Test Aids Diagnosis of Embolism

A new test is intended as an aid in the assessment and evaluation of patients suspected of having thromboembolic events, including pulmonary embolism (PE). The test, called Triage D-Dimer test, has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This point-of-care (POC) diagnostic test is portable and can be used in the emergency department (ED) or at the patient's beside. According to a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine (2004:490-502), a POC clinical protocol for the evaluation of PE, using an available latex-agglutination test for D-Dimer, doubled the number of patients evaluated for PE and decreased length of stay in the ED, without increasing the need for vascular imaging. Currently, more cases of PE are missed than are actually diagnosed because of vague and nonspecific symptoms. The highest incidence of unrecognized PE occurs in hospitalized patients. Autopsy results show that as many as 60% of patients dying in the hospital have had a PE, but the diagnosis has been missed in about 70% of the cases.

"Pulmonary embolism can be a highly lethal condition,” commented Ken Buechler, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Biosite, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA), which is commercializing the Triage D-Dimer test. "We believe the Triage D-Dimer test, used at the point of care, can play an important role in helping emergency department physicians rapidly evaluate patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, which should result in better patient management.”




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Biosite, Inc.