Which investigation is known as the rule out test in massive pulmonary embolism?
Correct Answer: D-dimer
Description: The quantitative plasma d-dimer rises in the presence of DVT or PE because of the breakdown of fibrin by plasmin. The sensitivity of the d-dimer is >80% for DVT and >95% for PE. The d-dimer is a useful "rule out" test. More than 95% of patients with a normal (<500 ng/mL) d-dimer do not have PE. ECG: The most frequently cited abnormality, in addition to sinus tachycardia, is the S1Q3T3 sign. This finding is relatively specific but insensitive. Perhaps the most common abnormality is T-wave inversion in leads V1 to V4. Echocardiography is not a reliable diagnostic imaging tool for acute PE. Aerial blood gases lack diagnostic utility for PE, even though both PO2 and Pco2 often decrease. Ref: Harrisons Principles of Medicine, 18th Edition, Chapter 262, Pages 2172-73
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