Accuracy of point-of-care-ultrasound performed by physicians in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis

BackgroundThe diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is usually made by a sonographer using a thorough Doppler ultrasound. The current study examined whether emergency resident physicians could accurately diagnose DVT using a point-of-care, three-point compression protocol.MethodsThe patient population consisted of patients with suspected DVT who presented to the emergency department between 2021 and 2022. All patients underwent a three-point compression ultrasound exam by the emergency resident. Each patient then had a comprehensive whole-leg ultrasonography exam performed by a supervisor emergency specialist. The results of the ultrasound exams by the emergency resident physicians and comprehensive exams were then analyzed and compared.ResultsThe average age of the patients was 60,96 ± 16,67. There was a statistically significant difference between three-point compression and whole-leg ultrasound examination data. The negative predictive value of the resident physician was determined as 94%. The coefficient of the compression variable in the Ridge regression analysis for diagnosing DVT in the whole-leg ultrasound examination was obtained as -0.3754.ConclusionsWe think that compression ultrasonography may be sufficient in patient management compared to whole-leg ultrasonography in emergency management. However, we think that three-point compression ultrasonography applied by the emergency resident is quite successful in diagnosing and excluding DVT in the emergency department.