Incidence and clinicopathological significance of DIC in autopsy cases

Disseminated intravascular coagulation: new identity as endotheliopathy-associated vascular microthrombotic disease based on in vivo hemostasis and endothelial molecular pathogenesis

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can be correctly redefined as disseminated intravascular microthrombosis based on "two-path unifying theory" of in vivo hemostasis. "DIC" is a form of vascular microthrombotic disease characterized by "microthrombi" composed of platelets and unusually large von Willebrand factor multimers (ULVWF). Microthrombotic disease includes not only "DIC", but also microthrombosis occurring in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), TTP-like syndrome, and focal, multifocal and localized microthrombosis. Being a hemostatic disease, microthrombotic disease occurs as a result of lone activation of ULVWF path via partial in vivo hemostasis. In endothelial injury associated with critical illnesses such as sepsis, the vascular damage is limited to the endothelial cell and activates ULVWF path. In contrast, in intravascular traumatic injury, the local damage may extend from the endothelial cell to subendothelial tissue and sometimes beyond, and activates both ULVWF and tissue factor (TF) paths. When endotheliopathy triggers exocytosis of ULVWF and recruits platelets, ULVWF path is activated and promotes microthrombogenesis to produce microthrombi composed of microthrombi strings, but when localized vascular damage causes endothelial and subendothelial tissue damage, both ULVWF and TF paths are activated and promote macrothrombogenesis to produce macrothrombus made of complete "blood clots". Currently, "DIC" concept is ascribed to activated TF path leading to fibrin clots. Instead, it should be correctly redefined as microthrombosis caused by activation of ULVWF path, leading to endotheliopathy-associated microthrombosis. The correct term for acute "DIC" is disseminated microthrombosis-associated hepatic coagulopathy, and that for chronic "DIC" is disseminated microthrombosis without hepatic coagulopathy. TTP-like syndrome is hematologic phenotype of endotheliopathy-associated microthrombosis. This correct concept of "DIC" is identified from novel theory of "in vivo hemostasis", which now can solve every mystery associated with "DIC" and other associated thrombotic disorders. Thus, sepsis-associated coagulopathy is not "DIC", but is endotheliopathy-associated vascular microthrombotic disease.

Clinical features of patients with lung cancer accompanied by thromboembolism or disseminated intravascular coagulation

Purpose

Thromboembolism (TE) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are often present concomitantly. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of patients with lung cancer and TE and/or DIC.

Patients and methods

Data on 716 patients with pathologically confirmed diagnoses of lung cancer were retrospectively analyzed for TE/DIC.

Results

TE was identified in 16 patients (2.2%) and DIC was identified in 5 (0.7%) during the diagnosis of cancer. TE was more often observed in adenocarcinoma (4.0%). Both TE and DIC were more often observed in stage IV (4.7% and 1.5%, respectively). In patients with stage IV adenocarcinoma who received some systemic treatment, overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in patients with TE (median 280 days) and with DIC (72 days) than in non-TE/DIC patients (538 days). Multivariate analysis showed that older age, poor performance status, greater number of metastatic organs, no EGFR mutation/ALK fusion, presence of interstitial lung disease, and DIC were poor prognostic factors for OS. In 339 patients in stage IV, 25 (7.4%) and 21 (6.2%) patients had TE and DIC, respectively, during the course. Six patients exhibited both TE and DIC. TE was more often observed in adenocarcinoma (20 of 196 patients; 10.2%). Patients with DIC had extremely shorter survival (median 13 days) after onset. Cancer control by systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy and molecular-targeted therapy, contributed to long survival.

Conclusion

Patients with TE/DIC had shorter OS than patients without TE/DIC. Control of lung cancer by systemic therapy was important for longer survival after the onset of events.

Association Between Necropsy Evidence of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and Hemostatic Variables Before Death in Horses With Colic

Background

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is frequent in horses with severe gastrointestinal disorders. Postmortem studies have found fibrin microthrombi in tissues of these horses, but studies relating these histopathological findings with antemortem hemostatic data are lacking.

Hypothesis

Antemortem classification of coagulopathy is related to the presence and severity of fibrin deposits observed postmortem in horses with severe gastrointestinal disorders.

Animals

Antemortem hemostatic profile data and postmortem tissue samples (kidney, lung, liver) from 48 horses with colic.

Methods

Tissue samples were stained with phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin and immunohistochemical methods for histological examination. A fibrin score (grades 0–4) was assigned for each technique, tissue and horse, as well as the presence or absence of DIC at postmortem examination. D‐dimer concentration, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and antithrombin (AT) activity, as well as the clinicopathological evidence of coagulopathy, were determined from plasma samples collected 0–24 hours before death or euthanasia. Histologic and clinicopathologic data from the same horses were compared retrospectively.

Results

No association was found between antemortem classification of coagulopathy and postmortem diagnosis of DIC based on tissue fibrin deposition. None of the hemostatic parameters was significantly different between horses with or without postmortem diagnosis of DIC. There was no association between horses with fibrin in tissues or different cut‐offs for D‐dimer concentration and postmortem evidence of DIC.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Abnormalities of the routine clotting profile, including D‐dimer concentration, were not useful in predicting histologic evidence of DIC at necropsy in horses with severe gastrointestinal disorders.

Blood coagulation, inflammation, and malaria

Malaria remains a highly prevalent disease in more than 90 countries and accounts for at least 1 million deaths every year. Plasmodium falciparum infection is often associated with a procoagulant tonus characterized by thrombocytopenia and activation of the coagulation cascade and fibrinolytic system; however, bleeding and hemorrhage are uncommon events, suggesting that a compensated state of blood coagulation activation occurs in malaria. This article (i) reviews the literature related to blood coagulation and malaria in a historic perspective, (ii) describes basic mechanisms of coagulation, anticoagulation, and fibrinolysis, (iii) explains the laboratory changes in acute and compensated disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), (iv) discusses the implications of tissue factor (TF) expression in the endothelium of P. falciparum infected patients, and (v) emphasizes the procoagulant role of parasitized red blood cells (RBCs) and activated platelets in the pathogenesis of malaria. This article also presents the Tissue Factor Model (TFM) for malaria pathogenesis, which places TF as the interface between sequestration, endothelial cell (EC) activation, blood coagulation disorder, and inflammation often associated with the disease. The relevance of the coagulation-inflammation cycle for the multiorgan dysfunction and coma is discussed in the context of malaria pathogenesis.

Association between necropsy evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation and coagulation variables before death in patients in intensive care units

The necropsy findings in 21 patients on an intensive care unit, on whom coagulation studies had been performed immediately before death, were assessed. Eleven of the patients were retrospectively studied and 10 were reviewed consecutively in a prospective study. Fifteen patients (eight retrospective and seven prospective) had evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Microthrombi were most often found in the lungs and kidneys. The most common abnormal coagulation tests in patients with necropsy evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation were raised serum concentrations of fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products, prolonged prothrombin time, and reduced platelet counts. Reduced fibrinogen concentrations and a prolonged thrombin time were the least commonly observed abnormalities. There was no difference in either the prevalence or magnitude of abnormality of any particular coagulation variable test result between those patients with evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation at necropsy and those without.