D-DIMER EXPLAINED

#DDimer #Bloodclot #Labtest

In this video a nurse practitioner explains what a D-Dimer test is.

What is a D-dimer test?

A D-dimer test looks for D-dimer in blood. D-dimer is a protein fragment that's made when a blood clot dissolves in your body.
Normally, your body will dissolve a clot once your injury has healed. With a blood clotting disorder, clots can form when you don't have an obvious injury or don't dissolve when they should. These conditions can be very serious and even life-threatening.

Other names: fragment D-dimer, fibrin degradation fragment

What is it used for?

A D-dimer test is most often used to find out whether you have a blood clotting disorder. These disorders include:
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that's deep inside a vein. These clots usually affect the lower legs, but they can also happen in other parts of the body.
• Pulmonary embolism (PE), a blockage in an artery in the lungs. It usually happens when a blood clot in another part of the body breaks loose and travels to the lungs. DVT clots are a common cause of PE.
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a condition that causes too many blood clots to form. They can form throughout the body, causing organ damage and other serious complications. DIC may be caused by traumatic injuries or certain types of infections or cancer.
• Stroke, a blockage in the blood supply to the brain

What do the results mean?

If your results show low or normal D-dimer levels in the blood, it means you probably don't have a clotting disorder.
If your results show higher than normal levels of D-dimer, it may mean you have a clotting disorder. But it cannot show where the clot is located or what type of clotting disorder you have. Also, high D-dimer levels are not always caused by clotting problems. Other conditions that can cause high D-dimer levels include pregnancy, heart disease, and recent surgery. If your D-dimer results were not normal, your provider will probably order more tests to make a diagnosis.
If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.

Read more at: https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/d-dimer-test/

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Use of this InformationThe information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a health care professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult his or her personal physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader's situation.

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