Short summary

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a common condition in patients >60 years of age, with an estimated prevalence of 1/100 in Denmark. Typical symptoms of DVT in lower extremities are swollen/painful leg(s), tenderness along the deep veins along the leg(s), superficial venous configuration, and pitting edema.

It is estimated that around 45% of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) also have coexisting DVT. Thus, when undetected and untreated, DVT can cause serious and potential life-threatening damage.

Rationale

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a non-invasive bedside method for clinical examination. It has established itself as a valuable tool for assessing patients in the emergency departments all over the world.

However, the quality of the examination depends on the experience and education of examiner. With standardized training and education, POCUS has shown to support and enhance the doctors clinical decision-making. Lately, many clinicians have expressed interest in learning POCUS and several education programs have already been presented.

The majority of patients which uses the healthcare system in the western world are geriatric patients. This places greater demands on the clinicians ability to juggle 1) symptoms that are often vague and diffuse, 2) patients with decreased abilities to explain symptoms, 3) several medications and potential drug on drug interaction (polypharmacy) and decreasing cognitive and/or physical function.

This study aims to investigate the quality of geriatrician-performed POCUS and the presence of deep venous thrombosis in geriatric inpatients compared to golden standard, radiologist/specialist performed ultrasound.

Description of the cohort

Geriatric inpatients with symptoms of DVT, Department of Geriatrics, Svendborg Hospital

Data and biological material

Clinical data obtained during admission: symptoms, ultrasound scan, information regarding comorbidity, BMI, diagnosis upon admission, length of admission.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Department of Radiology, Svendborg Sygehus

• Ultrasound section