 2007
26 issue)1 conclude that patients with an abnormal D-dimer test 1 month after the discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy have a significantly increased incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism ... Indeed, patients with an abnormal D-dimer test were much older (mean [ SD] age, 69 ... 0 years) than those with a normal D-dimer test (59. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Heart biomarkers weak predictors Dec 22, 2006
Those biomarkers included levels of homocysteine; C-reactive protein; B-type natriuretic peptide; N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide; aldosterone; renin; fibrinogen; D-dimer; plasminogen-activator inhibitor type-1; and urinary albumin-to-creatinine. The substances are found in the blood and urine of patients. (Monsters and Critics.com)
Biomarkers for the Prediction of Cardiovascular Events and Death Dec 22, 2006
Methods We measured 10 biomarkers in 3209 participants attending a routine examination cycle of the Framingham Heart Study: the levels of C-reactive protein, B-type natriuretic peptide, N-terminal pro atrial natriuretic peptide, aldosterone, renin, fibrinogen, D-dimer, plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1, and homocysteine; and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Results During follow-up (median, 7. (New England Journal of Medicine)
D-Dimer Testing in Anticoagulation Therapy Oct 26, 2006
NEJM -- D-Dimer Testing to Determine the Duration of Anticoagulation Therapy ... D-Dimer Testing to Determine the Duration of Anticoagulation Therapy ... Testing of D-dimer levels may play a role in the assessment of the need for prolonged anticoagulation. (New England Journal of Medicine)
New studies in the journal sleep focus on helping children, women sleep better Oct 2, 2006
In addition, WASO was significantly related to plasma D-dimer. Sleep needs change over a person's lifetime. (EurekAlert!)
Men Likelier to Have Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism Jul 28, 2006
Individual characteristics, they pointed out, that make certain patients more susceptible to recurrent thrombosis risk include residual venous thrombosis in the leg veins and the D-dimer value assessed one month after stopping anticoagulation. "For both strategies, we are awaiting results of studies to assess the value of tailoring the duration of anticoagulant therapy according to each patient's findings," they said. (MedPage Today)
New Test Identifies Blood Clot Risk Jul 27, 2006
"We already have one test that has been shown to predict recurrence -- the D-dimer assay," he said. "An elevated D-dimer after discontinuing anticoagulation will predict recurrence." ... "The D-dimer assay is widely available and is used today by many physicians as a risk index for recurrent venous thromboembolism," he added. (MEDLINEplus)
Summary for Patients Feb 8, 2006
If a patient is suspected to have 1 of these conditions, experts recommend that his or her doctor first evaluate the probability of the disease according to clinical findings (the clinical probability) and perform a series of tests that may include ultrasonography to look for a clot in the leg veins, a blood test called a D-dimer study to look for breakdown products from blood clots, and special lung scans (spiral computed tomography and ventilation perfusion scans). However, there is limited... (Annals of Internal Medicine)
