Introduction The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) can be difficult due to variable clinical presentation with symptoms that are often shared with several other disease entities, namely shortness of breath, chest pain, and tachycardia. Laboratory assays are used to help clinicians decide when imaging is required. The d-dimer assay is a commonly used and highly sensitive screening test to assist in the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) including deep vein thrombosis and PE.
