The DiPEP study : an observational study of the diagnostic accuracy of clinical assessment, D-dimer and chest x-ray for suspected pulmonary embolism in pregnancy and postpartum

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of maternal mortality during pregnancy and postpartum, therefore symptomatic at-risk women are commonly seen in emergency departments and maternity units to rule out PE. Recommendations regarding diagnosis of PE vary among various professional societies. Recent reviews have not found sufficient evidence to suggest that D-dimer is an effective tool in detecting PE, mainly due to the low prevalence of PE in study subjects. The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical features or D-dimer could be used during pregnancy and postpartum to select women for diagnostic imaging.