Clinical chemistry
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Clinicians in outpatient clinics and emergency departments desire an accurate quantitative D-dimer assay. The study objective was to evaluate the diagnostic performance characteristics of the latex turbidimetric D-dimer test in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department population. ⋯ The turbidimetric D-dimer test is sensitive but nonspecific for the detection of PE in the emergency department setting. D-Dimer tests using latex turbidimetric methods appear to have test characteristics comparable to those for ELISA methods.