Exclusion of deep vein thrombosis using the Wells rule in clinically important subgroups: individual patient data meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the accuracy of the Wells rule for excluding deep vein thrombosis and whether this accuracy applies to different subgroups of patients.

Design

Meta-analysis of individual patient data.

Data sources

Authors of 13 studies (n = 10,002) provided their datasets, and these individual patient data were merged into one dataset.

Eligibility criteria

Studies were eligible if they enrolled consecutive outpatients with suspected deep vein thrombosis, scored all variables of the Wells rule, and performed an appropriate reference standard.

Main outcome measures

Multilevel logistic regression models, including an interaction term for each subgroup, were used to estimate differences in predicted probabilities of deep vein thrombosis by the Wells rule

SUBMITTER: Geersing GJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3948465 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature