• DVT is a common medical condition that occurs when a blood clot, called a thrombus, forms in a large vein, usually in the lower limbs, and causes either partially or completely blocked circulation in that area. If the thrombus moves it can travel to the brain, lungs, heart, or other parts of the body, causing severe damage to that organ or even death. Pulmonary embolisms, a complication of DVT, occur when the clot travels to the lungs.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), a Hidden Killer

• The D-dimer diagnostic test measures the level of fibrin degradation products in the body, to determine if he had DVT. Since its introduction in the 1990s, the D-dimer test technology has become an increasingly important DVT diagnostic tool. It is given to patients experiencing DVT-like symptoms to diagnose them quickly and reduce the chance of a more serious complication. A “positive” D-dimer blood test result means that there is a significant clot formation somewhere in the body, but does not indicate the location or cause of the clot.
  
  
  
• Although ultrasounds are instrumental in accurately diagnosing DVT, research has found that performing a D-dimer test before ordering an ultrasound is the most cost-effective way of diagnosing DVT. This option showed a 17 percent cost reduction compared with a diagnostic option in which serial ultrasounds were performed without a D-dimer test. The researchers also noted that this option improved the overall quality of patients’ lives while allowing for a reduction in costs and resources.²
  
  
  
• Factor II and V tests help physicians determine whether or not a patient has particular genes that increase their chances of getting DVT.