Unified calibration of D-dimer can improve the uniformity of different detection systems

Background

D-dimer at a low level is important evidence for excluding the onset and progression of thrombosis. It is readily detectable and yields rapid results, although significant variability exists among different detection systems. Our study aims to enhance the consistency across various detection systems.

Methods

Twelve detection systems were included in our study. We sought to address this inconsistency by using various calibrators (two supplied by manufacturers and two comprising pooled human plasma diluted with different diluents) to standardize D-dimer measurements. We categorized the data into three groups according to D-dimer concentration levels: low (≤0.5 mg/L), medium (>0.5 mg/L - <3 mg/L), and high (≥3 mg/L). We then analyzed the data focusing on range, consistency, comparability, negative coincidence rate, and false negative rate.

Results

Calibrating with pooled human plasma led to narrower result ranges in the low and medium groups (P < 0.05). In the low group, consistency improved from weak to strong (ICC 0.4–0.7, P﹤0.05), while it remained excellent in the other groups and overall (ICC﹥0.75, P﹤0.05). The percentage of pairwise comparability increased in both the low and high groups. Additionally, there was an increase in the negative coincidence rate.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate that uniform calibration of D-dimer can significantly enhance the consistency of results across different detection systems.