D-dimer

Service Description

What is a D-dimer test? A D-dimer test looks for D-dimer in blood. D-dimer is a protein fragment (small piece) that's made when a blood clot dissolves in your body. Blood clotting is an important process that prevents you from losing too much blood when you are injured. Normally, your body will dissolve the clot once your injury has healed. With a blood clotting disorder, clots can form when you don't have an obvious injury or don't dissolve when they should. These conditions can be very serious and even life-threatening. A D-dimer test can show if you have one of these conditions. Why do I need a D-dimer test? You may need this test if you have symptoms of a blood clotting disorder, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or a pulmonary embolism (PE). Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test? You don't need any special preparations for a D-dimer test. But, test need to be done early in the morning to be able for us to deliver the sample to the lab straight after the test. What happens during a D-dimer test? A phlebotomist will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.