Disseminated intravascular coagulation in obstetrics, pregnancy, and gynecology: Criteria for diagnosis and management

Disseminated intravascular coagulation is a confusing syndrome, regarding diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Confusion and controversy stem from (1) the fact that many unrelated clinical scenario may induce DIC (2) a lack of uniformity in clinical manifestations (3) confusion regarding appropriate laboratory diagnosis and (4) unclear guidelines for management with respect to specific therapeutic modalities potentially available. Recommendations for and evaluation of management becomes even more difficult because: (1) the morbidity and survival is often dependent on the specific cause of DIC and (2) few of the generally used specific modes of therapy, heparin, antithrombin concentrate, protein C concentrate, and others, have been subjected to objective prospective randomized trials, except antithrombin concentrates.