Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

  Jerry is a 24 year old in the ICU that was hit by a car while walking 7 days ago. This accident resulted He began to develop sepsis. Day 8 you notice petechiae on his torso and blood oozing from his past IV insertion sites. His suture lines from his hip surgery are oozing blood as well. Based on your assessment, you suspect disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). 1. Explain why you suspected that Jerry developed DIC (scenario data and textbook support)? 2. Define Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation. 3. What labs do you expect to be ordered? 4. With each lab value, indicate if that value would be abnormally high or low for a pt. with DIC and explain. 5. What is the pathophysiology causing the change in lab values? 6. What are patients with DIC at risk for due to the abnormally high consumption of clotting factors and platelets and why? 7. How is DIC managed?