Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation ( DIC ), also called consumptive coagulopathy , is a pathological process in the body where the blood starts to coagulate throughout the whole body. Several simultaneously occurring mechanisms play a role in the pathogenesis of DIC. In its acute (overt) form it is a hemorrhagic disorder, characterized by multiple ecchymoses, mucosal bleeding, and depletion of platelets and clotting factors in the blood. The excessive clotting is usually stimulated by a substance that enters the blood as part of a disease or as a complication of childbirth, retention of a dead fetus, or surgery. It may cause excessive clotting or bleeding throughout the body and lead to shock , organ failure, and death. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) occurs mainly within the capillaries or the microcirculation . It is a secondary complication of a diverse group of disorders that activate, in some way, the coagulation system. Indeed, DIC is generally associated with an adverse outcome by most clinicians, and its acronym has been synonymous with "death is coming."

DIC is not a specific disorder but rather a common pathway in a variety of disorders. It occurs in critically ill patients, especially those with Gram-negative sepsis and acute promyelocytic leukemia . A third pathway in addition to enhanced fibrin formation is impaired fibrin removal due to depression of the fibrinolytic system. With chronic DIC, coagulation factors may be normal, increased, or moderately decreased, as may the platelet counts. As the clotting factors and platelets are depleted, excessive bleeding occurs. As the clotting factors and platelets are depleted, excessive bleeding occurs. This excessive clotting damages organs, destroys blood cells, and depletes the supply of platelets and other clotting factors so that the blood is no longer able to clot normally. This often causes widespread bleeding, both internally and externally. Precise laboratory definition of this process could provide a therapeutic window in critical illness that may finally deliver an improved outcome.

Causes of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

There are various factors which give rise to the disease Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation , but here we mentioned some of the common causes:

• Some types of bacterial , viral , or fungal infection.
• Severe trauma, especially from brain injuries, crushing injuries, burns, and extremely low body temperature.
• Cancer.
• Complications during pregnancy.
• Snakebite.

Symptoms of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Some of the common sign and symptoms of the disease Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation are as follows:

• Bleeding, possibly from multiple sites in the body.
• Blood clots.
• Sudden bruising.

Treatment of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Find effective treatment methods of treating Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation:

• Anticoagulants are only given when indicated (development of thrombotic renal complications) as patients with DIC are prone to bleeding.
• For example, if infection is the underlying etiology, the appropriate administration of antibiotics and source control is the first line of therapy.
• In case of an obstetric catastrophe, the primary approach is to deliver appropriate obstetric care, in which case the DIC will rapidly subside.
• Blood clotting factors will be replaced with plasma transfusions.
• Heparin, a medication used to prevent thrombosis, is sometimes used in combination with replacement therapy.

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