Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Excerpt

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can be defined as a widespread hypercoagulable state that can lead to micro- and macrovascular clotting and compromised blood flow, ultimately resulting in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. As this process begins consuming clotting factors and platelets in a positive feedback loop, hemorrhage can ensue, which may be the presenting symptom of a patient with DIC. Disseminated intravascular coagulation typically occurs as an acute complication in patients with underlying life-threatening illnesses such as severe sepsis, hematologic malignancies, severe trauma, or placental abruption. Determining the consequences of DIC and the overall mortality rate of DIC remains difficult as patients with this condition also have additional diagnoses that can cause many of the signs and symptoms consistent with DIC, particularly if they also have acute or chronic liver failure. While concomitant disease states can obscure a patient’s prognosis, mortality rates have been shown to double in patients who are septic or those with severe trauma if they also have DIC.