Related Experiment Videos
Microvascular coagulopathy and disseminated intravascular coagulation
H ten Cate1, S H Schoenmakers, R Franco
1Academic Medical Center, and the Department of Internal Medicine, Slotervaat Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Critical Care Medicine
|July 11, 2001
Summary
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a complex condition that can cause organ failure and is a symptom of severe illness. Further research is needed to understand its effects on organ recovery and anticoagulant therapy.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Pathophysiology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) presents dual characteristics, acting as both a cause of multiple organ failure and a symptom of severe systemic diseases.
- DIC is triggered by systemic cytokine activity and inflammatory responses, leading to increased vascular permeability, inflammation, and tissue damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the dual roles of DIC in critical illness.
- To explore the implications of DIC in systemic vascular changes and organ failure.
Main Methods:
- Review of published literature.
- Inclusion of unpublished results from the authors.
Main Results:
- Clinical and experimental evidence indicates DIC contributes to multiple organ failure and mortality in severe conditions like sepsis.
- DIC involves both intravascular fibrin formation and thrombin/fibrin generation within tissues, exemplified by adult respiratory distress syndrome.
- Intravascular fibrin formation can induce hypoxic responses and ischemic preconditioning, potentially offering organ protection.
Conclusions:
- The precise beneficial or detrimental effects of activated coagulation and fibrin formation on organ pathology and recovery in DIC require further investigation.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for evaluating ischemia-reperfusion outcomes with specific anticoagulant therapies.