We have reviewed 11 cases of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) admitted to the
Pediatric department of Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 1981 to July 1982.
Age distribution showed 4 cases below, year of age including 2 neonatal cases, 2 between 1 to 5 years of age, 2 between 6 to 10 years of age and 3 between 11 to 15 years of age.
Three of these 11 cases are male and the rest 8 female.
DIC developed within the first 5 admission day in 7 cases, from the 6th to the 10th day in one and after the 10th in three.
Factors predisposing to DIC included infection (11 cases) which were usually systemic, shock, recent surgery and malignancy.
Diagnostic coagulation studies included low platelet count below 100,000/cumm (all 11 cases), prolonged PT (10 cases) and PTT (all 11 cases).
All patients had abnormal hemorrhage and the majority being petechiae on the skin (8 cases) followed by oozing from the injection site (6 cases), melena (4 cases), epistaxis (3 cases), bleeding from the oral cavity (3 cases), intracranial hemorrhage (1 case) and hematuria (1 case).
Local ischemic manifestations probablly due to the thrombus formation were respiratory distress (9 cases), mental disturbance (9 cases), diarrhea (8 cases), abdominal pain (7 cases) and acrocyanosis (3 cases).
Shock due to systemic circulatory disturbance was also seen in 5 cases.
Treatment included transfusion of fresh whole blood and Vitamin K admimistration in all cases, plalelet transfusion in 6 cases, Corticosteroid administration in 4 cases and none received Heparin.
Only 3 cases showed improvement and the rest discharged hopelessly and/or died.
key words: Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation.
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