Diagnosis Of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation With Thrombelastography

Objective: Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is not a disease or a symptom but a syndrome that is always secondary to an underlying disorder. Therefore, a proper evaluation of patients may be of importance in early detection of DIC. Thrombelastography (TEG) is a bedside patient's test of coagulation, and easy to perform. To assess feasibility of the TEG and its potential prognostic significance, we investigated the relationship between parameters of TEG(R time, K time, α angle, maximum amplitude) and the DIC score. Material and Methods: Consecutive patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) were initially assessed. It included all cases presenting potential risk of DIC (ISTH, table2). All patients were evaluated for their prothrombin time(PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), plasma fibrinogen level (FIB), the function of liver and renal, D-dimer and TEG. Patients were divided into DIC group (DIC score ≥5) and non-DIC group (DIC score < 5) based on their DIC score. Both groups were evaluated with age, sex, APACHE Ⅱ score, ALT, AST, Cr, BUN, length of stay in ICU, symptom of DIC and mortality. Result: We observed that R time showed higher sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value in diagnosis of DIC. Meanwhile, K time showed higher specificity and positive predictive value. There is no difference between the two groups in age, sex, ALT, length of stay in ICU and mortality. Whereas, the two groups showed some...