Acute medicine
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The D-dimer assay's ability to exclude pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) falls with age.1,2 Douma et al. have proposed an age-adjusted D-dimer threshold ([threshold, µg/l] = [age, years] x 10) for patients aged >50 years with low clinical risk of PTE.3 We retrospectively applied this threshold to patients who underwent computer tomographic pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) for suspected PTE during a 13 month period at a busy District General Hospital. Of the 423 patients >50 years old who underwent CTPA, 22 (5.2%) had D-dimer concentrations higher than the traditional threshold but lower than the age-adjust threshold, none of whom had evidence of PTE on CTPA. This suggests that use of the age-adjusted D-dimer threshold may reduce necessity for CTPA concept patients aged >50 years.
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Review Case Reports
An unusual cause of bilateral deep vein thrombosis in a young adult patient.
We describe the case of a 17 year old male who presented with severe groin pain leading to inability to weight bear on his left leg. Investigation revealed extensive bilateral and proximal deep vein thrombosis, in association with an absent inferior vena cava and anomalous venous drainage system. We present a review of the literature surrounding this association, summarise the typical clinical presentation and common characteristics in this group of patients and discuss its management.
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Isolated Pelvic vein Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is a relatively rare phenomenon, but is usually not identified by conventional lower limb duplex Ultrasound scanning. We present two cases of isolated iliac vein thrombosis; the first resulting in the patient's death from Pulmonary Embolism (PE) after normal lower limb duplex scan. The second case was identified and successfully treated after introduction of a revised investigation algorithm following the first case. The literature supports the use of magnetic resonance imaging, CT venography, or ascending venography, to diagnose this condition.
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Comparative Study
The increased mortality associated with a weekend emergency admission is due to increased illness severity and altered case-mix.
A weekend emergency medical admission has been associated with a higher mortality. We have examined all weekend admissions to St James' Hospital, Dublin between 2002 and 2009. ⋯ Patients admitted at the weekend had an approximate 11% increased 30-day in-hospital mortality, compared with a weekday admission. However, admission at the weekend was not independently predictive in a risk model that included Illness Severity (age and biochemical markers) and co-morbidity. Sicker patients, with a worse outcome, are admitted over the weekend; these considerations should inform the allocation of healthcare resources.
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Troponin assays are a valuable tool in early risk stratification of patients with ischaemic sounding chest pain. However, troponin is often measured outside of this clinical context. The finding of a raised troponin value may be misinterpreted as an acute coronary syndrome leading to unnecessary and sometimes dangerous anticoagulation. This article looks at some of the considerations which need to be made when interpreting the significance of a raised troponin value.