Abstract
The prognosis of venous thromboembolism is considerably influenced by an accurate and fast diagnosis. Although the role of D-dimer testing in the diagnosis of suspected venous thromboembolism is well established for out-patients, there is controversial evidence on the clinical usefulness of its measurement in surgical patients. In order to recognize patterns of variation of D-dimer following surgery and identify potential pitfalls in prediction of venous thromboembolic complications, plasma D-dimer was assayed in 30 patients undergoing major elective hip surgery and 20 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. The postoperative variation of plasma D-dimer differed widely between the two subgroups. Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy showed D-dimer concentrations persistently increased from the baseline to the 15th postoperative day, whereas patients undergoing hip surgery were characterized by a double peak, on the 1st and 7th postoperative days. Mean inter-individual daily coefficient of variations of plasma D-dimer throughout the postoperative period were 49% (range 39%–61%) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 101% (range 72%–156%) for orthopedic surgery. The markedly heterogeneous fluctuation of plasma D-dimer suggests that the postoperative activation of the hemostatic system depends on the type and time since surgery, thus limiting the clinical usefulness of D-dimer testing in the diagnostic approach to postoperative venous thromboembolism.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 15 June 2001 / Accepted: 18 September 2001
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lippi, G., Veraldi, G., Fraccaroli, M. et al. Variation of plasma D-dimer following surgery: implications for prediction of postoperative venous thromboembolism. Clin Exp Med 1, 161–164 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-001-8029-9
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-001-8029-9