Platelets are a component of your blood that helps form clots. If clots prevent blood from reaching parts of the body, tissue damage occurs. For example, if clots prevent blood from circulating properly to the hands or feet, the tissue may start to turn splotchy, then bluish in color cyanotic , and then black gangrenous if the skin dies. Once the tissue is at this stage, it must be removed.
For some people, this may be a small patch of skin or a few fingers or toes. For others, it could mean amputation of one or more limbs. For example, your kidneys may not be able to effectively filter urine. When this happens, you may need dialysis. If the kidneys regain function, you may no longer need dialysis. Or if you are having difficulty breathing because of DIC, the doctors may choose to place you on a ventilator, a machine that pushes air into your lungs, effectively breathing for you.
This is removed when you can breathe again on your own. About half of those with DIC survive, but some may with live with organ dysfunction or the results of amputations. Would you like to share your story about sepsis or read about others who have had sepsis? Please visit Faces of Sepsis , where you will find hundreds of stories from survivors and tributes to those who died from sepsis. Read more about disseminated intravascular coagulation at the National Institutes of Health.
However, sometimes no symptoms develop. A clot that forms in a vein may break free and travel becoming an embolus to the lungs. Clots in the lungs Pulmonary Embolism PE Pulmonary embolism is the blocking of an artery of the lung pulmonary artery by a collection of solid material brought through the bloodstream embolus —usually a blood clot thrombus or Blood tests may show that the number of platelets in a blood sample has dropped platelets are used up when blood clots and that the blood is taking a long time to clot.
The diagnosis of DIC is confirmed if test results show abnormally increased quantities of plasma D-dimer a substance that blood clots release when they break down; more D-dimer indicates that more clots are being produced than usual and often a low or decreasing level of fibrinogen a protein that is consumed when blood clots. The underlying disorder must be identified and corrected, whether it is an obstetric problem, an infection, or a cancer.
The clotting problems subside when the cause is corrected. DIC that develops suddenly is life threatening and is treated as an emergency. Platelets and clotting factors are transfused to replace those depleted and to stop bleeding.
Heparin may be used to slow the clotting in people who have more chronic, milder DIC in which clotting is more of a problem than bleeding. Merck and Co.
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Common Health Topics. Bleeding Due to Clotting Disorders. Disseminated intravascular coagulation DIC is a serious disorder in which the proteins that control blood clotting become overactive.
When you are injured, proteins in the blood that form blood clots travel to the injury site to help stop bleeding. If these proteins become abnormally active throughout the body, you could develop DIC. The underlying cause is usually due to inflammation, infection, or cancer.
In some cases of DIC, small blood clots form in the blood vessels. Some of these clots can clog the vessels and cut off the normal blood supply to organs such as the liver, brain, or kidneys. Lack of blood flow can damage and cause major injury to the organs. In other cases of DIC, the clotting proteins in your blood are consumed. When this happens, you may have a high risk of serious bleeding, even from a minor injury or without injury.
You may also have bleeding that starts spontaneously on its own. The disease can also cause your healthy red blood cells to fragment and break up when they travel through the small vessels that are filled with clots. There is no specific treatment for DIC.
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