Consensus document of Academy of Emergency Medicine and Care, Italian Committee for Standardization of Hematology and Laboratory Methods, SIBioC-Laboratory Medicine and Italian Society of Laboratory Medicine on D-dimer testing for suspected venous thromboembolism in emergency departments.

The assessment of D-dimer represents the biochemical standard for diagnosing venous thromboembolism (VTE) and it is hence included in all diagnostic algorithms. Despite the unquestionable diagnostic value, there is broad evidence that the clinical usefulness of D-dimer may be biased by preanalytical, analytical and post-analytical issues. This is particularly true in emergency departments, where a large number of patients with suspected VTE is admitted, triaged and managed. Therefore, representatives of societies listed in the title have drafted this consensus document aimed to cover the most important critical areas in D-dimer testing, providing tentative recommendations to improve its clinical effectiveness for diagnosing VTE in the emergency department