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D-Dimer

Alternate Name: dDimer

  | D-DI

SAL Code:

1732

CPT:

85379

Loinc:

48065-7

Turn Around Time:

1 Day

Setup:

Daily

Units:

mg/L

Department:

Coagulation

Methodology:

Immunoturbidimetric assay

Specimen Requirements:

Primary Tube:

Light Blue

Primary Substance:

Plasma (Citrate)

Temperature

Period

Stable Ambient:

4 Hours

Stable Fridge:

1 Day

Stable Frozen:

4 Weeks (Separated Plasma)

Rejection Criteria:

Samples that exhibit gross hemolysis, gross lipemia, improper blood to citrate ratio, high hematocrit, improper blood collection, improperly labeled samples, clotted samples.

Clinical Info:

D-Dimer is intended to aid in the diagnosis of a range of coagulation disorders. Elevated D-dimer levels are observed in all diseases and conditions with increased coagulation activation such as thromboembolic disease, DIC, acute aortic dissection, myocardial infarction, malignant diseases, obstetrical complications, third trimester of pregnancy, surgery, polytrauma and other coagulation related diseases.

Additional Information:

Coagulation activation results in the cleavage of fibrinogen to monomeric fibrin. Fibrin monomers spontaneously aggregate to fibrin and are cross-linked by Factor XIII, producing a fibrin clot. In response, plasminogen is converted to plasmin, which cleaves fibrin (and fibrinogen) into D and E fragments. Because of cross-linkage between D-domains in the fibrin clot, the action of plasmin releases fibrin degradation products with cross-linked D-domains, the smallest unit of which is D-dimer. Detection of D-dimers, which specifies cross-linked fibrin degradation products generated by reactive fibrinolysis, is an indicator of coagulation activity. Elevated D-dimer levels are observed in all diseases and conditions with increased coagulation activation.

Sample Collection:

Blood should be collected in a blue-top tube containing 3.2% buffered sodium citrate. Evacuated collection tubes must be filled to completion to ensure a proper blood to anticoagulant ratio.The sample should be mixed immediately by gentle inversion at least six times to ensure adequate mixing of the anticoagulant with the blood. When other tubes are collected for other tests, collect sterile and nonadditive (red-top) tubes prior to citrate (blue-top) tubes. Any tube containing an alternate anticoagulant should be collected after the blue-top tube. Gel-barrier tubes and serum tubes with clot initiators should also be collected after the citrate tubes. Centrifuge and carefully remove the plasma using a plastic transfer pipette, being careful not to disturb the cells. Transfer the plasma into a pour-off container and label the vial “Citrated Plasma” and with the patients' information.

Test Limitations:

Higher levels of lipids or turbid samples can lead to falsely elevated or decreased values. It is recommended to perform additional centrifugation of the plasma (10 minutes at 15,000xg) if grossly lipemic patient specimens are to be analyzed. Samples that contain high hematocrit should not be submitted for testing.

Specimen Handling Instructions:

Frozen transport is preferred.

Test Information:

Components:

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Building 292, Suite 416
63 Flushing Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205

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