Biomaterial Database

Massive pulmonary embolism presenting as disseminated intravascular coagulation. 1992

W T Hart, and C P Hallenborg

Department of Medicine, John A Burns School of Medicine.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can be defined as evidence of activation of the coagulation mechanism resulting in proteolysis of fibrinogen by thrombin and plasmin and an acute thrombocytopenia. The association of pulmonary embolism (PE) with DIC has recently been reported but in reviewing recent textbooks of hematology, there is no mention of PE as a cause of DIC. Clinicians need to be made aware of this association since it affects the patient who is thought to be autoanticoagulated as well as the patient who has DIC of unknown cause. PE needs to be included in the differential diagnosis of an autoanticoagulated state and in DIC of unknown etiology. In both instances the recommended treatment is full-dose intravenous heparin therapy.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D011014	Pneumonia	Infection of the lung often accompanied by inflammation.	Experimental Lung Inflammation,Lobar Pneumonia,Lung Inflammation,Pneumonia, Lobar,Pneumonitis,Pulmonary Inflammation,Experimental Lung Inflammations,Inflammation, Experimental Lung,Inflammation, Lung,Inflammation, Pulmonary,Inflammations, Lung,Inflammations, Pulmonary,Lobar Pneumonias,Lung Inflammation, Experimental,Lung Inflammations,Lung Inflammations, Experimental,Pneumonias,Pneumonias, Lobar,Pneumonitides,Pulmonary Inflammations
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D011552	Pseudomonas Infections	Infections with bacteria of the genus PSEUDOMONAS.	Infections, Pseudomonas,Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection,Infection, Pseudomonas,Pseudomonas Infection,Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections
D011655	Pulmonary Embolism	Blocking of the PULMONARY ARTERY or one of its branches by an EMBOLUS.	Pulmonary Thromboembolism,Thromboembolism, Pulmonary,Embolism, Pulmonary,Embolisms, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Embolisms,Pulmonary Thromboembolisms,Thromboembolisms, Pulmonary
D001780	Blood Coagulation Tests	Laboratory tests for evaluating the individual's clotting mechanism.	Coagulation Tests, Blood,Tests, Blood Coagulation,Blood Coagulation Test,Coagulation Test, Blood,Test, Blood Coagulation
D004211	Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation	A disorder characterized by procoagulant substances entering the general circulation causing a systemic thrombotic process. The activation of the clotting mechanism may arise from any of a number of disorders. A majority of the patients manifest skin lesions, sometimes leading to PURPURA FULMINANS.	Consumption Coagulopathy,Coagulation, Disseminated Intravascular,Disseminated Coagulation, Intravascular,Intravascular Coagulation, Disseminated,Intravascular Disseminated Coagulation,Coagulation, Intravascular Disseminated,Coagulations, Disseminated Intravascular,Coagulations, Intravascular Disseminated,Coagulopathies, Consumption,Coagulopathy, Consumption,Consumption Coagulopathies,Disseminated Coagulations, Intravascular,Disseminated Intravascular Coagulations,Intravascular Coagulations, Disseminated,Intravascular Disseminated Coagulations
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man