Diagnosis and management of sepsis‐induced coagulopathy and disseminated intravascular coagulation

The International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) in 2001 defined disseminated intravascular congestion (DIC) as “an acquired syndrome characterized by the intravascular activation of coagulation with loss of localization arising from different causes that can originate from and cause damage to the microvasculature, which if sufficiently severe, can produce organ dysfunction.”1 Current information supports the concept that DIC in sepsis is a coagulation disorder induced by infection, but also represents an acute systemic inflammatory response that leads to endothelial dysfunction.