Deep vein thrombosis assessment clinic: Evaluation of a new working practice

Abstract

Suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common reason for medical referral to hospital. We evaluated our new approach to assessment of DVT using combined automated strain gauge plethysmography and pretest probability score in comparison with venous ultrasonography in 100 consecutive patients with suspected DVT referred to the nurse-led clinic. The combined plethysmography and pretest probability score produced a negative predictive value of 99%, positive predictive value 53%, sensitivity 94% and specificity 83% for detection of a DVT. We conclude that our new working practice for DVT assessment is both safe and cost effective and can lead to a reduction in venous ultrasonography of approximately 70%.