Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34022828›Full record

ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2021

Diagnostic performance of D-dimer in predicting pulmonary embolism in tuberculous pleural effusion patients.

Xiaoming Li, Yajing Qin, Wenjing Ye, Xi Chen, Dezhi Sun, Xuejun Guo, Wen Gu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Xiaoming Li *Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1665, Kongjiang Road, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Yajing Qin *Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Weifang Respiratory Disease Hospital, Weifang NO.2 People's Hospital, 7, Yuanxiao Street, Weifang, 261041, Shandong Province, China.
Wenjing Ye *Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1665, Kongjiang Road, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Xi ChenDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1665, Kongjiang Road, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Dezhi SunDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Weifang Respiratory Disease Hospital, Weifang NO.2 People's Hospital, 7, Yuanxiao Street, Weifang, 261041, Shandong Province, China.
Xuejun GuoDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1665, Kongjiang Road, Shanghai, 200092, China. guoxuejun@xinhuamed.com.cn.
Wen GuDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1665, Kongjiang Road, Shanghai, 200092, China. guwen@xinhuamed.com.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1414-0605
XinHua Hospital · CNWeifang People's Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) patients usually have elevated D-dimer levels. The diagnostic performance of D-dimer in predicting pulmonary embolism (PE) in the TPE population is unclear. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of D-dimer for PE in the TPE population and explore its potential mechanism.

methodsWe retrospectively analysed patients who were admitted to Xinhua Hospital and Weifang Respiratory Disease Hospital with confirmed TPE between March 2014 and January 2020. D-dimer levels were compared between patients with and without PE. To test the diagnostic performance of D-dimer in predicting PE, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed. Positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were also reported. To explore the potential mechanism of PE in TPE, inflammatory biomarkers were compared between PE and non-PE patients.

resultsThis study included 248 patients (170 males and 78 females) aged 43 ± 20.6 years. Elevated D-dimer levels (≥ 0.5 mg/L) were detected in 186/248 (75%) patients. Of the 150 patients who underwent computed tomography pulmonary angiography, 29 were diagnosed with PE. Among the TPE population, the PE patients had significantly higher D-dimer levels than the non-PE patients (median, 1.06 mg/L vs. 0.84 mg/L, P < 0.05). The optimal cut-off value for D-dimer in predicting PE in TPE was 1.18 mg/L, with a sensitivity of 89.7% and a specificity of 77.8% (area under curve, 0.893; 95% confidence interval 0.839-0.947; P < 0.01). The PPV was 49.1%, while the NPV was 96.9% at a D-dimer cut-off of 1.18 mg/L for PE. PE patients had lower median WBC and interleukin (IL)-8 values (5.14 × 10

conclusionsD-dimer is an objective biomarker for predicting PE in patients with TPE. A D-dimer cut-off of 1.18 mg/L in the TPE population may reduce unnecessary radiological tests due to its excellent sensitivity, specificity, and NPV for PE. The imbalance of prothrombotic and antithrombotic cytokines may partly be attributed to the formation of pulmonary emboli in patients with TPE.

Indexed as

AdultBiomarkersComputed Tomography AngiographyFemaleFibrin Fibrinogen Degradation ProductsHumansMaleMiddle AgedPleural EffusionPredictive Value of TestsRetrospective StudiesROC CurveTuberculosis, PleuralYoung AdultBiomarkersFibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Productsfibrin fragment DD-dimerDiagnosisPulmonary embolismTuberculous pleural effusion

Identifiers

PMID34022828
PMCPMC8141242
OpenAlexW3113329782

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.