Shock and terminal pancreatitis

63% of 523 lethal cases of shock showed a DIC-syndrome. First of all the lung was affected with 69% of the cases with DIC-syndrome, followed by the pancreas with 52%. In search of disseminated intravascular coagulation, the pancreas is a very favourable organ since other acute superimposed findings normally don't exist. 18% of the cases with DIC-syndrome showed in addition to the DIC-syndrome a terminal pancreatitis resp. a tryptic necrosis. The pathogenesis of the tryptic necrosis can be explained by a decrease of blood supply in shock, which makes autodigestion possible. The tryptic necrosis differs from the hypoxic necrosis phenomenologically. The hypoxia as pathogenetic principle (Franz Büchner) causes the tryptic necrosis in an indirect way: it provides the conditions for autodigestion. This study aims to encourage to examine the pancreas of lethal cases of shock more regularly since this examination is an enrichment as well for the anatomic diagnosis of shock as for the comprehension of the pancreas.