D-Dimer Blood Test

A D-Dimer Blood Test rules out deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism; evaluate disseminated intravascular coagulation; can be used to monitor the extent of clot lysis during thrombolytic therapy.

Description

Instructions

There are no outrageous requirements or special preparations that must be taken for the D-Dimer blood test.  And, there is no need to fast before the test.  Medicines, vitamins, and other supplements may be taken as usual.  However, patients should check with their doctor if they are taking blood thinners or other medications that relate to blood clotting, as these medications may affect test results. 

Why It Is Used

The D-Dimer blood test is used to assess one’s risk of forming dangerous blood clots.  The test is often ordered for people who have blood clotting disorders or are at risk of such maladies.  Some of these issues include deep vein thrombosis, where large blood clots form in the legs; pulmonary embolism, where a clot blocks blood flow to the lungs; and disseminated vascular coagulation, where an individual’s blood does not coagulate when it is supposed to do so. 

How It Works

The substance d-dimer is not normally found in the blood stream of the body.  D-dimer is only released into the blood when the body breaks down a blood clot.  The d-dimer blood test measures the level of d-dimer in the blood to determine if one might have a blood clotting disorder.  The likelihood that a patient has unsafe blood clots in his or her body increases with higher levels of d-dimer found in the blood.

Results

High levels of d-dimer found in the blood indicate that one might have a blood clotting disorder.  However, a higher than normal d-dimer blood test does not definitively show that there is a blood clotting problem.  Higher than normal test results may represent the body healing from injury. Doctors often worry about blood clots forming in the body after they perform a surgery or after one has been through a physical trauma.  However, the level of d-dimer in the blood after a surgery is going to be high whether or not the individual has a blood clotting problem, because blood clotting is part of the recovery process.  Doctors may order a d-dimer blood test more than once in the days following a surgery to make sure that the levels are dropping normally.

Order a D-Dimer Blood Test without a doctor's note or insurance.