Age-Adjusted d-Dimer Cutoffs in Assessing Suspected Venous Thromboembolism

Abstract

In patients with suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE), imaging is indicated if blood d-dimer concentrations are higher than the conventional cutoff (500 µg/L). However, d-dimer concentrations increase with age, resulting in more false-positive results in older patients. Indeed, evidence suggests that an age-adjusted cutoff (age × 10 µg/L) is more specific than the conventional cutoff (JW Gen Med Jul …