DVT

A Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is a clot, which has formed in a vein, usually the deep veins in the leg. It most commonly starts in the calf veins but can extend up into the thigh veins; this condition is known as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). ¹

DVT affects approximately 1 in every 1,000 of the UK population and each year, more than 140,000 persons present to primary care with signs and symptoms suggestive of DVT.² VTE is one of the most significant causes of avoidable illness and mortality, and its treatment and management costs the NHS £640 million every year.³

D-Dimer testing is used as an aid in the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is widely accepted as the first-step in the management of patients with suspected VTE.⁴ Point of care D-Dimer testing is recommended by NICE when used in conjunction with the Wells clinical risk score.⁵ The LumiraDx D-Dimer Test provides results within 6 minutes from a fingerstick sample, providing fast, accurate results, at the point of care.

References: 1. Thrombosis UK. VTE General Overview Leaflet. https://thrombosisuk.org/admin/resources/downloads/tuk-a4-vte-general-leaflet-final.pdf. 2. Büller, H., 2009. Safely Ruling Out Deep Venous Thrombosis in Primary Care. Annals of Internal Medicine, 150(4), p.229. 3. The All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group (APPTG). Annual Review. November 2017. 4. Rodger MA, Le Gal G, Wells P et al. Clinical decision rules and D-Dimer in venous thromboembolism: current controversies and future research priorities. Throm Res 2014; 134,4: 763-68 5. National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). 2020. NG158. Venous thromboembolic diseases: diagnosis, management and thrombophilia testing.