Prognostic value of D-dimer in stable patients with pulmonary embolism

Prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) based on levels of D-dimer has shown mixed results, and data on in-hospital prognosis of stable patients are sparse. We assessed in-hospital prognosis in 292 stable patients with PE based on retrospective chart review using an arbitrarily selected value of D-dimer ≥5000 ng/mL as cut-off level. In-hospital mortality from PE was 0% (0 of 222) with D-dimer <5000 ng/mL compared with 2.9% (2 of 70) with D-dimer ≥5000 ng/mL (P = .06). In-hospital all-cause mortality was 2.3% (5 of 222) with D-dimer <5000 ng/mL compared with 2.9% (2 of 70) with D-dimer ≥5000 ng/mL (NS). Markedly elevated levels of D-dimer, therefore, did not indicate a high mortality from PE or all-cause mortality during hospitalization.