title: [Deep Venous Thrombosis in Emergency Care: From Clinical Suspicion to Correct Diagnosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Retrospective analysis of suspected deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs admitted to an emergency unit and subsequently scanned in the vascular lab.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical and demographic details of patients were retrieved from clinical files and collected in a database. The statistical software SPSS was used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between January 2011 and September 2013, 407 venous scans were performed for ruling out DVT. Two hundred sixty-nine (66%) patients were female. Average age was 60.1 years-old (16-93). One hundred thirty-four scans (32.9%) were positive for the diagnosis of recent DVT (simultaneous DVT and superficial thrombophlebitis in six patients of this group). In 194 exams (47.6%) there was any sign of venous thrombosis, whether recent or remote. The remaining cases showed up signs of remote DVT in 22 (5.4%) patients, and superficial thrombophlebitis in 50 (12.2%) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suspected DVT was confirmed in only a third of patients, using ultrasound scan. Local implementation of guidelines for the evaluation of patients with suspected DVT may reduce the amount of unnecessary scans.
authors.affiliation: Serviços de Urgência e de Angiologia e Cirurgia Vascular do Centro Hospitalar Tâmega e Sousa e Serviço de Angiologia e Cirurgia Vascular do Centro Hospitalar S. João, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vidoedo
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Almeida Pinto
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: Sérgio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sampaio