Biomaterial Database

Purpura fulminans. 1982

D Z Chu, and F W Blaisdell

Purpura fulminans presents as a catastrophic illness with gangrene of the distal extremities and necrosis of skin. The clinical picture consists of septicemia, shock, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. The Shwartzman and Arthus reactions are thought to be responsible for the pathogenesis of purpura fulminans. The exact mechanisms of these reactions are not completely understood. Immediate resuscitation is the treatment for shock and sepsis. Heparin is recommended to reverse the disseminated intravascular coagulation component of this disease. Surviving patients require treatment of skin necrosis and digital and extremity gangrene. The former are managed in a fashion similar to the management of burns. Amputation should be delayed until maximal collateral circulation has developed. A series of 10 patients is presented and 58 cases from the literature are analyzed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009336	Necrosis	The death of cells in an organ or tissue due to disease, injury or failure of the blood supply.
D011693	Purpura	Purplish or brownish red discoloration, easily visible through the epidermis, caused by hemorrhage into the tissues. When the size of the discolorization is >2-3 cm it is generally called Ecchymoses (ECCHYMOSIS).	Petechiae,Purpuras
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
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
D005734	Gangrene	Death and putrefaction of tissue usually due to a loss of blood supply.	Gangrenes